Ultimate B2B Video Marketing Guide + Strategies in 2023

The Rise of B2B Marketing 

It’s hard to believe, but it’s already been five years since video marketing became a “thing.” A lot has changed in that time, and businesses are now using video in more innovative and effective ways than ever before. Could you imagine trying to pitch a new product or service without using video?

First, let’s start with a bit of history. Video didn’t just appear out of nowhere as a marketing tool. Its roots date back to television advertising, which has been around since the 1940s. Of course, back then, TV ads were very different from what we see today. They mainly were live announcements or recorded messages played between shows.

It wasn’t until the 1980s that video became more common in marketing, with the advent of VHS tapes and home video cameras. Businesses began to produce their own videos to use as sales tools, training materials, or customer testimonials. The 1990s saw the rise of digital video, which made it easier and cheaper to produce high-quality videos. This led to a boom in video marketing, with businesses of all sizes using video to promote their products and services.

The early 2000s saw the advent of online video, which changed the landscape yet again. YouTube was founded in 2005, and by 2010, YouTube was garnering 2 billion views a day. This was a game-changer for marketers, who suddenly had a new way to reach their audiences.

Today, video is more important than ever for businesses. It’s an essential part of any marketing mix, and it should be used at every stage of the sales funnel. In fact, according to Wyzowl’s 2022 video marketing statistics report, 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 63% in 2017. This only goes to show that video is no longer a “nice-to-have” tool in the marketing mix but has evolved into an essential part of any good marketing strategy.  

72% of customers said they would rather learn about a product or service by watching a video. In fact, 84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video. In addition, 79% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy or download a piece of software because they watched a video.  If you’re looking to compare video marketing statistics with social marketing statistics, here’s a great blog on social media statistics updated for 2023 by ThreeColts.

With so many businesses using video, how do you ensure your videos stand out from the crowd? In this guide, we’ll share some of our best tips and strategies for B2B video marketing in 2023. We’ll cover everything from planning and creating your videos to promoting them effectively. By the end of this guide, you’ll have everything you need to create successful B2B videos to help you achieve your business goals.

So let’s get started!

Chapter 1:

What is Video Marketing?

Before we delve into the details of B2B video marketing, let’s first take a step back and define what we mean by “video marketing.” Video marketing is the process of creating and promoting videos with the goal of achieving specific business objectives. These objectives range from increasing brand awareness to generating leads or sales. Video marketing statistics show that 86% of marketers claimed that videos have been effective in improving their lead generation efforts; 81% are convinced that video has directly impacted their sales.

Video marketing can be used at any stage of the buyer’s journey, from awareness to consideration to decision. And it’s not just for B2C businesses; B2B companies can also use video to reach their target audiences. In fact, 64% of decision-makers say they are more likely to buy a product or service after watching a video about it.

Types of Videos for B2B Marketing

Now that you know what video marketing is and why it’s so important let’s take a look at some of the different types of videos you can create for your B2B marketing efforts. There are four main types of videos that are particularly well suited for B2B marketing:

Product videos: These videos showcase your product in use and highlight its features and benefits. They’re an excellent way to introduce potential customers to your product and get them interested in learning more.

Marketing videos: These videos can be used for various purposes, from promoting a new product or service to raising brand awareness. They should be creative and engaging and tell a story that resonates with your target market.

Customer testimonials: Customer testimonials are a powerful form of social proof. They show potential customers that other people have had success with your product or service and that it’s worth considering for their own needs.

Expert interviews: Expert interviews are a great way to build trust and credibility with your audience. By featuring experts in your field, you can show that you’re up-to-date on the latest industry trends and that you’re committed to providing quality information.

Explainer Videos: Explainer videos are a helpful way to educate your audience about complex topics. They can be used to explain how your product or service works or to discuss industry trends in more detail.

How-To Videos: How-to videos are exactly what they sound like: videos that show viewers how to do something. They can be used to teach viewers how to use your product or to provide helpful tips and advice on a related topic.

Customer Testimonial Videos: Similar to written customer testimonials, testimonial videos feature people who have had success with your product or service which can be used to build trust and credibility with your audience and to show potential customers that your product or service is worth considering.

Brand Videos: Brand videos are a great way to introduce your company to potential customers. They can showcase your brand’s personality and values and give viewers a sense of what it would be like to work with you.

