Video Marketing for B2B Tech- Improving Leads and Sales using Video

We’ve hosted Arik Diamant, a master marketer and video-maker, for a talk about effective video marketing.

Video is reshaping Tech Marketing. Everyone realizes the need to use more video, but few do, and even fewer make decent videos. Video is seen by marketers as the magic tool that will help them overcome text-content fatigue, reach a wide audience (and maybe even “go viral”!) and have a profound impact on their website traffic and lead generation.  In a world where people can’t be bothered to read long blog posts, where everyone is consuming video content ALL the time (from Tictoc to YouTube)- we’re all certain that we just need to “transform” our written blog posts into filmed ones and we’ll be fine. But anyone who’s ever tried to do that quickly found out that video is a different beast- it’s all about telling shorted stories and doing it with a band. So people turn all the way to the other side of the paradigm and dream about big productions- like we see on the TV (and now, sadly, on social media channels as well) everyday.  

The truth is more complex. For B2B marketers, video isn’t and shouldn’t be a commercial. We’d all love for our videos to be commercial like- “Hollywood grade” production, Razor sharp messaging, Bold, memorable. But bear in mind that the commercials we’re imagining (Superbowl or US Prime time) cost millions to produce and millions to air (Superbowl commercial slot can easily cost 3 million$).

So it isn’t practical for most B2B marketers. But even videos created on a modest budget (without compromising minimum production quality) can be effective lead generation tools, help build the brand awareness, establish trust with potential buyers, help recruit employees and more.

Lead Generation

Video should be part of your lead generation campaign. It won’t happen on the first iteration- Video lead gen requires multiple touch points with the potential client. It helps your company or product to “stay on the buyers’ radar” (if you maintain regular cadence) and communicates with greater authenticity than any other form of content.  You should interweave soft call for action- but don’t expect a torrent of leads immediately. One form of impactful video is the “Teaser”- that can be used prior to an event (physical event) or product launch.  

How to get started?

There are several video types you can consider:

• TV Commercial
• Corporate video
• Product Videos
• Animation
• Talking heads

“Talking heads” is the most recommended format for B2B marketer (especially on a budget). These can easily be shared on social media, integrated into newsletters, and used for lead gen campaigns. Talking Heads is the quickest way to test new ideas- it’s the easiest and cheapest video type to produce, and can be done (and then changed) quickly. To create it, you will need an actor. Look into the talent pool in your company, think about the target audience and try to identify the person that would be most suited for the part. She needs to convey authenticity- so she better know what she’s talking about (we often see celebrities in corporate commercials- it always looks ridiculous). You can use the founder or CEO if you want to speak to managers (or investors), but if you are trying to sell a product to developers it is better to use and R&D person or researcher. Not all the people are great in front of the camera. Some require training numerous takes to get it right. One shortcut is to use people who “perform” everyday- sales people, customer success- people who speak to their audience on a daily basis. Once you’ve found your “star”, you need a narrative- or at least an “excuse” for making the clip. Just speaking about a new product feature isn’t exciting. You should use topics such as “challenges”, “How to”, “What we’ve learned from “X”, or even a summary of recent incident or news item (big cyber attack or new legislation that’s about to be announced).    

If your idea is prominent enough, you can produce a batch of videos, and release these over time. This will dramatically reduce the production costs (and overall time and resources usage). Arik has helped SentinelOne produce of series called “HackChat”, where one of SentinelOne employees interviews a famous security researcher.

These interviews were filmed by the employee, than professionally edited and “wrapped” by Arik’s team (with this amazing opener). They are aired in “seasons” (batches, according to the topic; Woman researchers, offensive cybersecurity, etc.)- one video per week over several weeks. This creates expectation for the next episode and helps increase exposure and hype. The result is a positive impact on brand awareness, website traffic and a bunch of “soft signals” such as “likes”, “share” and views on social media and YouTube- which signals that the content is effective and loved by SentinelOne audience. Unlike other investments in marketing (like displaying at a conference or publishing billboards)- these videos will have very long tail and will support the brand awareness and lead gen efforts in the future.

Summary

The most important takeaway from Arik is to dare and try. You can produce reasonable-quality video on your own (or use some external help). You will immediately receive feedback that will tell you if it’s in the right direction (and if not, people will tell you what’s not working). This isn’t an easy transition for people who have created written content- but it’s well worth doing, as it will boost your marketing efforts (and pretty much “future-proof” your career).

To view the recorded webinar press here.    

Links to sample clips:

Corporate video:

https://f.io/vlWFJGnr

Super Bowl Commercials

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7HsgGnFo1A&t=60s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxNxqveseyI&t=1s

Commercials

Stop Ransomware with SentinelOne

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tffn1sW1VSg

Animation Videos

https://f.io/QJAgXWbg

https://app.frame.io/presentations/93493474-f027-44c1-b384-caab075f9828