Core

CASE STUDY – B2B marketers cite case studies as the second most effective tactic for influencing prospects in the sales process. Just like its print equivalent, a video case study shares an up-close and personal story of how your solution/product solved a real-life customer’s problem. 

However, video has the advantage over print in allowing you to showcase immediate utility and tell your story with a winning combination of audio and visuals. The most common format for a case study is: problem, solution, results – and it’s important to provide as much as possible in the “results” section, as this is where the viewer will understand the benefits your solution can offer them. 

USE CASE – Say you have a fairly technical solution, or your product addresses a complex problem… a video, or perhaps a video series, is the ideal way to explain how it works, and show situations where you solve a problem prospects and customers are facing. Where a written description might be overwhelming, video offers bite-sized information that can help shed light on how to use your product or new ways it’s being utilized. 

We like to think of a use-case video as a case study without a specific customer – which has the advantage that you don’t need to worry about getting a sign-off from a customer either!

DEMO OR HOW-TO – In later stages of the buyer’s journey – once your company is on the short list – product demos are an important way to to differentiate your offering from the competition. But beware – demos can tend to be dry and slow, especially if they’re just screen captures with a voiceover. 

So how can you make it more engaging? Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes and avoid the technical walk-through. Instead, use examples with a real or pretend customer and to showcase how your solutions solves a problem. Remember, your goal is to keep prospects engaged!

RESEARCH – If, like many marketers, you conduct regular surveys of your customers or on market trends, and produce a written research report as part of their content strategy. Repurpose the same research findings into a short video where a company executive discusses the impact of your findings, or calls out a few of the highlights and explains their significance. 

We find it best not to simply repeat the what’s in the report; instead, use the video to provide analysis and commentary, positioning your spokesperson as a thought leader, and stimulating a broader discussion. If your team is feeling extra confident, you can even make some predictions about what you’ll find next time you repeat the survey.

VIDEO CAMPAIGN – With online video, the key is to keep things short and snappy. Resist the urge to cram too much into one video – break it up into shorter and more digestible clips that focus on one topic at a time. Viewers always prefer to select the topics they are most interested in without sitting through lengthy videos.

This approach makes it easier to tackle complex topics in easily digestible chunks, and can help you build an audience of subscribers. Generate the same type of interest and expectation by releasing your video series in a consistent format on a regular schedule, so viewers know when the next video will be available.

TOPICAL – What if you don’t have enough content to make a full video series, or you don’t have any new product information to provide? One-off videos on a current industry issue or trend can have a powerful impact and position you as a participant in the industry conversation. 

Simply record a video statement from a company spokesperson that conveys your organization’s stance on a topic. Be careful not to attack competitors, but focus on your company’s vision, values and the role your product plays.

INFLUENCER – While it may be easier to talk about yourself, industry influencers – especially those with a large social following – can help promote your content and bring new website visitors you might otherwise not reach. One approach is to conduct an interview with someone well-known in the market. 

Keep the interview educational and informational, rather than overtly promotional, as this will encourage viewers to share it on social media. Those shares not only spread your content to a wider audience, but the links back to your site will bost your search engine visibility and your site’s authority.

PRESENTATIONS – If your presentation is engaging to a live audience, it’s likely good enough for video! Keynote presentations, panel sessions and fireside chats can all be a great basis for video. Record the presentation as it is being given, and release that as a single replay. Then try slicing the video into shorter clips on individual topics – these can be shared separately across social channels, and used to complement other marketing pieces. 

Didn’t quite get the video quality you wanted? Don’t despair. Provided the sound quality was acceptable, you can lay the audio track over the slides, just as you would for a webinar. Even if the video is good quality, cutting away to full-screens of the slides ensures they are readable and provides a variety of visual pace.