One of the coolest parts of being a marketing manager is understanding lingo and acronyms that other people may not. For example, you know that “B2B” stands for “business to business,” and it applies when one business offers products or services to other businesses, unlike B2C (business to consumer) marketing that sells directly to individual consumers.

Okay… maybe that’s not actually the coolest part of being a marketing manager. But strategizing and creating killer content that helps your company succeed definitely is. ????

One of the best marketing strategies today is video marketing. And if you’re a marketing manager struggling to know where to start with B2B video marketing, you’re in the right place. This ultimate guide will cover:

The benefits of B2B video marketing
Common types of B2B marketing videos
Tips for a successful video
How to create an effective video marketing strategy

Why Should Your Company Invest in B2B Video Marketing?

Video marketing is very versatile and effective for most businesses. Check out some 2022 video marketing statistics that speak for themselves. ????

88% of video marketers found a positive return on investment (ROI) from videos.
72% of people prefer to learn about products or services through video rather than text.
87% of marketers found that video helped them increase traffic.
81% of marketers found that video helped directly increase their sales.

The benefits of B2B video marketing are immense. Some of the top advantages include:

Conversion Increases

Videos help marketing campaigns increase conversations (up to 80%!), which earns your business a higher revenue. And at the end of the day, that’s the best thing a marketing manager can ask for.

SEO Improvements

SEO (search engine optimization) is a marketing strategy that helps websites show up higher on search engine results pages (especially on Google). Search engines love expert content that engages viewers, and videos are great tools for that. Video marketing increases engagement rates, dwell time, and page views, which boosts overall SEO.

Higher Email Marketing Click-Through Rates

Videos work wonders in the world of email marketing. If you run a test, you’ll likely find that adding “video” to your subject line drastically increases your email click-through rate.

Builds Trust With Consumers

Marketing to other businesses can be a tough egg to crack. But showing your company’s personality through video helps build a sense of trust, which can be the difference between landing the sale or not.

Increased Social Shares

In today’s day and age, when you can’t go anywhere without hearing a group of friends make a reference to a viral TikTok video, there’s no denying that social media is powerful. Publishing marketing videos on social platforms opens up the opportunity for more shares across the platform— meaning your product gets seen by more people.

Video Is Easier to Remember

Any marketing effort is typically more memorable when it comes in the form of a video. This also helps boost engagement.

Time-Saving and Easy to Digest

Videos work wonders when explaining complicated products and services. While blogs and text ads can effectively do this as well, video is proven to be far more easy-to-understand. Important decision makers in the B2B world need something they can understand quickly so that the decision is easy. Video marketing streamlines the entire process.

5 Common B2B Video Marketing Types

We weren’t kidding when we mentioned that B2B video marketing is versatile. There are many types of videos you can create that can show off your product or service in a successful way.

1) Explainer Videos

One of the most popular types of B2B marketing videos is the explainer video. Simply put, in this video, you offer knowledge about your business and explain why you’re an expert in your particular industry.

2) Launch Videos

If you work for a start-up or otherwise young company, use a launch video to show what you’re bringing to the market. This video is essentially promotional content.

3) Product Demos

Product demos are in-depth product demonstrations that show a product or service’s features and benefits. This video comes in handy for higher-priced items when the sales process is usually longer.

4) Crowdfunding Requests

If you’re raising money for a new product or service, you can use a B2B crowdfunding video to share your future vision, how you’ll solve a problem, and request support from investors.

5) How-To Videos

These videos are step-by-step guides on how to complete a task. For example, you might demonstrate how to do different yoga poses or how to change a tire. This video type helps build trust.

6) Customer Testimonials

Speaking of building trust, one of the best ways to do so is by featuring happy former customers. Creating a customer testimonial video provides credibility when people hear how others had a good experience with your product or service.

4 Tips for a Successful Marketing Video

There are a few fundamental principles for content that converts— especially video content. Be sure to incorporate these four tips when you create a marketing video:

Connect With Real Emotions: Have your brand showcase its real personality. Tell your story with sincerity and humor. Emotional connection sells. Play to emotions and pain points your customer experiences, and you’ll be one step closer to making the sale.
Keep It Light and Talk Like a Real Person: There was a time when the “radio announcer voice” worked. But now, people can see right through “sales talk.” Keep it lighthearted, and ensure your video script is authentic and sounds like a real person wrote it.
Solve Someone’s Problem: Your product or service needs to solve an issue; otherwise, it’s doomed to fail. Clearly outline what the problem is and how your product solves it with ease.
Ensure High Production Quality: Good production quality goes a long way in marketing videos. Even though shooting a basic video on your smartphone is better than having no content, when you’re really trying to showcase your brand and product, you need to have high production quality. One of the best ways to do this is by hiring a video production agency that specializes in creating effective marketing videos.

How to Create a Successful B2B Video Marketing Strategy

This wouldn’t be an ultimate guide if we didn’t help you nail down an effective video marketing strategy. Follow these seven steps to get started with your video campaign.

Step 1: Define Your Target Audience

Your company has hopefully defined your target audience by now. But if they haven’t, do that before anything else. Figure out exactly who your product or service is for by coming up with specs for the following categories:

Age
Occupation
Household income
Pain points
What they value

Step 2: Set Your Goals

Next, decide the purpose of your video. Do you want to sell a new product? Create brand awareness? Secure investors?

Keep your ultimate goal in mind as you make the rest of your decisions.

Step 3: Create a Budget

You’ll need to create a video budget and decide if you want to produce it in-house or outsource it to a video production company.

Be sure to consider the costs of both options. Keep in mind that a video production agency has all the tools and equipment on hand, which can often be more cost-effective than buying or renting your own. Plus, a professional will bring an immense amount of skills and experience to the table.

Step 4: Narrow Down the Best Video Type

Refer back to the list of five common B2B video types and choose a video format that best suits your goal. Keep in mind that you can produce multiple videos for different stages of the buying process.

Step 5: Decide Where to Publish Your Video

Now, decide where you’re going to publish your video once it’s created. Is it going to be exclusively sent in your email marketing? Or do you want to reach a larger audience by posting on these effective platforms:

Youtube
LinkedIn
Facebook
Instagram
TikTok

Step 6: Create, Publish, and Promote

When all the details are squared away, you’re officially ready to start creating. If you’re not comfortable writing your own script, opt to find a full-service video production agency that will handle all aspects of production for you.

If you go the outsourcing route (which most companies find to be easiest), the agency you hire will schedule a specific date and time to shoot your video. Once they’ve edited it and received your final approval, you will own the video.

Then, you can publish it and promote it across your favorite channels.

Step 7: Track Your Results

Now, you’ll want to know how successful your video was in helping you achieve your goals. Be sure to track analytics regarding your video (like click-through rate and conversion rate), so you know how well it performed. Even if it didn’t perform well, those statistics could help inform future video campaigns.

Everything You Need for a Successful Marketing Video in One Place

We hope this guide to B2B marketing videos proved helpful. As you dive into creating a marketing video for your company, you’ll quickly discover that it takes a village.

That’s why so many businesses partner with Stringline Pictures when they need an effective marketing video. Our full-service agency handles everything from scripting and storyboarding to capturing your video and creating the final edit.