Why B2B companies Should Invest in Video Content

There are several reasons why household names in the B2B realm invest in video content. It’s a low risk, high reward marketing strategy that can bring long-term value to a marketing strategy.

Investing in B2B video marketing can look like regular, small, and casual clips for social media, and it can also look like more in-depth production explaining your company and services. All video content has its role, and all types of video content can offer more opportunity than a simple static image.

Why invest in B2B Video content

B2B Video content from IBM and Kickstarter

Video helps B2B Companies communicate a personality

B2B brand voices can range dramatically depending on the industry, age, and personality of the company. There are funky, upbeat companies like Lemonade Renter’s Insurance that acts as the ‘cool kid’ of the insurance industry. There are also B2B companies like IBM that have a long-standing reputation for professionalism.

Some brands are easier to connect with on a personal level than others. But no matter what the brand voice is, it’s possible to create meaningful and engaging video content.

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Kickstarter stays true to its brand voice by creating or sharing snackable, creative social content that is almost exclusively video. They started early in the video content game by highlighting companies that use their services with quality, engaging product clips. Through their video, now they have the community pitching in.

IBM has leaned into video content through its employees, team, and history. As of late, they have been highlighting the voices of black employees and sharing the history of their fight for women’s rights in the workplace. These videos give a behind-the-scenes look at the people within the company, instead of focusing on selling a product.

Two very different video content strategies and very different brand voices, that both lead to engagement, a connection, and a stronger community that wants to be involved with the story.

Videos cut down on customer confusion

Let’s say you’re exploring potential new software for the first time. You visit their website with little to no information on the product, to have a general understanding of the product when you exit. Is your first move to read a 2,000-3,000-word blog post on the product? Skim through 10-20 web pages? Or is it to watch a 90-second video that gives a rundown of product value?

I would bet that most people land on option C when option C is available. A short, concise video overview of your brand, product, and value can be an incredibly persuasive piece of content with long-term value.

B2B products and services can be a lot to take in and fully understand. When B2B companies have engaging video content to give a high-level introduction of the product or service, it cuts down on the questions people may have that bar them from committing to a purchase. The better a customer understands an offer, the more likely they will see the value in the offer.

Video creates a more engaging content strategy

It’s no secret that videos can seriously upgrade content strategy and results – just take a look at these stats:

84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.
YouTube reaches more 18- to 49-year-olds in an average week than all cable TV networks combined.
Watch time for shopping-related videos on YouTube grew in the U.S. by more than 5X over the past 2 years.
96% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

Videos not only reach more people, but they also engage more people. So whether you’re trying to engage, inform, or persuade your audience, the message can be elevated through a video.

Video increases the reach and productivity of social ads

Video ads are almost like a special key that unlocks doors that static image ads cannot. Video ads are shown in more places, given more priority by social platforms and third-party websites.

Generally, video ads also earn more engagement from those who see it. They can lead to more clicks, increased impressions, and a higher reach due to more real estate options for video.

Videos can help your content rank better

Videos are considered an aspect of quality content by search engines, so they prioritize pages with videos over pages that don’t have video.

Because Videos tend to have high click-through and engagement rates, having a video on your page makes viewers engage with your content, spend a long time on your page, and possibly lead to valuable conversions. All of these actions taken on a page positively impact domain authority, which can shoot you to the top of the results.

How to create great B2B Video content

Repurpose your most popular written content

Did you have a big win with a specific blog post? Repeat the win with a complementing video. Blog posts that have consistent valuable traffic is a good tell that your audience finds that specific content useful. So building off of that popularity with a video can be beneficial as videos can be shown in more places than a blog post, and it’s a safe bet that your audience will react positively to the information.

It’s also a great way to be accommodating to all medium preferences of taking in new information.

Create video content for different stages of the customer purchase process

The most engaging flavor, so-to-speak, of videos can vary drastically depending on where and how your customers and potential customers are viewing. If your customers are learning about you for the first time on social, shorter, less-formal videos could grab their eye. But if you’re putting video on a specific product page, a more in-depth and direct look at the value of your product.

Speak to your industry

Video content can be hard to plan, so it’s always a safe bet to play to what you know. Videos that may seem boring or confusing to the general public may be just what a niche audience wants to see.

For example, IBM posted a 60-second video explaining Quantum Computing. Does that mean much to me? Nope. But is that a relevant, valuable breakdown to their target audience? The comments on the video tell me yes, it is!

Now is the time to jump on to increased reach, impressions, and engagements that come with investing in a video strategy! If you need help creating quality B2B video, reach out to our team!