Video playing bigger role for B2B Marketers!

Came across a new research study indicating that video now plays a bigger – and increasingly more effective – role in the marketing mix for B2B companies. The numbers are convincing!  The benchmark report, published by Ascend2, found that 85% of executives surveyed rate video marketing as “Very Successful” or “Somewhat Successful” in achieving important company objectives.

As to what those important objectives are, the scales tip heavily in favor of brand awareness, online engagement, customer education and lead generation. Respondents also indicated that Customer Testimonials, Tutorials and Demonstrations provided the most effective video content.

All of this confirms what TriAd has believed for a very long time. Video creates an unbeatable opportunity to educate, inform or entertain.  Loyal and prospective customers can visit your company without leaving their home or office.  And when they do, a well-crafted video message will capture their attention and bring them right into your world. Video can tell your story in a highly memorable way and reach your audience through a wide variety of digital media channels.  Posting it online in the right places also improves your company’s search engine rankings.  Very few marketing communications tools give as much bang for the buck.

Of course there is always the challenge of producing video the right way. Survey respondents believed the three most challenging obstacles to successful video marketing include “Lack of an effective strategy”, “Lack of  compelling content”, and “Inadequate video budget”. Let’s take a look.

Having a decent strategy is a must. “Let’s go out and ‘run and gun’ a video because it’s so cool!” is not a strategy. It’s a recipe for disaster. In comparison, a strategy which says, “Our CEO can use video to announce a game-changing acquisition to employees throughout the country.” is smart. Creating great content goes hand-in-hand with an effective strategy. Setting up a camera and to shoot endless minutes of a repetitive manufacturing assembly line gets boring fast – no matter how exciting the robotics may be. In contrast, a video demonstration of a new product that truly solves a problem or video footage of a skilled craftsman at work can be very compelling stuff.

As far as budgets go, TriAd believes that video production doesn’t need to be expensive.  Project scope and production technique are always within your control. But whatever type of video you produce, do it well and make a video presentation that’s enjoyable and worth watching.  If your audience feels better informed and eager to learn more after viewing, you’ve got a winner!

The Ascend2 survey is loaded with good info. Check it out!