Remember how video killed the radio star? Well, it still remains the platform beating out media competitors today. It’s reported that currently video is responsible for more than 80% of all web traffic. Even B2B buyers are watching video. In fact, 72% of B2B buyers watch videos throughout their entire path to purchase and nearly half view 30 minutes or more while researching.
And these statistics are only expected to increase over the next few years. The rise of video should not be surprising news to any marketer. It’s the definitive resource for lead-generation. As opposed to the other useful content white papers, email lists, and blogs provides, video proves its value by converting at a higher rate and driving strong, qualified leads consistently. Not to mention that by using video, you can actually improve other great marketing targets like SEO, engagement, retention, and conversion (landing pages with video see 80% higher conversion rates, according to KissMetrics). So, if you are not using video to reach your market yet, here’s some more information on why you need to change that.
Video builds trust
by bringing people back into the equation of your content and by, literally, adding a face to the company. Its communication allows for a more human connection than just having text to tell your story. And if you have a long, complicated message, video provides the clarity to get your message across by enhancing it with audio and images in a short amount of time. Most importantly, with marketing automation tools, you can fully track the way your audience is engaging. Knowing the who, what, when, where, of how your video is being watched and re-watched allows you the ability to accurately profile your audience and continue to deliver results-driven content to every stage in the funnel and generate more leads.
And here are our top 5 takes on how to Generate More B2B Leads with Video:
1. Add Value
To make your content hit, you have to add value that attracts the B2B audience. And it is distinct, informational content that does best with B2B customers. So, discovering where your particular brand has expertise and how you can share this knowledge in a lecture, webinar, interview, etc. will help gain leads. And to ensure the capture of these leads, make certain the information you are providing is unique and addresses pain-points. It has to be worthy enough for your viewers to want to exchange their email address for what you are offering.
It is also helpful if you avoid filming your content all in one take. If you split your recordings into 3-minute sections and use a b-roll or images of slides, it becomes easier to manage and to scale leads. Consider also, rather than providing an interested viewer with the full video experience, a pre-roll video that offers enough information, so the viewer understands the value of the video and will be willing to provide contact information in order to continue watching. These shorter takes and teasers will really allow you to create unique and valuable messages that will generate some great leads.
2. Control Tracking
By controlling where your video will be viewed will help you profile your audience more accurately. With a video marketing platform integrated with your marketing automation platform (MAP) and CRM systems on your site, you can discover who and how many are watching, what when. Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo do not allow you the ability to nurture leads because you are not supplied the data you need. Keeping your videos on your site allows for the greatest success for lead generation since you can also easily gate your videos and request additional contact information from your audience before, during, or after they watch the video.
3. Gate It
And where you roll this email gate, that sits in the frame of your video, makes a lot of difference. You can place it at start as a pre-roll gate, end as a post roll gate, or set your gate in the middle of the video. Just stay aware, the use of email gates should not be over-used. Don’t add one onto all of your top-of-the-funnel materials, or you may run the risk of having no viewers at all. The placement of the gate is important for results. According to Wistia’s collected data,.the percentage was highest when the gate was placed in the middle of the video. So, it is smart to save the gate for when your viewers’ interests are already roused during mid-funnel video content, about 20% in.
Placing your gate around the same time on a video tweet shows the same effectiveness. This use of Twitter allows for a large amount of added leads. A useful way to expedite your captures, while using Twitter, is to create a recap video of a message with a mid-roll gate. This cuts out any additional steps for your audience and gets you customized information immediately.
4. Customize it
You also will want to make sure you are customizing all of your videos to stay within the design of your brand. This will create a sure-fire way to promote brand recognition as well as increase the chances of getting your videos watched by 19%. Also, creating specific thumbnails to promote your videos results in a 35% chance of getting your videos viewed.
5. Call to Action
Now after spending time and energy creating inspiring videos, don’t forget to include a call to action. Here’s the time to convert your views into leads by placing a CTA in your video. The benefit of video is that, unlike with a written content, a CTA can come at any stage in the funnel, not just at the end of the content. It drives your viewers to act at the moment when they are most interested in what they’ve just seen. You are less likely to miss an opportunity, when you implement a CTA, of viewers clicking on your site to other content that may interest them.
How have you used video marketing to generate leads?
What’s been the most effective tip for your marketing?
Leave us a comment and let us know.
