Video marketing has been on the rise for years, but it’s grown significantly in the past year and half. And not just for consumer marketing. B2B website landing pages, mobile ads, email, PPC campaigns—B2B marketers are even leveraging video-based social media to create relevant content for their audiences. This year has seen video marketing go everywhere (it was one of the top ten marketing trends we identified for 2021).

Yes, B2B marketing is becoming more casual, personalized and in many ways like B2C marketing, and yes, video is an excellent way to connect with audiences and share information while building trust. But don’t just grab a phone and start filming. Successful B2B video marketing rarely just happens, it’s usually the result of careful planning and deep insight on what your audience (i.e., your customers) actually want to see. A recent study from DemandGen Report sheds light on how marketers are approaching video content in 2021 to build stronger buyer experiences. The report has some interesting insights, as well as stats from marketing surveys. Here are five ideas to better connect with prospects and move them through the B2B funnel using video.

1. Start at the beginning (of the funnel).

Demand Gen Report’s 2021 Content Preference Survey showed that 46% of buyers

reported engaging with video and interactive content in the early- and mid-stages of their

purchasing process. Video is ideal for nurturing a new digital relationship, relaying valuable information and leaving an impression on the audience. Video can also make a company, or sales rep, more approachable and relatable to a prospect as they move through the buying journey. B2B marketing videos may include:

• Company/product intro reels
• Product/service demonstrations
• FAQs
• A deeper look at specific features or addressing specific obstacles the solution solves
• Case studies highlighting tangible results
• Customer reviews and testimonials

Especially in the digital-first world of today, video is essential in the awareness stages of the journey as many buyers want to conduct research on their own terms and their own timeline.

2. Amplify ABM with personalized videos. 

If you’re utilizing account-based marketing practices—treating prospective customer accounts as individual “markets of one”—to target buyers, consider using video for the cherry on top. Marketing videos can be personalized for the prospective company, such as adding their name to the display text and highlighting the features that are most relevant. DemandGen’s 2021 Content Preferences Survey showed that 32% of buyers prefer content that is customized to their needs.

3. Keep audiences engaged with interactive videos.

Consider gamifying your audience’s experience by giving them control over the videos they see. Here are a few ideas:

• Video Series: Short, digestible videos tend to perform best, but keep topics together so prospects can navigate to related content for a deeper dive. 
• Video Menu/Sections: When short clips won’t cut it and you need a long video to fully explain a topic, consider adding sections and titles along the video controls. This lets a prospect jump to the part they care about most, and then ideally, with their interest piqued, they’ll watch the other sections as well.

• In-video Links or Additional Text: If you mention a specific offer or feature at the 0:23 mark, instead of hoping your audience remembers when it’s over and clicks on the link where the video is hosted, link to it directly in the video. This gives the viewer added control over how they interact with the content and lets them act on what they’re interested in when they first hear it.

• Questions & Polls: Get your audience involved and tailor future content based on their responses.

4. Measure your engagement, then adjust as needed.

Engagement metrics can help you determine which videos are working and which ones aren’t. Consider data such as clicks from the page, where the viewer came from, when the video was watched, and total views. But also look at the watch time. For example, if a lot of viewers stop watching at a certain minute/second mark, maybe the video is too long, maybe there’s a change in content and the new topic doesn’t interest them, or another reason. From there, you can adjust the video and/or the channel it’s on to improve retention rates. One of the great things about video is you can reuse it another way, adapting it to meet your needs with the click of a mouse.  

5. Utilize email marketing.

Email is a great way to share video content. Email is personal to the individual, allowing for greater control over the targeted audience. Plus, recipients can go back to view an email later or easily forward it to colleagues, enabling a longer “life” of a single email sent.

B2B marketing certainly looks different today than it did when I started my career, or even just compared to a few years ago. Instagram Reels, Tik Tok… who would have thought B2B marketers would be using these channels—and using them effectively.

Here’s my take: Don’t be afraid to try new things, as long as you stay true to your brand. Seeing what’s ahead and adapting is essential for business, but even more so in this economic climate.

Outward Media’s proven data cleansing services and targeted, accurate B2B data can enable you to achieve better digital marketing ROI and, ultimately, convert more prospects into customers. Go here to find out about leveraging our SMB and medical market data on the LiveRamp Data Marketplace.