There are many, many types of video that will help you to attract more customers. These range from vlogs and interviews, through to Webinars and behind the scenes videos. In this article, however, I'll be detailing the styles of videos that work well for service providing, business to business companies.
Any number of these video types can benefit you, and of course using all of them will have the best result, but throughout this article remember that quality is the most important aspect. HD footage and beautiful, crisp audio will raise your production value, and your business' professionalism, to new heights.
Why Should You Use Video?
A video is one of the most engaging forms of content that a business can produce. It's easy to take in, it's quick and simple to watch, and it solidifies fact by providing visual proof. In today's digital world, a video is one of the most commonly consumed form of content and people will often seek out information in video form over other formats. By producing high-quality videos you will get your brand seen by a large selection of consumers and be able to push your message through visual and audible means.
1. Vlogs (Video Blogs)
Vlogs are great because they give clients a look into you and your business in a way that is much more personal. It gives you chance to talk to your audience about what's happening in your life as well as giving updates on the business. Your audience begins to feel like they know you and as such, when they come to want your custom they feel much more comfortable approaching you for work. Your relationship becomes less 'business and customer' and more 'you and your customer'.
Try starting the vlog with something personal, such as telling them about a holiday you just got back from or an event you went to. Talk as though you're talking to a friend. Next, give an update on the business. Tell them about a new piece of equipment you've acquired or a new service you're providing. Mention how happy you are to be working with a new client (if they watch the vlog you'll get extra brownie points from them) or how nice it was seeing how pleased your latest client was. Finish up by telling the audience where you're heading next and that you'll catch up again soon.
Vlogs are best done as a series, so releasing a weekly vlog is a great way to collect regular viewers. If you upload to YouTube and share on your social media accounts, you'll give people the option to subscribe, and if you get a large following you could even begin to get some Google Adsense revenue come in.
2. Interview Videos
Interviewing an expert is a wonderful and much more engaging alternative to writing an article. By taking the ideas that would normally be typed up and made into an article, and instead creating a video, you make your content more inviting for your audience. An article that could take five minutes to read would only take two minutes to watch. This approach fits perfectly into the busy schedules of your target audience.
Sit down with your most knowledgeable staff member and proceed to ask them a series of relevant questions about your topic. If you struggle to think of questions, create some notes that you would normally use to write an article, and then make each paragraph a question. This way the only difference in the content you are producing is the delivery method. Record the interview, keeping the focus on the interviewee as they answer the questions with quick but relevant answers. In post-production, you have the option of cutting out the questions being asked, or replacing the spoken questions with a written annotation.
By producing an interview video you are giving quick, reliable information to your target audience, as well as putting a face to the deliverer of said information. People naturally find it easier to remember names and faces than trying to recall the website they read something on. Upload your videos to YouTube as well as your website to get the full benefit.
3. Event Videos
Next time you have an event, whether it be a fundraiser, seminar, trade shows or anything else, be sure to record as much high-quality footage as you can. This footage can be used to create an enticing video that will lead to a bigger and bigger turnout each time. The footage has to be recorded at a high quality so hire a professional if needed.
Focus on recording shots of speeches, people having fun, staff interacting with clients and anything else that shows that your events are both fun and useful. Ask a few of your most loyal clients to say a few words about their thoughts on the event and if they would recommend it. You will likely end the day with much more footage than you need but that is a good thing. Look through the footage and pick out all the best moments, times when people are smiling and laughing or when someone is making a great speech. Edit these shots together in an order that makes sense and towards the end of the video add the footage of your client's kind words.
The intention of this video is to show your possible customers what they are missing out on. A great tip to remember is that people hate to miss out, so use this video to show targeted audiences that by not coming they did exactly that. By spreading the video around social media with a date for your next event, you will ensure (provided the end result is a fun, high-energy video) that your turnout is much higher.
4. Presentation Videos
Much like your event video, a presentation video involves recording footage of a business talk you do. The difference with this video, however, is that this time you want to spread the presentation to all the people that failed to show up. While having people show up to your events is clearly more desirable, you don't want any potential clients to miss out completely if they don't.
This time you want to record footage of purely useful information. Record a talk in its entirety and partner that audio with footage of the speaker, the engaged audience and examples of what is being spoken of. This video will likely be much longer than other video types as you want to share all the information that was missed out on with potential clients.
Due to its length, this video is best uploaded to YouTube and then shared on social media, and in some cases to potential clients directly. Make sure the audio of the presentation is clear and easy to understand as that is the focus of this video, getting the important information to as many people as possible with intention of it leading to new business.
5. Tutorial
The majority of businesses make their profit through selling a service or product. That means you have a skill or certain amount of knowledge that is unique to you. Creating a tutorial is a great method of inbound marketing as it attracts potential clients by giving them 'part' of what they need. If you sell a service, create a tutorial about maintaining a single aspect of that service. If you sell a product, make a tutorial showing people how to use it. By doing this, you are giving your potential customers enough information to know that you are trustworthy and knowledgeable but not enough that they no longer need your product or service.
You want to record footage of someone giving an example of what the tutorial is about. Make the style of the video, 'copy what I do'. This allows all types of learners to benefit from your video. Visual learners get to watch what happens and audible learners can follow the clear instructions you are giving. The length of your video will vary depending on the complexity of the tutorial but you should aim to keep it under the ten-minute mark.
Before uploading your tutorial, test it on a friend or family member with no previous experience. You want them to be able to follow your instructions and complete whatever challenge the tutorial covers. If the tutorial is clear and easy to follow, upload it to your YouTube channel and share it to relevant platforms. Remember that this video is intended to supply the viewer with part of the solution. Make sure they finish the video knowing you are the rest of the solution.
Learn even more on how video marketing can work for your business with these great article:
- Why Is Video Marketing So Effective For B2B Businesses in 2017?
- Why Video Marketing Is Essential For Your 2017 Business Development Strategy
Final Thoughts
Now that I've talked you through the most beneficial types of video for your business to business company, you need to decide which types of video would fit best into your business. If you do lots of events and public speaking then you should try to focus on event and presentation videos. If you spend a lot of time doing solo work or travelling about, vlogs would suit you well. Consider the kind of relationship you want with your clients. Do you want them to see you as a friendly, approachable business or as a large, professional company? Video can portray any mood or message as long as the footage, audio and content all focus on that message.
If you have any questions about the kind of videos that would best suit your business or advice on where to start don't hesitate to get in touch.
Image source: Unsplash
