Video messaging is the future, and businesses know it.
After all, 80% of people would rather watch a video than read text!
B2B professionals are slowly, but surely, recognizing the persuasive power of video messages in driving pipeline growth and are using videos to stimulate their viewers’ visual nature in new ways. From converting leads into clients and building relationships with prospects, businesses are generating stunning results.
Tired of prospecting being difficult? Video Messaging is your answer.
And we aren’t alone in saying this—Gartner endorsed the perks of using videos for pipeline growth in a recent report where they explicitly mentioned video messaging as an essential part of the tech stack for pipeline growth.
Simply put, personalized video, video email, and video campaigns are the perfect catalysts to drive better sales, conversions, and relationships, turning prospects into customers.
Video messaging, an asynchronous form of communication, is an absolute necessity to build real and strong relationships with your customers. In fact, it is the perfect antidote to nudging prospects to take the next step and convert them into customers.
Consider this: all the three preceding techs mentioned by Gartner are missing a crucial element. Can you guess? Well, it’s the opportunity to deliver your message with a secret weapon—your face! Yes! We humans have an innate desire to connect and engage better with those we see face-to-face. Therefore, it’s no surprise that Gartner has recognised videos, the next best thing to face-to-face communication, as a critical tech stack in two areas within your sales process – engage and qualify.
Engage: Forget the intrusive phone calls and lackluster, text-heavy emails—video prospecting fits right into your sales cadence, effortlessly. Convey the key differentiators of your product in a much shorter time and in a simpler way with videos (as seen in the image below). Establish trust with prospects while showcasing your product via video in multiple channels, such as LinkedIn video messages, video email, personalized sales pages, and a lot more.
Qualify: Videos play an essential role in capturing customer intent as most well-known video platforms provide video metrics to get real-time notifications of the video opens, watch rates, demographics, and so much more. You can also insert post-roll interactive elements to identify if the viewers are decision makers, sales reps, etc., to help you decide on the next steps of your sales outreach.
In a world where videos are just a click away, sales representatives and businesses are still hesitant and have a whole bunch of reasons why they shouldn’t use videos. In fact, Wyzowl‘s latest survey reveals a couple of them.
From indecisiveness about its effectiveness (13%) to being labeled as a waste of time (23%), businesses are found with many preconceived notions about the benefits of video. Which one are you?
So does that mean videos are ineffective? No way. Videos being one of the least used channels also makes it one of the most lucrative, thus increasing your advocacy of what you say in the videos invariably higher.
Here are a few stats to change your perspective of videos:
Think about this: In the same study by Wyzowl, 18% of video marketers said they used video for the first time in 2021. Of these, 38% said it was because it had become quicker and less time-consuming to create videos, while 43% found videos as a necessary tool to keep up with the dynamic business environment.
Businesses that have incorporated videos into their sales cycle are reaping the benefits. In fact, Freshworks, a SaaS Unicorn and a Hippo Video user, tackled dipping response rates for their email campaigns with the power of videos. The net result was a 3x increase in response rates, 200% increase in the number of leads, and 40% shorter sales cycle. To know more on how Freshworks saw staggering results by incorporating hyper-personalized videos into their sales cycle, read our case study.
Apart from its obvious benefits, there are multiple use cases for your business as a whole. However, let’s look into the advantages it can provide for your sales teams.
If you’ve ever thought of videos as a nice-to-have feature with an entertainment element to it, you’re wrong. Adding the word “video” in the video email subject line can increase open rates by 6% – superoffice. They also have the power to fuel high-performing sales teams while creating the environment for better engagement and customer retention; therefore being incredibly effective and help generate leads without breaking a sweat!
To learn more on how video emails can be used in each sales stages, do check out our blog.
Shari Levitin, a renowned global sales leader and a firm advocate of videos, as part of our Limitless Webinar series stated:
“Video is novel. People are intrigued. It’s kind of amazing. So again, think of the fact that your customers are crazy busy. They don’t want to answer their emails any more than you do. And then all of a sudden there’s this video that’s moving and catches their eye and they’re like, whoa, that’s as novel as the telephone was in the 60s.”
