Video for B2B

The ultimate engagement tool

By Rebecca Kane, Head of Media, BrightTALK and Amit Kotecha, Project Executive, IAB

Introduction

There can be little doubt that video is the ultimate engagement tool. Human beings are televisual creatures and there is a vast body of research to support the proposition that when it comes to the delivery of key product or service USPs and the definition of a brand, video has no equal. Video can change perception, implant memorable messaging and dramatically enhance brand recall very efficiently.

Until relatively recently the power of television has been unavailable to online marketers but now the barriers are falling fast as the reach of the internet and the sheer penetrative muscle of video combine to create the ultimate tool in customer engagement. Desktop television has arrived – the circle of convergence is complete.

When most people talk about videos, they’re often referring to videos like Smirnoff’s Tea Partay music video, the Sony Bravia ads, Soulja Boy - videos that have travelled all around the internet and been posted on YouTube, MySpace, Google Video, Facebook, Digg, blogs, etc. - videos with millions and millions of views.

However there are now effective methods of advertising around video content which can be used for B2B video campaigns:

• Pre-Roll - in this format of advertising, the advertisement clip is inserted before the actual video.

• Post-roll - in post-roll, just like the other in-stream ad formats, a short clip is played and streamed within the player at the end of the video stream itself.

• Mid-Roll - this advertising format is where the clips are included in the middle of the videos.

• Viral Ads - which are shared on a community sites such as YouTube. Video can also be used to enhance the user experience on your own site, or for video blogs, web casts and webinars. Many B2B marketers say that B2B video viral marketing is like “lightening in a bottle”. They advise that there is no simple formula to viral and you cannot orchestrate such a campaign because both content and timing are so critical to viral success. Others will argue that they can concoct a viral campaign for anyone and will go to just about any length to do so.

• Instream Flash Overlays - more companies are deciding to opt for flash overlays now InStream . YouTube’s decision to use Flash overlay ad has been very successful and it has given them a much wider range of video inventory, this is being adapted by a larger number of publishers.

• Product Placement - technology is here right now to enable greater interaction with video and the tools are simple to use and available to all. This level of interaction creates greater brand engagement and can even be used to allow the user to manipulate and test out a product in a virtual replica of real life situations. The potential for advertisers with such tools is limitless and unique to the medium.

• Interactivity - the technology is here to enable greater interaction with video and the tools are simple to use and make available to all. This level of interaction creates great brand engagement and can even be used to allow the user to manipulate and test out a product in a virtual replica of real life situations.

• Companion Ads – there are commonly text, display ads, rich media, or skins that wrap around the video experience. These ads come in a number of sizes and shapes and typically run alongside or surrounding the video player. The primary purpose of the companion ad is to offer sustained visibility of the sponsor throughout the video experience. Companion ads may offer click-through interactivity and rich media experiences, such as expansion of the ad, for further engagement opportunities.

Strategy and Getting started

The ability for video to so succinctly “set out your stall” cannot be underestimated and carries with it risks as well as rewards. Unlike radio, cheaper to produce and easier to consume, video leaves nothing to the imagination and can consistently deliver a confident campaign but by the same token could deliver a weak proposition consistently poorly.

Below are some tips to getting what you want from your campaign:

Set clear objectives

• Who do I wish to communicate with? Define your audience

• What is the point of my communication? Information/CRM/entertainment etc

• What do I want to say? Identify your key messages

• What do my audience want to hear? Brand challenges and solutions

• What do I want them to do? Call to action

Method

It is essential to decide on which method of advertising you would plan to use. Each method has a different format and will affect your strategy.

Be relevant

Make sure your message and content are relevant both to your company and to your target audience. Without relevant content, you may do really well but effectively not achieve your objective. Kind of like that dancing baby concept from the 90’s. Can you name the company behind that one?

Know your audience

Do not just focus on their job roles think more about behavioural characteristics. Understand what interests your audience, where do they live and work how do they get their information?

Branding

Video online can be the ultimate branding tool. Like TV it has the potential to grab attention, unlike TV it also has the potential to interact with viewers. It is essential to be clear about your brand and try and push the boundaries of what online video can do for your brand.

