If you have access to the internet, it's likely that you've spent (and occasionally wasted) a good chunk of time watching and sharing video content.
The amount of time the average user spends watching digital video more than tripled between 2011 and 2015 - YouTube recently announced that more than a billion hours of video content is watched from their platform every day.
All the statistics make video seem like a no-brainer for any content marketing strategy, but when most of your personal favorite videos feature funny comedians, cute animals, or famous musicians, it can be difficult to imagine what video content would look like for your brand.
B2B marketers, more than those working on the consumer side, may have a particularly tough time imagining their products on the big screen. Yet B2B video content can not only be entertaining, it can be effective - 64% of consumers are more likely to buy a product online after viewing a video.
Here are ten ways B2B that marketers can incorporate video into their content marketing strategy.
1. B2B Vlogs
How we use the internet today has equalized the playing field for B2B marketing. Today, where content is posted is less important than the quality of the content - great content can be published anywhere, which is why most successful B2B brands publish blogs.
If you fall into that group, try turning one post a month into a vlog (video blog). Your followers will appreciate the change-up, and you'll realize the benefits video can bring to your organization.
2. 'About Us' Videos
With ample competition in B2B markets, consumers are looking beyond the features of a product, they want to learn more about the company behind the it.
Millennials, in particular, want to know what a brand and its employees stand for before making a purchase. Telling your story is easier and more relatable through an "About Us' video, where consumers can see the faces behind the brand.
3. 'Why Us' Videos
Stories are 22x more memorable than facts. The brain processes visual content at a much faster rate than words.
Rather than listing your product features like every one of your competitors, try demonstrating them in a visually compelling video. Leads will be more likely to absorb and retain the information.
4. Landing Page Videos
Every B2B marketer knows that testing, testing, and more testing is critical to making a successful sales funnel. If video isn't part of that testing strategy, it's time to make a change.
Creating videos for your landing pages, specific to certain products or services, will increase your conversion rate, compared to static content.
5. Video Testimonials
More than 70% of Americans read product reviews before making a purchase. But when testimonials are on a brand's website versus a separately curated site, we're more likely to express healthy skepticism towards the views conveyed.
Video testimonials put faces to the praise so your leads feel more confident to act, based on proof of each message.
6. Product Education Videos
Remember how excited you were when a teacher rolled a TV into your classroom? Everyone loves learning through visual stories - in fact, it's the only way some of us can learn.
Try using product videos to educate your target audience about your products and why they're superior to the rest of the market.
7. Training Videos
Training videos are the most effective and cost-efficient way to train people, internally and externally alike.
Training videos help expand your attention span by keeping you engaged in material that otherwise may be dry, while nearly doubling your retention rate in comparison to static content. Customers who know how to use your product well are more likely to capitalize on its benefits because of their deepened understanding. Your employees can learn more efficiently and at the convenience of their own time. Managers no longer need to waste their time teaching on an individual basis.
8. Executive Interview Videos
As evidenced in recent news stories of prominent executives falling from grace, liking or disliking the people who lead an organization has an effect on brand trust. You can show your target audience who powers your brand by creating executive interview videos.
After all, who's more qualified to talk about your company than the people who've created it?
9. Creative Storytelling
Studies conducted by neuroscientists have shown that the brain reacts in more positive ways to information conveyed in a narrative arc (background, rising action, climax, falling action, conclusion) than information without narrative.
In order to capitalize on this, you can create interesting stories about your people and products that give the audience a reason to get excited.
10. Social Media Ads
Using any of the above, you can derive shorter length clips for use across your social channels.
Facebook users alone watch 8 billion videos per day, and with Snapchat and Instagram Stories, video continues to rise. Put your video content to use double (or quadruple) time by re-purposing it on social media.
You don't need a Hollywood storyline to create great video content for your content marketing strategy. Your product or service, and your brand as a whole, has a story that's worthy of sharing. And the options for how to tell it are plentiful.