Adding pictures to content helps grab peoples’ attention, but adding great video amps up engagement even more. Videos convey more than just information — they show emotion — and purchasing decisions typically don’t come down to logic but a feeling, as well. (Yes, even B2B purchasing decisions.)
According to the Content Marketing Institute, YouTube is one of the top social networks for B2B marketing. With more than 1.9 billion users each month, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine. Proof that video spurs action? Consumers who watch demo videos on the social channel are 1.81 times more likely to make a purchase than non-viewers.
So you know video is a great vehicle to help carry your marketing strategy, but how exactly do you go about creating one with real impact? You’re a marketer, not a director, after all. The good news is it’s not that hard or expensive to create a video that can inform and educate — perhaps even entertain — your audience.
Keep in mind, even though your audience is “all business,” they are still people who are making the buying decisions, so target your message to the people, not the business.
While B2B and B2C marketing often differ in terms of tactics, keep in mind people are people, regardless of whether they are buying something for themselves or for their businesses. They behave in the same way when researching products, so target your audience by creating video content that appeals to the emotion of the people, not the business.
It seems obvious, but creating great engaging content is crucial. Videos relevant to B2B audiences would be product showcases, demos, lessons, testimonials, how-tos and expert advice, case studies and conferences/events.
And in a world of ever-decreasing attention spans, the shorter your video, the better. A study found that videos under two minutes generate almost 50 percent of all views on YouTube.
After uploading content to YouTube, make sure to give your videos searchable titles, descriptions and tags. Embed videos on your website and its companion social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). If the video resonates with viewers, they might share it on their own social media accounts.
Create your own brand space with a YouTube channel to make it easier for your users to find all your video content. Include links to your site or campaign microsite. Encourage comments and subscriptions from views and listen and react to what’s being said. Creating channels also helps you segment your product or service videos to help users find what they want without tons of scrolling or searching.
Google (the largest search engine) owns YouTube (the second largest search engine), which means you can advertise through Google Ads for video. Use Promoted Videos to showcase your video against other similar business searches on YouTube. Use relevant keywords and search categories to reach your target audience.
Track your video’s viewership to determine how to optimize your video content. YouTube Analytics provides detailed information about who’s watching your videos and their level of engagement. Google Analytics tracks the performance of your brand channel as if it were your own site. Determine how long visitors stay, bounce rates, how visitors find your content and which sources are driving the best traffic.
Think about your video channel the way you do your blog: You update it regularly, right? You should do the same with your video marketing strategy. No one likes stale, outdated content.
Now that you have video content, where should it live? The short answer is everywhere. On your website, it will live forever, but don’t forget to also post it to your social media channels, and even include it in your emails. The more places you include your video, the broader your reach and the bigger your potential to attract new customers become.