There are many different types of videos that you can create for your B&B marketing efforts, but these are some of the most popular and effective.

Chapter 2:

Why Should B2B Businesses Invest in Video Marketing?

In the world of B2B video marketing, things can get a bit complicated. Rather than targeting a single person, the focus can be on multiple decision-makers. This juggling act can be tricky between who makes the decisions and who uses the product.

The decision-makers and the end-users aren’t usually the same person, meaning you’ll have to convince more than one person along the way that your product or service is a good fit for their business.

Decision-makers or B2B buyers purchase products for internal company use. In this case, balancing addressing pain points and product quality is essential. It is not uncommon for B2B videos to be a bit longer than B2C, as products targeted at companies are usually more complex.

B2B products are also generally more expensive than those sold to individual consumers. This is another reason why it’s important to focus on convincing the decision-makers, as they’ll be the ones responsible for making the final purchase.

The Benefits of Video Marketing

Now that you know what video marketing is, why it’s so important, and some of the different types of videos you can create, let’s take a look at some of the benefits it can offer your business. Video marketing can help you achieve a number of different objectives, including:

Increasing Brand Awareness

Video is a great way to build brand awareness and reach a wider audience. By creating engaging and informative videos, you can introduce your company to potential customers who may not be familiar with your products or services. When creating marketing videos, it’s essential to focus on creating a solid and consistent message that will resonate with your target audience. Video marketers often use branding techniques, such as using the same music, colors, and logo throughout their brand videos to create a consistent look and feel that viewers will remember.

Generating Leads

In addition to increasing brand awareness, video marketing can also be used to generate leads. In trying to generate leads, video marketers focus on creating videos with interesting ideas that will prompt viewers to take action, such as signing up for a free trial or subscribing to a newsletter. In order to generate leads, it’s important to create videos that are interesting and informative while also providing a call to action that is clear and concise.

Building Trust and Credibility

If you want potential customers to take your business seriously, you need to build trust and credibility. Customer testimonial videos are a great way to do this, as they feature real people sharing their positive experiences with your company. On the other hand, how-to videos can be used to show viewers that your products or services are easy to use and effective. When creating videos for trust and credibility, focus on featuring real people and demonstrating how your products or services can be used in actual applications.

Improving Customer Retention

It’s not enough to just attract new customers. You also need to focus on retaining your existing ones. Video marketing can be a great way to improve customer retention by creating videos that provide valuable information or tips on using your products or services. For example, if you sell software, you could create a series of how-to videos that show customers how to get the most out of your product. You can keep your customers engaged by providing valuable information and encourage them to continue doing business with you.

Reducing Customer Support Costs

Another benefit of video marketing is that it can help reduce customer support costs. This is because an explainer video, for instance, can be used to provide answers to common questions or problems that customers may have. By having a library of videos available, you can reduce the number of customer support calls you receive, as well as the amount of time your employees spend on the phone. In addition, by providing solutions to common problems in your videos, you can also prevent potential customers from experiencing those same issues.

Improving Conversion Rates

Video marketing can also be used to improve conversion rates. This is because videos can persuade viewers to take the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a free trial. In order to improve conversion rates, it’s important to create clear and concise videos while also providing a strong call to action. In addition, video marketers often use marketing strategies, such as using a sense of urgency or offering a discount, to persuade target customers to take action.

Improving SEO Rankings

Do you want to stand out from the competition in Google’s search results and increase your visibility in search engines? Video marketing can be a valuable tool for accelerating SEO efforts and generating results more quickly. Video can also help improve your SEO rankings. Optimizing your videos for keywords and including transcripts can make your videos more visible on search engine results pages (SERPs).

The largest search engine, Google, owns YouTube, so it’s no surprise that videos can have a significant impact on SEO. In fact, according to Forrester Research, including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80%.

While you can create many different types of videos, not all of them will be effective for SEO. When creating videos for SEO, it’s important to focus on creating informative and keyword-rich content that will appeal to both your target audience and search engines.

In essence, search engines like Google aim to rank high-quality information that addresses searchers’ questions and delivers valuable content. That said, videos assist in contextualizing your material and provide useful pictures for website visitors. Google loves it when your content stirs interest among consumers to watch again. As a result, optimizing video marketing across the website or other social media platforms can help you attract more traffic and clients.

