Can video be used for B2B lead generation?
by Keith Booton
President, Ivor Andrew
Pop quiz. What’s the second biggest search engine in the world? #1 is obviously Google, but who’s the runner-up? Yahoo? Bing? AOL? Altavista?
Pencils down. The answer we’re looking for is YouTube. If you aren’t surprised to hear that, it might raise your eyebrows to learn the video giant pulls in more monthly searches than Yahoo, Bing and AOL combined.
In a word, YES, video is ideal for lead generation. It’s the best format to quickly show clients and prospects what you’re capable of. It answers questions, it sparks interest and it drives prospects further down the buying cycle.
If you’re looking to add lead-generating video to your B2B marketing repertoire, here are some tips that can help.
1. Know What Your Audience is Searching for
Start by identifying key terms that your audience is searching for. Target and optimize your videos for these key search phrases. Remember, Google’s mission is to return relevant search results, and increasingly often, they are returning video results at the top of search results.
For example, Google “sorting conveyor” and check out the first organic result — a video uploaded by EaglestoneInc. We produced that video in the spring of 2011, and it nets Eaglestone views and leads to this day.
2. Short is Sweet
Corporate video has changed. Rather than producing one long 15-minute video, it’s best to develop multiple short, targeted videos that grab the attention of your audience and the search engines.
Producing more videos may sound expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. Video production technology has drastically changed over the past decade, allowing for both higher production values and quicker development times. One key tip to help keep costs down: as you plan your video content, shoot multiple videos in one day to maximize the effectiveness of your budget.
3. Show and Tell
If your video is sixty seconds of your Sales Manager talking about your product, viewers are bound to click away. On the flip side, if it’s sixty seconds of glamour shots of your product without explanation, viewers are likely to leave confused.
Think back to grade school when you brought in a treasured belonging for the class. You not only showed them what it was, but you told them why it mattered. Do the same with your video content. Work to answer your audience’s universal question: “Why should I care?”
4. Less Sales, More Solution
The best lead generating videos aren't a sales pitch. B2B viewers aren’t searching for the hard sell; they’re looking for ways to make their jobs easier, more productive and more profitable. That’s not to say your videos have to be like everyone else’s. Beautiful visuals and strong scripts are vastly underutilized in the B2B world. Producing compelling video helps you stand out in the best way.
5. Don’t Rely Exclusively on the Search Engines
While all videos should be edited and optimized for search engines, you need to cultivate your own distribution network for video content. Share new videos to your followers on LinkedIn. Post them in articles on your website’s blog and share them in your eNewsletter.
Finally, get your videos in the hands of editors at trade publications and industry websites. They are constantly looking for new content to share. While they aren’t likely to post a sixty second commercial for your new product, they will gladly publish genuinely helpful content you produce — think relevant testimonials, application stories and solutions.
Compelling Video is a Tremendous Asset
Great video sells while you sleep and arms you and your sales staff with documented, captivating capabilities. When done right, it’s a powerful source of brand new inquiries.
Not many people know how to produce attention-grabbing, award-winning video. At Ivor Andrew, we’ve filmed everything from precision machining centers to vintage cars to knife-makers in Japan. Take a look at the videos below and imagine how we might be able to boost what you do.
Originally posted on GardnerWeb.com.
