Content Marketing is more than a buzzword. It is the hottest trend in marketing because..."It is the biggest gap between what buyers want and brands produce.” This quote from marketing expert Michael Brenner about sums it up doesn’t it? The ability to produce fresh relevant content targeted toward your buyer persona is a key ingredient to your marketing success.
Content marketing has a new kid on the block that has made some noise recently. In 2014, B2B marketers have utilized video in their content marketing mix and it has proven to be successful. In fact, a recent survey shows that 76% of B2B marketers who responded use some sort of video in their content marketing with 60% confirming that this approach was very effective. We are firm believers that the adaption of video by B2B companies can be successful in 2015. But just like the rest of your marketing efforts, it has to be geared toward your target audience. Here are a few of our guidelines for how B2B companies can benefit from video content aimed at the right audience.
As you know, all customers are not created equal. The buyer’s journey tells us that not everyone who comes in contact with us is ready to buy. By applying the buyer’s journey to content, marketers can create content that maps to the stage of the buyers journey the consumer is in. To get the most out of your video content marketing efforts, create a video specific to your buyer persona in the stage they are in. Say, for example, a lead has expressed an ongoing interest in your content and expertise and they are in the bottom of the sales funnel. It would be a perfect time to send them a video talking about yourself and how your product or service can fulfill a need that they have. Create video content for optimal positioning in the buyers journey.
Having effective CTA’s is vital to the success of any content marketing strategy. Call-to-Actions give the user direction and allows you to move them right along in the buyers journey by putting more and more of your content in front of them. It has to be relevant, catchy, and compelling for the user to click it. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. Would they click this call-to-action after watching your video content? Make sure it is pulling customers and constantly giving them value.
After the first cup of coffee in the morning, people are on the go non-stop until the end of the day. This raises a concern. Hitting the play button is completely up to the user and if it is too long or not providing the content desired, it won’t be viewed entirely and you won’t get the ROI you deserve. What is the solution? Watch your length. Unfortunately, there are disagreements about optimal viewing time. Our advice is to keep it as concise and engaging as possible.
Videos are unique to your other forms of content marketing because it allows your customer to see a different side of your brand. Instead of reading, they can see for themselves who you are. It is a great way to present yourself as an expert while showing them who you are as a company. The tone of the video conveys who you are. A humorous tone can portray that you are a creative and want to be viewed as a company that thinks differently and wants to bring innovative creative solutions to your company. Or maybe you convey a serious tone that shows your viewers you are an expert in your professional field. Whatever it is, the principle is the same. The tone of your video should reflect your brand.
The importance of creating relevant content is not going anywhere anytime soon. People love this type of marketing because its sole purpose is to give them what they want when they want it. And the ability to master video content marketing can take this one step farther. Everyone knows the ago old cliché saying, “ A picture is worth a thousand words.” If that is a true, then a well thought out video piece is worth a lot more then that.