Have fun but protect your brand

If you are using blogs to back up your campaign you should make fun of yourself before someone else does, however don’t do anything that will embarrass you or the company. Don’t take chances with controversial content or release anything of such poor quality that you create a negative brand image. Also do not use dubious tactics to get noticed.

Be to the point

Online behaviour is very fast paced. Therefore video has a short amount of time to grab and keep the attention of viewers. It is essential that videos are to the point fast, entertain and leave them wanting more. Adding captions to your video can help.

Optimise

Be sure that people can find your video by optimising for search engines: Tag it, name it appropriately, describe it, add links and compelling copy and optimise using the right keywords.

Keep the story alive

If you are creating a viral video use your blog to keep the story alive. You have to try and get the word out, a press release is simply not appropriate for video marketing. What’s more, blogging with the full story behind the campaign helps to give your video and your company a face and a personality.

Build a community

Do not use trickery or bait to get people to your video because you will be forgoing one of the most valuable benefits of the viral approach – the ability to quickly and inexpensively build a community of interest. The Word of Mouth aspect of video marketing gives marketers a powerful way to attract a following. Do this by explaining each step of the program using your blog. Tell your audience what you were thinking when you produced it. Report on the results. Give followers a way to track the momentum and keep it alive.

Marketing mix integration

Case Study:

Last year Cisco Systems Inc. (Worldwide Networking Company) in the US carried out its first video viral campaign to drive awareness around a product launch. Their aim was to do something with video and promote it on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook etc. However their marketing team failed to cross-promote the various tools, which caused people to end up with no more information after they had seen the ad. There was no “next step” in the marketing process. However, instead of viewing the campaign as a failure the team sat down and figured out what they could do better.

For the company’s November 11, 2008 product launch, the marketing team used the information they received from the previous campaign and used social media tools to drive awareness around a video campaign featuring an ongoing viral. The advert follows a struggling young reporter, Ira Pumfkin who is ordered by editor Sally Thompkin to visit Cisco to try to find out about their new product launch. Ira even runs into John Chambers, but of course the bumbling reporter has no idea who Chambers is. Cisco used a video (see link below) successfully with backing up by Cisco bloggers adding to the buzz. (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=OB68LmoEoT4)

This paid off as the campaign managed to receive 40,000 views in 5 days. The Cisco marketers were meticulous about monitoring blogs and Twitter for feedback – and contacting appropriate people. They were able to learn as they went on, and were responsive to who was talking to them.

Measurement and Future

Measurement of video on the internet is far more complex than the current means of measuring traditional online advertising. The main reason for this is that video is a linear format – it has a start, middle and an end. There are massive developments being made into the planning and measurements of video online. Having consistent, industry wide data that can help plan a campaign in advance and judge its effectiveness afterwards will be one of the keys to help the industry drive forward. There a variety of ways in which you can track the response of viral video.

It is essential to track and monitor the results and keep your followers and the blogging community posted on the momentum building behind your campaign. This helps build excitement and credibility around how your video is resonating with the audience. It might just convince an influential blogger that he/she should write a story about you. Look at:

• Web traffic reporting

• Google Alerts for media and blog coverage

• Salesforce.com for leads and evaluation requests as well as revenue opportunities

• Clickstream analysis to measure how users have got to your video

Studies show that B2B marketers and sales reps need to follow-up on web-generated leads within 30 minutes of a registration or the chances for conversion are poor. If you don’t have a great program for automatically scoring and qualifying leads so that you can route quality leads to your salesforce instantly, you could be asking for big trouble if your video becomes popular.

First of all, your sales team is likely to be swamped with a larger percentage of irrelevant leads. Secondly, you will miss out on a number of great sales opportunities by taking weeks to respond.

If your video meets its objectives it is also possible to show its value. Don’t miss your chance to prove to everyone that the campaign was worth the investment. Show that the spike in traffic and coverage hit the right audience and generated brand awareness or demand.

Next page: overview and tips