Published: August 29, 2014
by Brian Oster
If promoting your business using video is not already part of your marketing plan, change your marketing plan. Video is the language of today’s culture. We’re not trying to convince you of this fact – you can see the evidence for yourself. Instead, we want to ease your stress and remove the fear of the unknown when creating videos for your business, since it’s something you’re going to have to do!
Video is an important and versatile tool for communicating with a wide variety of internal and external audiences. This is the first of three posts answering the questions, “What can video do for my business?” and “What types of business videos are right for my company?” This post focuses on videos that can be best used for B2B marketing.
Business to Business Marketing Videos
- There are plenty of types of business videos whose audience is other businesses. For every audience you identify, you could produce several types of videos. The only limits are your resources and your imagination. Some of the most common types are:
- Product Demos – Showcase your product, address potential issues, and save on customer service calls by releasing a product demo with every new product launch. Your call center and receptionist will thank you later.
- Sales Presentations – These could be produced as a standalone piece when traveling to your prospective clients isn’t an option. Some are even created as a support video for your on-site salesperson.
- Facility/Office Tours – Whether you are in manufacturing, hair styling, or somewhere in between, provide your client peace of mind that your facility is clean, safe, and professional, and educate them on what you do in the process.
- Trade Show Videos – There are sometimes more booths at a trade show than visitors have time for. How do you get the attendees to come to yours? How about a video created specifically for that audience playing on a large TV screen. Attract animations have been widely used since the first arcade games were created. Why not harness that power for yourself?
- Lobby or Waiting Room Videos – Do your clients often have to wait to see you (e.g. doctors, dentists, etc.)? Why not provide them something creative from your office to watch, rather than let them grow more nervous while in the waiting room.
- Promotional Videos – These are safe videos for a business or organization, but we would caution you that unless these serve a specific purpose (e.g. brand awareness for your non-profit, tradeshow, etc.), viewership will likely be very low. A video with no purpose, call-to-action, or even a laugh is just a glorified brochure.
- New Product Launches
- Client Testimonials
- Video Presentations
- Commercials
- Team Biographies
- Executive Message
- Video News Release
Some more good ideas we’d love to discuss with you are:
There are many choices for business videos, but don’t be overwhelmed. Consider what your biggest business or client need is, where could you save on costs with a video, or what can’t you accomplish with your existing marketing tool set. Start brainstorming from there. We’re always available if you want to chat about an idea or get some more tips.