Video has become a cornerstone of B2B marketing strategies. According to recent data, 91% of B2B marketers utilise video as a marketing tool, underscoring its significance in engaging and converting audiences
Well, we are here to help your B2B business get ahead with powerful video content…
Get B2B emotional
Just because you’re targeting B2B doesn’t mean you can’t get as emotional as your B2C colleagues. In a study by Motisa, on average B2B customers are significantly more emotionally connected to their vendors and service providers than consumers.
We created a video for high-tech satellite brand, Airbus which packed an emotional punch without losing the logical reasons to connect with this brand. The key here was to look beyond the technology to the impact that the company’s systems had on users and the planet.
B2B marketers need to show buyers that there are professional and personal rewards from their products. B2B decision-makers are 50% more likely to buy when they see some benefits to themselves such as career progression or taking pride in their work.
Significantly they are 8x more likely to pay premium for comparable products and services when they see a personal value of this kind.
A montage of your company’s activities over a set period of time can be an effective way to show what you do. Here’s an example from a film for Connaught, which was designed to inspire its audience and show the impact the company has on people’s lives.
Use humour
B2B is of course a serious business, but even the most earnest of decision-makers likes a joke (they’re only human after all). Just as in consumer marketing, humour can be tricky to get right, and you need to ensure it fits with your brand values and you’ve got your tone and storytelling pitch perfect.
Software company, Hubspot, uses humour effectively to encourage their newsletter signups to reconsider unsubscribing.
Even financial services can be funny. When one of our clients, Creditcall wanted to promote a significant change in the US market (from swipe cards to chip and pin), we took an alternative approach which would engage their niche audience.
Talking heads and testimonials
Advocacy marketing (or allowing your clients to tell your audience how great you are) is a must for B2B brands, and video amplifies the power of a written testimonial.
Testimonials and talking heads make effective promotional videos for your website, and for your sales team to use.
Part of a series, this video for GoToMeeting puts a twist on a testimonial. It allows a customer to tell his own brand story and then shows GoTo in action, illustrating how it helps this business. This combination is both dynamic and engaging.
B2B gets animated
Animation is an effective tool to help you describe a new B2B product or service, espeically if the benefits are had to represent in the real world. Motion graphics can give you more freedom to tell stories about your brand by createing characters, new worlds or new visual references.
Here is one of our B2B explainer animations, a 2-minute motion graphics sequence for Practice Web, which uses characters, product information and icons to describe their new product in an informative and fresh way.
Event videos
Conferences and exhibitions are an important part of the B2B marketing mix, and increasingly, brands are using video content at events to encourage footfall and cut through. A striking video can be used to promote your presence before and during events and become a talking point itself. Take our 3D video for CPME, where visitors to the stand brought colleagues back to the stand to watch the video.
Short-form videos for B2B
Can you use TikTok or IG Reels if you’re a B2B brand? As part of an integrated content plan, it could be another effective way to speak to your customers.
Key takeaways
1. 91% of B2B marketers utilize video as a marketing tool, underscoring its significance in engaging and converting audiences
2. Put your customer at the heart of all you do
3. Remember your customers are business-minded, but they’re still human – emotion and logic must balance
4. Take time to think laterally and use the power of video to tell your story differently
5. Create clear objectives and set KPIs to make sure you know what’s working – this is especially important if you’re new to video to prove the medium’s worth in the boardroom.
6. Don’t forget about marketing your video – using your own channels, earned and paid media, and video SEO.
So, are you ready for the B2B video challenge?
With years of B2B experience, we’re here to help your business stand out. Whether it’s an emotional brand story, an animated explainer, or a bold event video, we’ll create content that connects. Get in touch today!