Video is essential for B2B marketing.

The demand for video in the B2B marketplace is growing at a rapid pace, and there’s no sign of it slowing in the coming years.

B2B consumers are reading peer reviews, following blogs, and watching videos to research products and services before they make a purchase. Video, in particular, is quickly moving up the ranks because of its high-engagement style. Businesses that have a quality video on their landing pages are far more likely to convert a potential customer. We continue to see an increase in the use of background and play button videos on website and landing pages, which is an effective way to augment your website and educate consumers about your business, product, or service.

Video and ROI

The past few years have shown a rise in the benefits of incorporating video into marketing strategy. According to a recent Tubular insights survey on B2B marketing, “73% of B2B marketers say video positively impacts ROI.”

B2B video content marketing can increase brand awareness, improve lead generation, and increase online engagement. Whether B2B or B2C, you are still marketing to people, most of whom are connected online at home and at work. In 2015, Forbes predicted that by 2019, 80% of all internet traffic will be in video format. According to Facebook, approximately 100 million hours of video are watched on Facebook every day. As of 2017, online ad spend has surpassed TV ad spend.

The tremendous ROI that successful B2B video content marketing offers demonstrates why budgets for this type of marketing is increasing.

Show an Authentic Experience

Give your customers a first hand look into your brand. This is a great way to build trust. Show them something words can’t express. It gives viewers an authentic feeling of being there and experiencing something in person. B2B business can show authenticity through video by giving a virtual tour of their facilities, or by doing a screen cast of the inner workings of their software.

Give Testimonials

Who can say it better than you?…your happy customers! Having someone else speak on your behalf will give authenticity and certitude to your business, further enhancing and deepening your story.

Quality Matters

When it comes to content, it needs to be useful, relevant and high quality. A professionally produced video assures your viewers you care about your brand and their user experience. Great writers, producers, videographers, art directors, and editors make this happen.

Be Strategic

Use a content marketing strategy to guide your efforts. In your strategy, think about all the ways in which the video can be used and re-used. For example, you could take a promotional video created for social media and also use it on your landing page. You could also use customer testimonials on the website and you could send them to prospects as part of a proposal.

Solve Problems and Educate

Ultimately, people seek your brand’s products and services to solve a problem. If your videos can offer solutions or explanations that are educational or persuasive to viewers, they provide a higher chance of conversion. You can incorporate problem solving into your videos by creating simple how-to videos or showing how your product or service quickly solved a daily life issue.

Get Emotional

Beyond solving someone’s problems, videos can create personal and emotional connections between the viewer and your brand. Every video displayed does not have to drive direct sales. Rather, they can simply be used to delight viewers and generate brand connection. For example, try capturing your company’s involvement in non-profit events or fundraisers, like a 5K, or create an emotion-evoking video involving real-world issues and how your product or service can help solve them.

The Power of Video

Don’t miss out on the engagement opportunities that video can bring to your marketing. Designate a healthy portion of your marketing budget towards creating and placing well-produced videos. Start prioritizing video as a focus of your marketing efforts and the center of your content marketing strategy to increase awareness and drive conversions.