Better Audience Engagement

Video format is one of the most engaging content types on the internet. People would rather watch videos than read an article or blog post, which is why video marketing is so effective. In addition, using videos can more effectively capture and hold your audience’s attention by using videos. This is because people are more likely to watch a video until the end if they’re interested in the topic.

Another reason why videos are so effective is that they allow you to show rather than tell your audience what you’re selling. This is especially important for B2B companies, as it can be difficult to explain what you do and how it benefits your customers in writing. However, a video can simply show your target audience how your products or services work. This can be a more effective way of persuasion, as it allows your audience to see the value of your offering for themselves.

Including video in your marketing strategy will help you better engage with your audience and improve your conversion rates. Not to mention, it will also help you attract more traffic to your website and improve your SEO rankings. So, if you’re not already using video marketing, now is the time to start!

Chapter 3:

Planning Your Video Marketing Strategy

Before you create your own video content for your content marketing campaign, it’s important to have a plan in place. This means understanding your goals, target audience, and the types of videos that will be most effective in achieving your objectives.

To help you get started, we’ve put together a list of questions you should answer before creating your video marketing strategy:

• What are your overall business goals?
• Who is your target audience?
• What type of content will appeal to them?
• What kind of videos do you want to create?
• What style will they be in?
• How often will you release new videos?
• Where will you host your videos?
• How will you promote your videos?

Answering these questions will give you a better understanding of what you want to achieve with your video marketing campaign and how to go about doing it.

Marketing Goals

The first step in creating an effective video marketing strategy is to determine your business goals. What are you hoping to achieve with your video content? Are you looking to launch a new product and increase brand awareness? Or do you want to drive more sales and improve customer engagement? Once you know what you want to achieve, you can start planning your video marketing strategy around it.

Target Audience

The next step is to identify your target audience. Who do you want to reach with your videos? What are their demographics? What are their interests and pain points? Understanding these things will help your marketing team to create content that appeals to them and speaks to their needs.

The Buyer Persona

To help you get a better understanding of your target audience, it’s helpful to create buyer personas. A buyer persona is a semi-fictional character that represents your ideal customer. By creating one or more buyer personas, you can better understand who you’re marketing to and what kinds of videos they would be interested in watching.

There are a few key things you’ll want to include when creating your buyer persona, such as:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Occupation
• Income level
• Hobbies and interests
• Pain points

Once you have all of this information, your entire team can start to brainstorm video ideas that would appeal to your target audience.

Customer Journey

Before you start creating videos, it’s important to understand the customer journey. This is the process your customers go through when interacting with your brand, from first becoming aware of your company to making a purchase. By mapping out the customer journey, you can get a better idea of what kind of content will resonate with your audience at each stage.

There are three main stages to the customer journey:

1. Awareness

This is the stage where your customers first become aware of your brand and what you have to offer. At this stage, they are trying to identify their problem and are looking for information that will help them to understand it better.

Your goal at the awareness stage is to make your audience aware of your brand and what you can do for them. You can do this by creating product videos and educational videos that explain your products or services and how they can benefit your viewers.

Some ideas for awareness stage videos include:

• How-to guides
• Explainer videos
• Product demonstration videos
• Brand video

These types of videos will help to introduce your brand to your audience and to get them interested in what you have to offer.

2. Consideration

The next stage is consideration, where your customers start to evaluate their options and decide what solution is right for them. They are looking for more information about your products or services and how they compare to the competition at this stage.

Your goal during the consideration stage is to build trust with your audience and show them that you are the best option for their needs. You can do this by creating videos that highlight the features and benefits of your products or services, as well as customer testimonials and case studies.

Some ideas for consideration stage videos include:

• Comparisons with competitor products
• Customer testimonials
• Case studies

These videos will help show your audience that you are a reliable and trustworthy option and that you have the products or services they are looking for.

3. Decision

The final stage is decision, where your customers are ready to make a purchase. At this stage, they are looking for reassurance that they are making the right choice and that they will be happy with their purchase.

Your goal at the decision stage is to close the sale and convince your audience to choose your products or services over the competition. You can do this by creating videos that focus on the value and benefits of your products or services, as well as special offers and guarantees.

Some ideas for decision stage videos include:

• Free trial or sample offers
• Moneyback guarantees
• Coupons or discounts

These will help show your audience that they can rely on your products or services and that they will be getting a good deal if they choose to purchase from you.

