A notable difference between B2c and B2B buying decisions is that most consumers (75%) say they’ve placed orders immediately after watching a video.
That may happen with some B2B products, but not the enterprise technology solution videos my company specializes in. Still, B2B buyers are also consumers. So it’s worth taking a look at the recently-published CMO Council report on video qualities that influence consumer decisions.
Reflecting the B2B buyer’s interest
No one will be surprised to learn that consumers value videos about stuff they own or want to buy. The same is certainly true for people making B2B buying decisions about new or upgraded solutions. But creating videos about what viewers want to buy can be a knotty problem for B2B companies. When the buyer is a committee whose members have differing interests, who is the audience? And who gets to decide what the video is really about? Persona-based video is one underutilized approach that can most accurately reflect the buyer’s interest. It’s cost-effective to produce a series of persona-based videos, because a lot of the creative work (scripting, animation, etc.) can be re-used.
Let me decide what to watch
43% of consumers say that online videos would be more valuable if they were interactive. They want to choose what information they view, not wonder if or when the video will provide it. An obvious solution is to incorporate video into FAQs and product feature listings. Longer videos, such as webinars and product demos, can be repurposed as interactive videos. (Interactive videos been shown to make viewers smarter).
Video guideposts on the buyer’s journey
If videos aren’t expected to produce immediate B2B buying decisions, what action should they call for? 33% of consumers say they value recommendations on what do next, and there’s no reason to think the B2B buyer wouldn’t feel the same. I’ve long maintained that the purpose of a video should be to get people want to seek additional information. CTAs in B2B technology solution videos often involve trial versions of software or more detailed content like white papers. But a more consumer-like experience would be links to “related videos” a la YouTube. The ideal video library contains video series that can be sequenced like guideposts on the buyer’s journey.
Can video personalization affect a B2B buying decision?
12% of consumers say that seeing their name and information about them in video would be “valuable” in their decision-making process. It’s hard to see how this would translate to the B2B buying decision, though the sort of see-your-name-in-lights personalization available in online greeting cards is possible on business-oriented video platforms. It’s attention-getting. But what can be really valuable is a video where a real person answers the customer’s real question, with graphics and animation. That’s not “personalization” — it’s salesmanship. And, while it can be time-consuming, it’s certainly not difficult, with online tools like those from CloudApp.
