The B2B Marketing realm has been changing rapidly over the past few years and will only continue to do so in the coming years. Therefore, it’s helpful to stay up-to-date on all the video marketing trends or else you’ll quickly fall behind in this ever-changing field.
The fact is, video production is the next big thing in B2B marketing, and it’s easy to see why. You can boost lead generation and conversion, build your brand, increase awareness, and improve the effectiveness of your other marketing efforts by producing engaging B2B videos that tell people who you are and what you do.
The B2B video marketing strategy can be highly effective in any industry, but it’s becoming more beneficial for B2B companies that want to close more deals and make more money in 2022. Follow along as we break down some of the most significant advancements shaping B2B Marketing as we know it!
What is B2B Marketing?
The acronym B2B is shorthand for Business-to-Business, or as we like to call it, “Professional-to-Professional.” It refers to any business that doesn’t deal directly with consumers (such as doctors and lawyers) but rather deals directly with other businesses.
But why should we care about these companies? Because they are a huge part of our economy—and they are growing! In fact, according to research from Accenture, 80% of all business purchases are made by B2B buyers.
That means you can be sure that if you want your company to grow—or even just stay competitive—you need to know how to market your products and services effectively to B2B buyers.
B2B vs. B2C Marketing
By nature, business-to-business marketing is different from business-to-consumer marketing. For example, small businesses might find B2B video marketing helpful for promoting their products or services, but large companies typically don’t need an introduction when they market to other businesses.
So, how can we use B2B video marketing more effectively in our work? In what ways can we leverage it for increased success? Here are a few tips:
- Build a Video Network.
- Put Yourself on Camera.
- Engage with Customers and Clients.
- Plan Your Videos Outwardly.
- Be Authentic: We love seeing authentic human emotions on camera, so try showing some real personality. If you’re funny, be funny. Let that shine through if you get emotional talking about your product or service. People want to see themselves reflected in you and your brand. When people feel like they know you, like you and trust you—they’ll be much more likely to buy from you.
- Reach out to influencers: Influencers have huge followings online, which means they have access to thousands of potential customers. That said, influencers aren’t cheap—but if used correctly (and sparingly), they can help boost sales quickly by increasing brand awareness and reach without spending a lot of money on traditional advertising channels.
B2B Channels Are Bound to Connect Your Audience.
Content Marketing
With marketing budgets shifting toward digital platforms and social media, content marketing is an excellent channel for B2B marketers to pursue. A recent study by the Content Marketing Institute shows that 79% of U.S. marketers say content creation is their top priority.
The key to success here will be investing in video marketing, as business owners increasingly view videos instead of reading blogs—67%, to be exact. It’s also important to consider how your audience prefers to consume information.
Short-form text or images may best suit your needs if you have an audience primarily on mobile devices. On the other hand, long-form articles would work better if you have an audience consisting primarily of office workers.
Digital Marketing
The digital marketing space evolves rapidly, creating new opportunities and challenges for business owners. In recent years, we’ve seen a growth in big data and artificial intelligence-based systems that can capture essential audience information and personalize digital marketing messages based on customers’ specific needs.
These new technologies provide businesses with insight into their prospects and help create an engaging experience, which is essential for successful B2B marketing.
Sales and Customer Support
B2B video marketing is a great way to engage customers and sell your services. The hardest part about video marketing is getting clients to see you as an expert and salesperson, but once they trust you and see how effective video marketing can be, they’ll always come back.
While many business owners are still hesitant to embrace new technology for video content, video content is projected to grow nearly 82% by 2022; over half of all internet traffic will be made up of video.
In addition, 72% of marketers say they will create more visual content in 2022 than last year. Plus, the best video also generates more leads: businesses with websites with a dedicated video landing page get 47% more tips than those without one!
Public Relations
PR is a massive component of any marketing strategy, but it’s often misunderstood and undervalued. To get started with public relations, you should invest in a PR firm with expertise in your industry.
Otherwise, you’ll find yourself at a disadvantage. Investing $5,000 or $10,000 for PR services will be some of your best money spent; when done right, a well-placed press release can dramatically increase brand awareness and sales numbers.
Don’t forget to include blogging as part of your PR efforts—it doesn’t have to be high-quality content, just a post every few weeks about your company, products or service offerings. Be sure not to overdo it, though: if all you do is promote yourself, people will start ignoring what you have to say, even if they like it.
Social Media Marketing
In 10 years, social media marketing will be completely altered. The platforms we currently use are losing their relevancy as new social networks pop up every day. These new platforms will attract business more effectively and are more conducive to engaging with customers personally.
We’ll still see brands use these new networks, but they won’t dominate news feeds as they do now, and they will be a platform for campaigns rather than an end goal. Additionally, consumers will have even more power over what content is relevant to them.
Therefore, your brand needs to build trust and relevance through meaningful engagement with its target audience. Finally, marketers need to realize that there is no one size fits all approach to social media marketing; each brand needs a strategy specific to its industry or niche.
Lead Generation
A future-proof marketing strategy will include lead generation, simply finding potential customers for your products or services. Today, companies use various digital tools and techniques to extract contact information from prospects and reach out with personalized sales messages that are relevant, topical, and well-timed.
Lead generation also means you’re reaching out to others at a reasonable time—indicating they haven’t already made up their minds about what they want or who they want it from.
In short, lead generation is like fishing: You cast your line into the water where fish swim around freely, hoping to catch something good. Once you reel them in (i.e., get them on board), it’s time to start selling!
Email Marketing
Your email list is one of your best (and most underrated) marketing tools. Each email you send to an opt-in subscriber is an opportunity for them to learn more about you and what you do, increasing engagement over time and turning potential customers into buyers. If you’re not taking advantage of email marketing yet, it’s time to get started.
Conclusion
In 10 years, marketing techniques and technology will look very different than they do today. Companies must always be ahead of these changes rather than behind, so marketers must understand what lies ahead.
B2B video offers a unique opportunity and is one of the hottest marketing trends of 2022, but you also need a plan of action that will allow you to fully adapt to a fast space digitized marketing space.