By understanding the customer journey, you can create videos that are designed to appeal to your audience at each stage of their buying process. This will make it more likely that they will purchase from you and become loyal customers.

Content Marketing Strategy

Now that you understand the customer journey, it’s time to start planning your content marketing strategy. This will involve creating a mix of videos that address the needs of your audience at each stage of their journey.

To do this, you’ll need to create a variety of different types of videos, including product videos, educational videos, brand videos, customer testimonials, case studies, and more. By creating a mix of these different types of videos, you can appeal to your audience at every stage of their journey and increase your chances of making a sale. One of the best ways to plan and organize your video content is to create a content calendar. This will help you to keep track of the different types of videos that you need to create and when you need to release them.

A content calendar can also be a valuable tool for coordinating your video production schedule and making sure that all of your videos are ready to be released on time.

Marketing Channels

Once you have your content strategy in place, it’s time to start thinking about the best marketing channels for your videos. There are a number of different ways that you can get your videos in front of your target audience, and the best channels will vary depending on your industry and the type of video content that you’re creating. 

You can choose which video content platforms or social media platforms you want to use, or you can work with a video marketing agency that can help you to distribute your videos across multiple channels. 

But typically, a B2B video works best on LinkedIn and other business-focused social media channels, as well as on your company website and landing pages. Apart from these platforms, you might also want to consider using videos in your email marketing campaigns and on your blog. 

Using a mix of different marketing channels, you can reach your target audience in multiple places and increase the chances that they’ll see your videos and take action.

Key Performance Indicators

Now that you know how to create a B2B video marketing strategy, it’s important to track your progress and measure your success. This will help you to see what’s working well and identify areas that need improvement. There are several different key performance indicators (KPIs) that you can use to measure the success of your video marketing campaigns. Some of the most important KPIs to track include:

• Views: This measures how many people have watched your videos.
• Engagement: This measures how much people are interacting with your videos, including likes, comments, and shares.
• Lead generation: This measures how many leads you’re generating from your videos.
• Sales: This measures how many sales you’re making as a result of your video marketing campaigns.

By tracking these KPIs, you can clearly see your video marketing performance and identify areas that need improvement.

Video productions can be costly, so it’s important to make sure you have a clear and concise plan before you start. Apart from these factors, you also need to consider your video marketing budget, as this will play a role in deciding the overall scope and scale of your video content strategy.

With a solid plan in place, you’ll be well on your way to creating an effective video marketing strategy that will help you achieve your business goals! If you’re not sure where to start, consider looking at other businesses in your industry that are using video effectively and model your strategy after theirs. Alternatively, some many online resources and templates can help you create a video marketing strategy for your business.

Chapter 4:

How to Create B2B Videos That Convert

While the definition of video marketing may seem straightforward, a lot goes into creating successful videos. From planning and scripting to shooting and editing, there are a lot of moving parts to keep track of. And that’s not even mentioning the promotion part!

Videos are one of the most effective ways to reach and engage your target audience. They’re also highly shareable, which means they have the potential to reach a broad audience.

Understand your audience and set your campaign objectives.

Before you start creating your video, it’s important to understand who your target audience is and what you want to achieve with your video. This will help you to create a video that’s relevant and engaging for your audience and that meets your business goals.

To start, think about the following questions:

• Who is your target audience for this short video in particular?
• What are their pain points?
• What are you trying to achieve with this video?

By answering these questions, you’ll be able to create a targeted and compelling video. Once you know your target audience and what you want to achieve, you need to set some campaign objectives–are you driving sales? Traffic? Or engagement?

Align your video content with the appropriate channel and sales funnel stage.

Now that you know your target audience and what you want to achieve with your video, it’s time to start thinking about where you’re going to promote it. You need to make sure you align your video content with the appropriate channel and sales funnel stage. For example, if you’re creating a product demonstration video, you’ll likely promote it on YouTube or your website. If you’re creating an explainer video, you might promote it on social media or use it as part of a lead generation campaign.

It’s also important to consider the different stages of the buyer’s journey when promoting your videos. For example, if someone is at the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey, they’re likely looking for general information about your product or service. On the other hand, if someone is at the decision stage, they’re looking for specific information that will help them make a purchase.

