Should You Bother with Video Prospecting?

Reaching out to prospective clients can be really hard. Video prospecting is a great way to get your message in front of your potential customers without too much fuss. A prospecting video can help you break through all the marketing noise, get your product or service in front of the prospect and get that meeting booked.

The short answer to the question we’ve asked above is, “Yes, you absolutely should bother with video prospecting!” Here’s the longer answer, with a few tips and best practices to help you make the most of this specialized area of video marketing.

Benefits of Video Prospecting

Video prospecting has become quite popular because it makes reaching out to potential clients so much easier. You can record the video from the comfort of your home or office, doing as many takes as you like until you are happy with the end result. It also gives a personal touch to your prospecting, plus it can help ease any fears or uncertainty about your products because people can see everything first-hand before committing to any contracts. 

Sending a video to your prospect is far less stressful for both of you. You don’t have to worry about trying to carry out a perfect pitch over the phone, and your prospect doesn’t have to feel any pressure to sign up for anything during the call. They can watch your video at leisure and then respond. Video also offers several opportunities for generating feedback through surveys, polls, quizzes, or contests. 

Video Prospecting for B2B Sales

Video prospecting for B2B marketing is really easy and more effective and cost-efficient than picking up the phone. Here’s how to do it.

Research your ideal customer

Before you switch your camera on or even write your script, first know exactly who you are going to be talking to. Who is your prospect? What is their job title? What is their decision-making power within their organization? What are their needs, challenges, responsibilities, and pain points? Once you have a full understanding of these things, you can craft an effective marketing video.

Choose your timing well

The effectiveness of your video depends not only on your content but on its position in the sales process and whether the content is pitched in line with that. Think about where you are with this particular client. Is this the first outreach or a follow-up? If it is a follow-up video, have you been interacting regularly with the client, or is this an attempt to revive the prospect after it has gone cold? Once you know where your video belongs in the sales process, you can then go about creating it.

Write a script

Now start writing your script or use an appropriate template. If you already have a script for telephone prospecting, then you can modify that for your video. If you don’t, then you can try working with this basic framework:

1. Start with your greeting and a brief introduction.
2. Mention the relevance of your outreach.
3. Explain the exact purpose of your video.
4. Talk through your main points, ending with the next steps and a CTA (call-to-action).
5. Close off by thanking the prospect for their time

Choose a thumbnail and supporting copy

Once your video is ready to go, you will need to choose an engaging thumbnail and write a short description to entice the viewer. When you write the intro, refer back to your original research and make sure you are writing something that will appeal to your prospect. Try referring to their social media profiles, especially LinkedIn, and speak to them as if they are a friend.

Six Video Prospecting Best Practices

So much for the basics. Now, let’s take a look at some tried and tested best practices to help you make optimize your prospecting videos.

• Keep your videos short: Your videos need to be short and punchy. Introduce yourself, get your message out, give a CTA, and then close.
• Include a CTA button in the video: Don’t just speak your CTA; include a button in the video that the prospect can click on to take them where you want them to go. 
• Write an attention-grabbing subject line: Address the prospect directly by name, and invite them to view your video.
• Make eye contact with the camera: Always make sure that you talk directly to the camera. This will make the viewer feel that you are talking directly to them.
• Personalize your message. 
• Add some text to the email: Introduce yourself and let the potential customer know that your video is recorded specifically for them. Be creative and encourage the viewer to click and watch.

If you follow these steps, you should see for yourself the power of video prospecting for your business. But if you need help getting started with video prospecting, or with any other aspects of your digital marketing strategy, then make sure to contact WSI.