3 Reasons Your B2B Videos Strike Out (and How to Hit Home Runs)

Like many B2B companies, one management consulting firm in Boston started out using video cautiously. The firm spent tens of thousands of dollars and hired multiple vendors to produce a series of case study videos. And then it waited for these case study videos to be found. A few months later, the company developed videos focused on recruiting. These videos were developed in-house without any budget using low-end tools. So, which videos have been more successful?

Based on the number of views, the home-grown recruiting videos are the clear winners. In fact, just three recruiting videos that I developed for the firm account for 31% of the company’s YouTube views, while the three most watched case study videos account for only 7%. This raises an interesting question: why do some videos steadily attract viewers while others don’t catch on? Based on my experience, I point to three keys to creating successful videos:

1) Content:  Substance over Style – How is your story different, and what unique insights do you have to share? Viewers are interested in tangible insights that are deeper than generic points about facing increased competition or wanting to enter new markets. Instead, offer specifics such as unexpected hurdles that you faced when launching a product, how you cleared them and missteps along the way. And what are the quantifiable results? Also think about what your videos should compel viewers to do. At the very least, include company contact information and an easy way for viewers to learn more.

2) Is Your Video Plan In Focus? – Do your video ideas fit into a cohesive marketing plan or are they just one-off activities? At the company, I was responsible for its global recruiting blog and I began developing videos with my personal flip camera because video is critical for reaching 20-something candidates. The firm's recruiting, HR and Gen Y employees that I met with had great ideas for blog content and when candidates would be searching for specific topics based on recruiting cycles in different regions (e.g., the interview process, case interview questions, etc.). Timing is critical.

Also think about your video promotion strategy. In addition to launching the company’s YouTube channel, I also interested the Vault, an influential recruiting site, in including the firm's videos in its content library to reach more candidates.

3) Tell a Story (and Make it Quick) – The passion, enthusiasm and honesty captured in the recruiting videos more than made up for the lack of budget, resources and production shortcomings on my end. I had associate Kevin talk about how he negotiated a transfer from the U.S. to Southeast Asia. Also, a senior consultant shared interview tips as someone who went through the process and now sits in the interviewer’s chair. And Dave provided the recipe to answer a case interview question that compares two breweries. Now I’ll drink to that!

The recruiting videos are also short – typically two minutes or less. Certainly it depends on the topic, but the content needs to be really engaging to keep viewers’ attention longer than that. So rather than an employee covering a range of topics during a long video, I created a series of short videos that each focused on a specific theme.

Producing a Fan Favorite

A good story will engage consumers in any medium. And video has a powerful ability to bring your ideas to life and personalize your company. Think of how video will fit into your marketing program – and will amplify your brand. In some cases, I developed campaigns that included video along with branded reports, PR, social media, etc. to help broadcast a specific theme across multiple channels. And by all means, learn from my early missteps making videos on the cheap. But that’s the subject for another post. 

(Image used with permission from cmun_Project under a Creative Commons license)