Lights, Camera, Action

The most common B2B marketing tactic is social media, with 83 percent of B2B marketers using social media.¹ While the strategy is effective, the challenge is making the message stand out from the crowd to reach potential new customers and strengthen ties with existing customers.

One way to increase the effectiveness of a social media marketing strategy is to incorporate video as a key content element, suggested Mickey Cloud, SVP of VaynerMedia. In the past, businesses had to rely on media companies – television, radio and print publications – to distribute their messages to potential customers, but the advent of social media and cost-effective technology that enables you to produce and distribute your own content has changed the landscape of marketing, he said. “No matter what type of business you have, you can now behave like a media company,” he said. 

Although many organizations use social media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, the addition of video expands the message’s exposure. “You can maximize the time you take to produce a video by uploading it to YouTube and using snippets of the video on LinkedIn or Facebook to connect viewers to the full video,” he explained. A 15-second quote on LinkedIn that captures viewer attention and drives them to the full video and to your website results in legitimate sales leads for your business and an increase in your brand awareness.

The majority of video messages – 80 percent – should be educational for the viewer, Cloud suggested. Discussing an important issue for your customers, showing how to solve a problem or sharing best practices not only provides the potential customer with valuable information that can be applied to their own business, but establishes your company as a thought-leader, or expert, in the field. 

The first step is to define your company’s areas of expertise as well as knowledge resources within the company. Although an owner can be featured on a video discussing general business advice such as the best way to onboard a new employee to increase retention or issue-related topics such as availability of energy incentives for the use of solar energy, it also adds credibility to the content to have a technical expert demonstrate something such as proper maintenance of an HVAC system to improve performance.

Once topics for which your company and employees have an expertise have been identified, develop a one to three-month plan for the videos you will produce, Cloud said. “The plan is important to keep you on track but also allows for flexibility to respond to feedback from your audience,” he suggested. Online comments or questions you receive from calls generated by the video may identify other areas you can address in videos.

Mobile phone video capabilities, apps and online platforms make producing video simpler and less costly for business owners, Cloud pointed out. Starting with a phone and videoing yourself as you interview someone else or talk to the camera is a good way to become comfortable with the process. “The video doesn’t have to be broadcast quality, but if you want better quality, freelance videographers and local high school or college students can help produce the content,” he said. “Young people have been creating and editing their own videos since they were young, so tapping into students as interns or as freelancers gives them an opportunity to build their portfolio and gives you content to place on social media.”

The video should be entertaining as well as informative. Offering “Seven Tips to Prepare for Snow & Ice” or “Four Areas to Include in Your Preventive Maintenance Program” ensures viewers see the value and expertise your company provides.

“Be sure to end your video with a call to action – a phone number, an email and a website address – so people can contact you for more information or ask for a proposal,” Cloud said. “Following up the podcast with advertising to those who watch the video or fill out a contact form keeps your company in front of potential customers,” he added.

Cloud tells his clients to be patient when they first begin using video on social media. “You must give the program three to six months of ongoing, quality content to see results,” he said. “Distributing messages through LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and following it up with paid advertising is effective over time.”

Of course, results can show up sooner, as Cloud discovered when his office began their own podcasts. “We produced 12 podcasts over a three-month period and started getting calls early in the process,” he said. While all social media can be effective, LinkedIn is a phenomenal platform for B2B, he said.

One way to increase views of the podcast is to encourage employees to like and share the content on their own social media platforms. These “word-of-mouth” referrals – with and without paid advertising – can exponentially increase the number of potential customers who see the video. Video also increases your “search engine optimization (SEO)” rankings, which means your company is likely to appear higher on the list of search results.

The use of video in social media promotion for B2B will only grow, Cloud said. “In fact, the use of audio and voice in devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri and Google Home Assistant will become the new area of growth for marketers in the next two to five years.” 

Cloud admits many business owners may be reluctant to tackle production of video podcasts, but it can be a critical component of a marketing strategy. “The trick is to just get started,” he said. “There is a small percentage of companies in the retail facilities maintenance industry using video effectively, so this is the time to position your company as an expert and a thought leader.”

By: Sheryl S. Jackson