B2B video production as a sales and marketing tool is still a relatively new idea. It’s been picking up over the past few years, but the process has been slow. A common theme amongst early adopters of B2B video production has been to do videos showcasing their machines. Showing the machine working and dance music playing in the background is the typical way these videos are shot. The problem is that these videos do not provide meaningful information for buyers to get informed enough to make a decision to engage with a salesperson…but they are nice to dance to.
While the production, distribution, and messaging of valuable sales video content have their creative elements, B2B video production should mimic the traditional B2B buying process. And that sales process involves people explaining what is going on with the showcased machinery. Including engineers and technical people in sales videos give a more personalized, technical-oriented explanation of both the product and the process…while adding a personal element. Fortunately, manufacturing companies are starting to follow this mindset, and this will be the trend going forward.
More and more B2B video productions now include the actual engineers and technical teams explaining their products and services on camera. They’re most often next to the machine they’re describing or cutting to a B-roll of their manufacturing process while their voice explains. This is far more informative and engaging than a repetitive dance track because it’s actually conveying valuable material that would most likely be missed through visuals alone.
If you think for a moment about this method of using B2B video marketing content, you quickly realize that this is exactly what representatives at trade shows are doing in person. They’re standing next to their machine and explaining value propositions while answering customer questions. Of course, the classic industry trade show experience will always be a valuable use of time and resources. However, using video as a sales tool on top of traditional trade shows will bring in more customers and leave people feeling more satisfied with the information they’ve received.
Tangible Results from a B2B Video Production
Many manufacturing companies are not seeing that buyers are consuming more video to make informed decisions. However, Jet Pulverizer saw it clearly. Fred Surville, Jet Pulverizer’s VP of Sales and Marketing is seeing tangible results from B2B sales video production as well as increased SEO rankings and social media engagement. “We’ve actually sold about 5 different services thanks directly to the videos themselves being placed not only on social media but directly on our website as well. The nice thing about these videos is their longevity. Our videos are educational and technical in nature,” notes Fred.
Manufacturing companies also think that video will take away from building personal relationships that drive sales. That is actually the opposite of what video does. Because more and more people are online doing their research, video assists with the classic in-person sales discussion. It instills a sense of familiarity and professionalism with customers. And, the best part of video as a technology and marketing tool, you will reach far more people with information about your company’s process and products. Using the right internet distribution methods, you can easily see a quick ROI as your video content reaches more and more people in the appropriate industry.
Surville continues to state, “We decided to invest in video marketing at Jet Pulverizer because it fit nicely into our marketing strategy. Through videos, we can communicate more directly and educate our customers regarding our technology and the services that we provide.“
If you haven’t done any videos for your manufacturing company, now is the time to start. Since only one video is not a sound video marketing strategy, it will take time to produce a library of content relevant to your sales cycle and product lineup. Within a few years of consistent B2B video production, integrated into your other sales and marketing efforts, you will develop a large library of valuable content that will continue to help and inform your client base for years to come.
Having this library will not only be valuable to prospective customers and current clients but will also save time for people at your company.
On average, your customers are searching online for you and doing research ahead of engaging directly. Your future video library will most likely help bridge that gap and encourage the conversion of future qualified leads.
