Since the dawn of time people have been evangelising solutions as a catch-all for all of your problems. In the marketing sphere, we’ve seen this recently with social media, digital adverts and, of course, video.
Let’s get one thing straight from the start: I consider myself a video marketing expert, and I have been known to suggest video as a solution for many (but not all) B2B problems. Below are five of the most common problems that I’ve found video to be adept at solving.
1. People don’t know who you are
This is quite possibly the biggest problem of them all because if no one knows about your company, they can’t be customers, and without customers, your business won’t be around this time next year.
But as Colin Lewis rightly said in Marketing Week: strategy is a luxury for small brands. The only important thing is getting in front of people.
And the best way to get in front of people is inarguably by using video. We, as humans, are inherently attracted to it. Our brains like to see the moving shapes and colours and our hearts (or really, another part of our brains) gets a little positive boost when we’re told stories, or see people that we identify with in some way.
2. Your site has a high bounce rate
Ok, with problem #1 sorted, you have people coming through to your site. But, for whatever reason, they don’t like what they see when they get there. That red X lingers in the corner of their screen tempting them to move onto the next thing; it’s so easy!
Maybe it’s because your brand colours offend their sensitive corneas or that it’s not loading correctly (or within 0.01 seconds as is the standard rate of patience these days), but more than likely it’s because your site looks a bit like homework.
So. Much. Reading.
Even if you’re a self-confessed bibliophile like myself, nobody likes self-directed learning, and that includes learning about what you can do for them.
Put it in a video and this problem is solved: that play button is much more tempting than the red X, and prospects are much more likely to stay on your site long enough to figure out what you do and how they can best engage.
3. Your digital ads aren’t working
You’ve done it; you bit the bullet and put some of your precious budget into online advertising like all of your entrepreneurial buddies have been telling you to do. But you’re seeing the budget tick down and your phone isn’t ringing.
Solving this problem requires you to adopt quite a detached mentality. You have to think like a typical everyday web user, NOT your imaginary Dream Client who ticks all your boxes and is aware of your brand. You have about 0.05 seconds to stand out from the crowd online before you get scrolled past.
Do you really think you’re going to do that with a simple logo image?
Hate to break it to you, but that won’t cut it. Let’s go back to the visual brain: tap into the need for things to move and disrupt the everyday. Put it in a (super short, like 7 seconds or less) video, and get ready to answer that phone.
4. No one is engaging with your social media posts
Refer to Item #3, as everything applies.
5. No one believes you’re as good as you say you are
Sure you’ve got a thingaling that is 10x better than what they’re using. But…they haven’t heard of you until now. So how good could you be?
Well, if you’ve convinced even 1 person that you’re the sharpest knife in the drawer, get ‘em on camera! Case studies are the single most effective form of video for B2B companies as they tap into that desire for human connection and “social proof”.
It’s one thing to brag on yourself, but a whole other ballpark when your client does it for you.
If your company is up against any of these problems, it’s worth thinking about how video could help!