February 5, 2015: The integration of video content has been a confusing topic for many in the B2B space. However, if you break down the different ways video can work within your specific marketing strategy, it becomes significantly less daunting. And it’s imperative to consider how video can be leveraged for B2B online marketing.

This is especially important because based on a study last year, many B2B marketers (63%) are planning on spending more on video over the next year. It’s time to start integrating, especially if you’re seeing the competition making plans to do so as well. 

Below are five ways that video can make a great addition to your existing B2B content and marketing strategies.

Tutorials

If you have the same questions from customers over and over again about products and services, it may be time to create a video tutorial about it. Video tutorials are sometimes easier when it comes to education on a technology solution, as many people are able to understand new material easier through audio and visual means rather than text.

Here are a few examples of B2B organizations already leveraging this tactic:

• Web conference technology provider PGi offers a range of product and solution-specific tutorials in their YouTube channel and through their learning center.
• The online marketing software company Moz has developed their popular “Whiteboard Friday,” which addresses common SEO-related issues and opics
• Manufacturing distributor Cisco Eagle offers a library of product-specific video tutorials and case examples.

Additionally, if you already have tutorial pages set up, it may be worthwhile to add a video version of each page (or the most popular topics) in order to help users choose how they want to learn.

Video Testimonials

According to KoMarketing’s B2B Website Usability Survey, 36% of participants said that customer testimonials are “must-haves” when it comes to B2B vendor websites. While text versions of testimonials are often powerful enough in their own right, having video testimonials that allow potential customers to see someone speaking highly of a potential B2B vendor is much more compelling.

Oftentimes, satisfied customers are happy to give a video testimonial if you simply ask for one. Keep it quick, 15-20 minutes, and allow them to record it on their own time with a service like http://webcamera.io/ or a piece of software already on their computer. Just giving quick tips like a blank background and a headset with a microphone can make the video testimonials easy to understand. These will look even more professional if they have a slide intro, which can often be created by any videographer or a freelance editing specialist online, like on Fiverr.

Interviews

If your organization is looking to stand out as a thought leader in your industry, consider interviews with company experts, well-known speakers at conferences, or even customers about their experiences. These interviews can be recorded in front of a blank wall with a simple video camera (or even a smartphone, if you don’t want to purchase high-quality equipment).

A service like Google Hangouts is an option too: you can record an interview live for Hangouts on Air, which is then saved to YouTube after it’s done. 

Once you’re done, you can then write a recap post over what you covered, a little more about the interviewee, and where to find more information on your own site or elsewhere online. Users like interviews because they are again, another audio-based way to absorb content, as well as a different change of pace, especially because you get to see the person talking.

Need some guidance or examples of how this works? The team at Search Engine Journal have been creating interviews for our YouTube channel for nearly the past two years.

Repurpose Existing Content

For each piece of content you’ve already written, as well as any content you have on your editorial calendar that you are planning to write, think about how you can repurpose it into a video format. Maybe it’s just something as a simple as two colleagues discussing the topic of a recent popular blog post, answering questions from the comments. Or, if it’s a white paper on exclusive study results, make a video version of your presentation going over key findings.

If there is a way to make content more approachable, engaging, or debateable, consider creating a video version of it. This way, your need to research is diminished because you are already basing it off of something you don’t before, and you are able to explain a topic in a new format.

When The Content Marketing Institute launched their 2015 research report, they incorporated a video introduction with Founder Joe Pulizzi, sharing insight from the 2015 original content marketing research. CMI also released a video series of roundtable discussions about the report as well, in the weeks following the launch.

Announcements and Launches

Finally, if you have a big product launch or company announcement, consider posting a video version of it alongside the press release or blog post explaining the same. Posting the video version on social media may cause it to spread a lot faster than the text-based version, especially if watching the video takes less time to read the content.

In addition, consider having your CEO or head of marketing or product development in the video, as it can strengthen the accessibility and personalization of your company’s content.

Final Thoughts

As video continues to be one of the top three most effective marketing techniques, it’s important for B2B marketers and content creators to realize that this type of content will only continue to grow.

Photos via Pixabay.