So here is how you can incorporate videos into your team’s everyday sales process:
For the first interaction with a prospect, one would traditionally opt for a text-based email. But did you know only 23.9% of sales emails are opened and your prospects are tired of sending your emails to the trash? It is high time sales teams invest in technologies that help them find more buyers and increase both the quantity and quality of those touch points.
Videos to the rescue! A prospecting video allows the prospects to see you, thus developing a feeling that they know you personally. With personalization, you can move further from mainstream personalization focusing on their first name, company name, etc., and curate a personalized 1:1 video message on trigger events. Send messages when they download your content, attend a webinar, have recently received a series of funding, and so on. In short, let them know you took the time and effort to conduct honest research on them and that you have a solid plan laid out to address their pain point(s). Also, no one will have the heart to send a personalized video message to trash. 🙂 For more personalization tips, check out this resourceful blog.
Forget the run-of-the-mill email that goes like this: “Hey [name], it’s been a while since we last spoke. I just wanted to make sure you got my email.” Predictable and lifeless, isn’t it? Spruce up your emails with the magic touch of videos and nudge dead deals back to life by engaging them in the right way. Begin by identifying prospects that watched your video (by checking the video analytics) but haven’t responded yet. Send them a follow-up email after 2 days, reiterating your value points and asking if they need any clarifications. Attaching additional resources as a video carousel, inviting them to an upcoming event or even asking them to register for a free trial to get a feel of your product are some of the ways to get a positive response.
Still conducting a demo using the traditional video conferencing method? Four in five consumers believe demo videos are useful in helping users understand complex products and services. Instead of taking up your prospect’s valuable time, send them short demo videos of your product or service so they can be guided into the product by you and not have to read a bunch of texts or sit through a long video call. They save time for both the parties and also help them take an informed next step. Your prospects can revisit the video at their convenience and share it with others involved in the decision-making process.
Prospects receive a tonne of emails with meeting requests. Just like you, hundreds of sales reps might be interested in showing their products to them via email. To stand out from the crowd, use props such as a whiteboard with their name on it, or customize your video background with their social network profile such as LinkedIn profile. This will get them to take notice and accept your request. Also, attach appropriate CTAs so it’s convenient for your prospects to book a slot in your calendar.
A post-meeting video summary helps you iterate the key points and lay out the next steps, all while adding a humane touch to them. With 90% of information transmitted to the brain being visual, a video helps them retain key information about the meeting more than texts do. Another benefit is the ease with which a video can be shared with key decision makers. This allows more people in the organization to get the essence of the meeting first-hand. If prospects’ are in need of additional information based on the discussion, upload it as a carousel underneath the video. This way they can get additional information that helps them make an informed decision.
Implementing a warm handoff will ensure your prospects have a smooth transition from sales representative to the designated customer success manager. Ditch the introduction via text-based email and reassure the new customers with a warm welcome by sending them a video email so they can see you face-to-face; this calms down any inhibitions they might have.
Have you scheduled a meeting or a demo with a prospect? Instead of hanging around waiting for them and wasting time, record a quick video as a friendly reminder at least an hour before the scheduled call. This will help you reiterate the benefits of the meeting and what they stand to gain from it. You could also include a quick reference to a company you helped achieve massive success with your product. With the effort you’ve put in, it will make them feel accountable to show up.
Handhold the prospects through each clause in the proposal and iterate the value they’re getting from the deal. You could also present the document as a video if it is pretty in-depth. This reassures them that there is no potential for sticker shock in the future. Also, a video proposal gives you the opportunity to hammer home a key feature your company really shines in.
Video is an integral part of existence. Period. If you’re still reluctant to embrace the power of a personalized video message, there are many ways it could kill your outdated B2B strategies. One thing businesses have learned from the pandemic is to embrace digital transformation, as the world is quickly reeling towards a digital trajectory and those who are waiting now will face imminent peril.
So take the hint and embrace the magic that video messaging will bring to your customer interactions, one video at a time.
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