Make no mistake, B2B video marketing can be fresh, innovative, and engaging. In fact, the most effective videos are all of those things. In a video-first world, no one is going to sit through your boring talking head video. Viewers, even B2B viewers, are looking for something a little more accessible.
To help you engage your clients and prospects with quality video content, we’ve listed the unwritten rules for great B2B Video Marketing. Plus, we’ve included some B2B examples so you can see the rules in action.
The 6 Rules of B2B Video Marketing
More than 80% of c-suite executives watch B2B video, and 65% of buyers said they visited a company’s website after seeing their explainer video. Now, everyone is making marketing videos. The brands that get results are the ones that follow these six rules as they plan and create their content.
1. Capture Attention Quickly
You have just seconds to capture the attention of your viewers. Whether they stumble across your video on social media or go looking for content on your website, they should instantly know that your video is worth watching.
Start with a video marketing hook that sets the tone. It could be an unexpected image, a powerful statement, or an intriguing question.
2. Tell A Story
The best explainer videos tell stories. That story can be about your product or your brand, but some of the best B2B videos tell their customer’s story. Because you have a limited window to capture attention, we recommend starting with the conflict or problem. This video storytelling method helps you hook viewers immediately.
3. Educate Viewers
B2B buyers tend to be much more informed these days. They’ve done a lot of the research before they reach out to a salesperson or book a demo. Creating videos that educate viewers makes your brand a part of that research process.
Think beyond your product or service to consider what decision makers need to know about the industry or market. This less-direct marketing approach can help you build credibility and goodwill with your audience.
4. Production Quality Gets Results
In today’s competitive online video space, you might think quantity is more important than quality. Everyone is making video content, so you need to keep up, right? Not so fast, production quality still matters.
Yes, authenticity matters, being where your audience is matters. But if you want to stand out, you need quality explainer videos that build brand awareness. If your video looks bad, your brand looks bad.
When planning and producing videos, pay attention to:
- How long your video should be
- Audio quality
- Thumbnail quality
- Compression and encoding standards
- Video dimensions for the platform
Choosing the right video production company can make a big difference to content quality, which can affect your ROI.
5. Build Trust in Your Brand
If you follow the first four rules, you’re well on your way to building trust with your audience. Business decision makers need to trust your brand before they will spend money and resources to buy from you.
Elements that influence trustworthiness might include:
- Your video spokesperson
- How well your video aligns with your overall branding strategy
- Whether your brand promise is clear
- Testimonials and case studies
6. Ask Viewers to Act on Your B2B Video Marketing
The whole point of creating an engaging, high-quality B2B video is to get buyers to take action. You want them to buy a product, download a demo, or at least click a link. Your corporate video delivers the highest ROI when it inspires viewers to take the next step.
Luckily, conversion is one of the things that explainer videos do best. All you have to do is ask with a compelling CTA.
B2B Video Marketing Examples That Work
Now that you know what to look for in a great B2B marketing video, here are some real life examples. We’ve highlighted one thing each video does really well, but if you pay attention you’ll notice that many of these videos follow all six rules.
Jornaya – Captures Attention
This video for Jornaya opens with a statement that most business decision makers can relate to: “Timing is everything, but getting the timing right is hard.” It captures attention immediately, while also making a subtle promise that this video will help you figure out how to get the timing right. The viewer stops their scroll and, before they know it, they’re learning all about what Jornaya has to offer.
Slack — Tells a Story
Slack uses a client success story model to get viewers invested in their product. They don’t just show you how Slack changes the office communication game. They also focus on people and their experience to tell an entertaining story. Did you notice how the subtle animation throughout the video shows Slack in action?
IdeaRocket – Educates Viewers
We created this video as part of our own B2B marketing strategy. This isn’t a hard sell video. It’s designed to educate viewers who are higher up the funnel. But if you pay attention, you may notice that we slipped in plenty of details about what we do and how we do it. It’s more engaging than a simple clip video and educates viewers on how they might use animation for their marketing goals.
Arcade – Wins Through Production Quality
Detailed designs, fun camera angles and lots of movement bring a sense of quality to this video from Arcade. Everything from animation to sound effects is meticulously chosen to deliver a high-grade experience for the viewer. At just under a minute long, with great audio and eye-catching visuals, this video is ready for the winner’s circle.
Salesforce — Builds Trust
Salesforce pulls in globally recognized brands to build trust in their product. In this video, they partnered with Cummins, a brand with a reputation for excellence and efficiency. So when their director of global sales operations praises the Salesforce software you can’t help but assume he knows what he’s talking about.
The genius part of making a B2B marketing video with a well known client is that you can piggyback on their sterling reputation to boost your brand’s trust and clout. When you make a corporate video about the success of your clients, it’s a win for you, and a marketing boon for them.
Tavant – Invites Action
The end of this video fromTavant doesn’t just invite viewers to “visit our website” or “learn more.” Instead, they encourage viewers to contact them for a demo. Offering something a little more tangible means viewers can more easily understand the benefits of taking action, so they’re more likely to act.
Effective B2B Video Marketing Starts Here
The buyer’s journey has changed. Now more than ever, your company needs to invest in an engaging, high-quality B2B video that provides value for potential leads. With the right strategy, you can even use video for lead scoring. To jumpstart your B2B Video Marketing, contact the video marketing experts at IdeaRocket.
