When I first started selling software, video creation was a “marketing thing.” Sales, presales, SDRs, and client success would send it but rarely were involved with the creation process. Today, the need for video and video creation has risen in demand across the funnel at lightning pace.
Product-led selling and interactive software tours have risen in popularity because they fulfill the buyer’s desire to test drive products before they buy. Some might feel this kind of technology would make other selling mediums like video obsolete, but that’s not how the market thinks about it.
Video is a strategy most commonly used by marketing teams to build brand awareness, but that’s only one of a nearly infinite number of uses. Video is now used throughout the entire buying process by almost every department. Sales teams use it to make personal connections and educate buyers, Presales uses it to showcase features and qualify leads, and Customer Success uses it for implementation and onboarding support.
If you’re not already using video to help customers through the buying journey, you’re missing out on a simple way to make the entire process easier.
Video Is More Powerful Than Ever
Video has been a staple in the business and consumer worlds for years, and it’s not going away any time soon. In the consumer media space, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Reels have all risen to insane levels of popularity. As the B2B space continues to emulate the B2C space, video will remain part of that.
Here are some of the latest stats the industry is experiencing with video and its uses in B2B selling.
- 94% of sales professionals believe videos can help build confidence in potential buyers, and 91% think they can help address objections during the sales process.
- 87% of customers say videos helped them decide on a solution, and 74% of software app buyers say video content actively influenced their final decision.
- 91% of businesses use video as a marketing tool.
- 9 of 10 businesses use video, the highest rate in 9 years.
- 90% say video marketing has helped them generate leads.
- 87% say video marketing has helped them increase sales.
- 91.9% of users are content to watch any type of video; of that, 31.3% want how-to videos, and another 29.8% want educational content.
- Customers prefer “authentic” videos over ones overly produced. Think YouTube, not Hollywood.
- 88% of Marketers report a positive ROI with video.
- Email clicks increase by 300% when they include videos.
- Audiences spend an average of 17 hours a week watching videos.
The data is clear: Video isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In our experience, the value of video is even more impactful with enterprise companies. And that’s just from using regular video platforms. Including video demos can give you an additional layer of intent data that helps with qualification and discovery.
Come see how easy buying can be.
Video Isn’t Just For Marketing
Marketers are likely already using video to increase brand awareness, drive website engagement, and improve SEO, but that just scratches the surface of what video can do.
Every department can benefit from including video in its overall strategy. We’ve compiled a list of the best ways Sales, Presales, Marketing, and Customer Success can use video as part of the overall strategy.
Sales
- Keep buyers engaged between meetings.
- Extends reps’ reach by allowing buyers to watch outside regular business hours.
30% of our interactive video demos were watched outside of business hours. - Gather buyer’s intent data analytics from views.
- Uncover additional stakeholders through shares.
Presales
- Monitor buyer engagement.
- Assess deal momentum and health.
- Target deals that are underperforming.
- Qualify buyers before applying live resources.
- Provide educational resources buyers can watch on demand.
Marketing
- Spread brand awareness on websites, content, or review sites.
- Increase email campaign engagement.
- Boost existing content.
- Improve ad performance.
Customer Success
- Enhance implementation and onboarding support.
- Record and share support video calls.
- Present customer success stories.
- Create searchable knowledge-base videos.
How to Use Video Effectively in Your Sales Process
No matter how you deploy video, your strategy should be focused on what your buyers need as they move through each stage of their buying process. Think about the types of questions your buyers commonly have as they progress through your sales process and create video content that answers them.
Educate your buyers about your offering. Buyers don’t want to be sold to; they want to learn how your offering will improve their current situations. Longer and more educational videos often get more engagement, especially from those seriously considering your solution.
Video’s Impact is Just Getting Started
The bottom line is that video works across the entire customer journey. Including video in your process can improve customer engagement, streamline tasks, and improve your buyer’s journey, regardless of your department.
If you want to see how automated demo videos can give you ever deeper buyer intent data, check out our blog, research, or even your own custom demo.
