Visual language has the potential for increasing human bandwidth the capacity to take in, comprehend, and more efficiently synthesize large amounts of new information.
Robert E. Horn, Study of Language and Information at Stanford University
Globally, video will take up 80% of internet traffic by 2019, up from 64% in 2014. Both B2B and B2C marketers say video is in the top 3 most effective social media marketing tactics, and so it is not surprising that spending on mobile video content increased 18% last year. We know that consumers love video – but how do business audiences react to video and how can you use this to inform your video production?
When and where should video be used in B2B?
Given the choice between text and a video, 59% of senior executives would choose a video. It makes the most of their limited time, they can watch the content at their own pace, and they can share it with colleagues. This makes a very good case for transforming everything you might present as a document into video, giving the target audience the choice they very much want.
Video is the best way to present complex concepts simply, but in a visually exciting way for example, here is a company introduction video we worked on with Echo for our client, FootFall. Asked to present the features of their analytics software in a modern way, video was able to develop a compelling message quickly and engagingly, which can now be used to sell its story for both sales and marketing purposes.
How can you ensure your video is seen?
It’s not just about making video, it is also vitally important that the videos you make can be seen. Currently only 10% of the video content on the internet is mobile friendly, despite mobile being the first device for most people. All rich media needs to be optimised to be viewable on every platform, with mobile-ready websites and landing pages an important priority.
More than that, you need to put as much investment behind promoting the video as you did making it, if not more. Marketing it to prospects is essential, and most people are very receptive to moving images.
Business audiences like video so much that just the word will make a difference. Using the word ‘video’ in an email subject line has been shown to boost open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduces unsubscribes by 26%. The same can be said for social media, with 92% of mobile video viewers sharing videos with others. Once investing in a video, it can be repurposed across all distribution points.
How to get started
It can’t be overstated how important thorough planning is to video content, as part of this process we recommend drafting full video specific messaging and putting together an amplification strategy. While looking at introducing video into the B2B marketing mix, it is important that the video is interesting and informative, but it is also important to work with the right partners to ensure it is optimised correctly and that the way it is shared maximises reach. By doing this, you can ensure that you are making use of your video investment in the best way possible.
About the author: Amelia Watts is a content specialist at Fieldworks, an award-winning retail technology marketing agency.