No one can deny that video holds enormous entertainment and educational value. This fact is no less true in the B2B landscape. In fact, as per a report by WyzOwl, prospects watch 1.5 hours of video every day, and 59% of B2B buyers prefer video over text content. These are just a few reasons why today, B2B companies cannot shy away from using video in their marketing and sales strategies. Video may well have become the go-to format for all content marketers, especially in 2020, in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
Video is becoming a crucial part of content strategy for better alignment
A survey conducted by Content Marketing Institute and LinkedIn across 1,246 marketers worldwide depicted one clear fact: highly aligned sales and marketing teams do things differently than those with low alignment – the former have a documented content strategy, while the latter does not.
If there’s one common thread that flows through the product, sales, marketing, and support functions, it is the use of content in its many forms, the video being one of them. A HubSpot study shows that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from brands. So a content strategy that incorporates video as a critical element is sure to give you some brilliant results.
Know that YOU own the power to connect with prospects using video content
While historically, the video has been an integral part of the marketing arsenal, we are seeing this change over the past few years. Sales teams are using the video to form better, face-to-face relationships with prospects, and customer support executives are using it to solve problems faster. So while your marketing team might be the go-to gurus for knowing the ins and outs of how video works, the power to connect using video content is yours, as long as you have something to say and have a smartphone. But how can video help align sales and marketing better? How can you use this format to help connect the dots internally?
These are the five ways you can use video to align sales and marketing
- Welcome the alignment culture: All change begins from the top, so to use video effectively across all departments, an alignment culture within the workplace is a must. In a healthy work culture, every team feels certain ownership towards customer satisfaction. The same principle should apply when trying to bring in a video-oriented culture. To understand this, let’s state what this format stands for – a fast mode of communication that is personal, preferred by customers, and more memorable. All of these factors enable better conversations, engagement, and retention. Once the goal is clear, the alignment will follow naturally.
- Trace the B2B buyer journey from start-to-end: The B2B buyer is quite self-sufficient. Only 12% want to meet in-person with a sales representative, and 71% start their process with an unbranded search. When designing the content strategy, mapping the buyer journey and the multiple communication touchpoints are a great way to get started. As one starts working on assets like blogs, infographics, and ebooks across the awareness, consideration, and decision-making phases, it would help to insert video as part of the strategy. Do an audit of your existing sales enablement content to see what can be converted or repurposed as a video. Don’t shy away from integrating video into internal sales and support training. If team representatives collaborate on content mapping, they can develop a great list of key collateral that should ideally be in video format.
- Training and buy-in: Like any new technology, it is important to sell the idea of video-based content to a few key ambassadors within each department. These evangelists then further ensure that video becomes a part of everyday life, whether for onboarding sales personnel or sending video emails to prospects. Marketers, who have been so far the keepers of video strategy and are most familiar with this format, can work closely with sales teams to equip them with the best tips and tricks on best practices. This back-and-forth of ideas is also a great way to bridge the gap between the two teams.
- Tools and analytics: The ultimate buy-in comes when any team sees the new strategy’s actual impact. Video is no different. Use the following metrics to show the impact that video has made on specific goals – time spent on the website, video email open rate, demo or webinar sign-ups. These metrics can be significant data points to get everyone anyone excited about using video. It can also help align intra-department goals with business goals.
- Create a video repository: Imagine an intensive video repository of FAQs for new sales reps joining your organization. Think about sales enablement videos that have customer testimonials segmented by industry. Think about the many helpful blog videos with quick bites of information that can easily be uploaded to your company’s social media repeatedly. An expansive and diverse video repository holds the potential to be the common language between different teams, a common thread to align all teams together.
The ability to communicate an idea in a personable, concise, and visually-striking manner will never go out of style. In these times of video conferencing, we see the relevance of video content even more. Marketing and sales teams have no choice but to embrace this trend and use it to create aligned and compelling content.