By aligning your video content with the appropriate channel and sales funnel stage, you can ensure that your video reaches the right people at the right time.

Consider your video budget and production timeline.

Once you know where you’re going to promote your video, it’s time to start thinking about your budget and production timeline. These two factors will play a big role in deciding your video content strategy’s overall scope and scale.

If you have a limited budget, you’ll need to be more strategic in your approach. You might want to consider creating shorter videos or using animation instead of live action. Alternatively, if you have a longer production timeline, you can afford to be more creative and produce higher-quality videos.

No matter what your budget is, it’s important to plan ahead and give yourself enough time to create a great video. Rushing the process will just likely result in a subpar final product.

Decide on which marketing channels you should publish your videos

B2B video strategy is not just about creating video content; a successful strategy also entails knowing where to publish the videos for maximum impact. There are a number of different marketing channels that you can post your videos on, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Some of the most popular channels for B2B marketers include:

• Your Website: This is an excellent option if you want to keep your video content within your own ecosystem. Plus, it gives you more control over how people interact with your videos and where they see them. However, it can be difficult to drive traffic to your website unless you have a strong SEO strategy in place.
• YouTube: YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, so it’s a great way to reach a large audience. It’s also free to use, which makes it an attractive option for businesses on a tight budget. However, you will need to put in the effort to optimize your videos for SEO and build up a following before you see any real results.
• Social Media: Social media is a great way to promote your video content and reach a wider audience. You can use paid ads or organic posts to share your videos on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Just keep in mind that each platform has its own algorithm, so you’ll need to tailor your strategy accordingly.
• Email Marketing: Email is still one of the most effective marketing channels available, so it’s worth considering for your BVB strategy. You can embed videos directly into your emails or create playlists to send to subscribers. Just make sure that your videos are high-quality and relevant to your audience.

These are just a few of the many different marketing channels you can use to promote your videos. The best approach is to experiment with a few different channels and see what works best for your business.

Track the performance of your B2B video marketing campaign

The whole process is not done yet after you hit publish. You should track your video marketing performance to see how well your strategy is working and make necessary changes along the way.

There are a number of different metrics you can track, but some of the most important ones for BVB include:

• Views: This is a good metric to start with as it gives you an idea of how many people are watching your videos. However, it’s not the most important metric, as it doesn’t tell you anything about engagement or whether people are actually watching your videos all the way through.
• Engagement: Engagement is a more detailed metric that takes into account things like likes, comments, shares, and other forms of interactions. This will give you a better idea of how people are responding to your videos and whether they’re finding them valuable.
• Leads Generated: This is the ultimate metric you should be tracking, as it tells you how effective your videos are at generating leads. You can track this by setting up conversion tracking in Google Analytics or using a specific lead generation software.

There are a number of other metrics you can track, but these are some of the most important ones to focus on. By tracking your performance, you’ll be able to adjust your strategy as needed and ensure that your B2B campaign is as successful as possible.

Chapter 5:

Extra Tips and Tricks for an Effective Video Marketing Strategy

Here are a few extra tips and tricks to help you get the most out of your B2B campaign:

• A call-to-action (CTA) is crucial for moving visitors down the funnel. Trial versions of your software links to your white papers and customer evaluations in related films are all possible CTAs in B2B educational videos.
• Short video clips of five seconds to two minutes have a high social media engagement rate and may be made for low production cost.
• To figure out what types of material buyers want or need to hear at various crucial phases in their purchase journey, create micro-level buyer personas and produce video messages that address those needs.
• Short video clips ranging from five seconds to two minutes have a high engagement rate on social media and can be produced at a low cost. 
• Depending on the marketing channel, adjust the length of your testimonial videos. On social media, a customer review should be between 6 and 30 seconds long, a website homepage should be between 30 and 60 seconds long, and a YouTube video should be over a minute long.
• Embed instructional films on key consumer touchpoints, such as your website’s home page, in a welcome email, or on important product pages and landing sites.

That’s a Wrap!

Video is an excellent vehicle for breaking down complex subjects, educating your potential consumers about your organization, and producing content that may be reused in other forms (such as blogs or social media posts). But the most important part of any B2B video marketing strategy is your creative collaboration plan and ensuring that your videos are high-quality and relevant to your target audience. If you can do that, then you’re well on your way to creating a successful B2B campaign.