Today, the B2B buyer’s journey is complex as most buyers are navigating through the process on their own. By leveraging self-serve methods of researching a product and making a purchase decision, today’s buyers spend the vast majority of their time engaging with digital marketing content. Now more than ever, B2B marketers need to develop the most effective digital content to attract new leads and convert them into customers. According to OptinMonster, 72% of buyers want to learn about a product through videos. And HubSpot states that over 50% of buyers want to see videos more than any other type of content. What does this mean for you? It means that if you aren’t already, it’s time to focus your efforts on video marketing.

Video marketing is not only entertaining and engaging, but it also serves as a meaningful way to showcase the value of your product and service offerings with ease. Often, video marketing is the key to garnering increased conversions. In fact, 84% of buyers report that watching a brand’s product video motivated them to make a purchase. In 2022 (and beyond), avoiding video marketing will surely be the mistake that sets your organization back from competitors. In this article, we’re diving into the top 5 reasons why video marketing is essential to the success of your overall marketing strategy. Let’s dive in!

1. Leveraging Video to Repurpose High-Performing Content Will Attract New Leads

Not all video content has to be original. In fact, one of the best ways to utilize video marketing within your organization is by repurposing content. For example, you can turn high-performing blogs into teaser videos. These videos can then be shared on social media, included in an email, or even embedded within another blog.

Repurposing content into different forms helps you cast a wider net to reach a broader audience. For example, some buyers prefer written content, whereas some favor audio, and others like to gather information by watching videos. By having different mediums of marketing content, you can reach more buyer personas with the same message tailored in a format that serves them best. 

Take this example from Biteable, a video creation software company, that transformed its State of Video Marketing in 2021 Industry Report to create a fun and engaging video full of high-impact statistics and information. By creating a video based on the industry report, Biteable was able to offer up an easy-to-consume resource that summarizes the report in less than two minutes. Now, Biteable’s leads, prospects, and website visitors can consume content in the way they prefer, enabling Biteable to attract best-fit leads from multiple sources and avenues.

2. Video Marketing Leads to Increased Conversions

Video marketing is a great conversion tool. Leads turn into deals at much higher rates with the inclusion of videos in B2B marketing strategies. For example, the average landing page conversion rate is 9.7%, but with video on landing pages, it can be increased by over 80%! With videos on landing pages, B2B marketers can engage potential buyers in their content just by clicking “play.” These videos provide buyers with important information about your product right off the bat, increasing the likelihood of conversions.

Beyond landing pages, B2B marketers can benefit from including video in emails as well. In fact, mentioning the word “video” in your email subject line increases open rates by 19%. With the average email open rate at 16.97%, video can make a tangible difference in your marketing game plan. For example, a video could entice a potential customer to open your email and then visit your website. This increases website traffic as well as the chance for conversions — it’s a win-win!

Plus, video can be used in different ways at opportune moments in the buyer’s journey. For example, concepts can be explained in more detail or even demonstrated (shoutout to product demo videos!). And with 90% of customers saying videos help them make buying decisions, it’s clear that video is an asset in any marketing campaign.

3. Videos Generate a High ROI

Often, video content creation seems more daunting than it actually is. 37% of marketers ignore video marketing because they think it's too expensive, 41% think it’s too complicated, and 66% think it’s too time-consuming. However, working with a partner who can guide the video production process is vital to ensuring the quality, specificity, and brand adherence that your video marketing content needs to include. Plus, finding the right partner doesn't have to be a huge lift financially. In reality, video marketing doesn’t have to be costly, complex, or tedious. 

With little overhead and resources needed to create effective video content, it’s no surprise that 89% of video marketers say video gives them a good ROI. The impact of video marketing is easy to measure, as there are many insights available regarding video (such as how long it was viewed and how many people engaged with it) to influence future content creation plans. With the right technology, B2B marketers can gain insight into the videos people respond well to and adjust their future video content accordingly to attract and convert more buyers. 

Aside from data, video marketing has simply been proven to drive sales. For example, 81% of marketers report that video marketing has improved their company’s bottom line and 68% of marketers say video has a better return on investment than Google Ads.

4. Explaining a Complex Product is Easier with Videos

Have you ever tried to describe a product you’re marketing, but don’t know how to properly convey its details in only words? Demo videos are a great piece of content to have in your library for this exact reason. A demo enables you to showcase complex product features and explain details in easy-to-understand and user-friendly ways.

Take this product demo made by Zoom, for example. It shows the audience how the product is used while a voiceover explains the benefits of their platform. This leaves buyers with a clear impression of what Zoom does and how it can be implemented within their own organization to solve various pain points they may be experiencing. At only 45 seconds, this demo offers a plethora of important information that’s easily consumable and understandable.

Video is especially useful for organizations that may offer products or services that are confusing to buyers. Tech companies, for example, benefit from video marketing because it allows them to explain high-concept ideas in easily digestible ways. Companies who make products with specific use instructions can make a product demo video, which can both entice potential buyers and become a resource for current customers if needed.

When videos are packed with information and insights into the products, potential customers are able to navigate their buyer’s journey more informed and more interested. In fact, buyers are 85% more likely to purchase a product after watching a product demo, meaning product demos can increase conversions as well.

5. Video Marketing Helps Boost SEO

SEO is key in marketing, and Google owns that key. What else does Google own? Youtube. Publishing your video marketing content to YouTube is essential, as it will help your content rank higher in search results. Google will even bump helpful videos to the top of the search results page, which can draw traffic back to your website and lead to increased conversions.

According to Biteable, YouTube has the best ROI for video content at 35%, and has over two billion active users a month! With such a large audience, traffic can easily be driven to your website with one simple click. Youtube is the second most popular website and considered the second largest search engine in the world, it’s basically the Google of video content. By this logic, you should prioritize your video marketing strategy in the same way as SEO for written content.

50% of marketers currently use Youtube in their marketing strategy, and 71% of marketers plan to increase their usage of Youtube for video marketing. Thus, marketing trends are pointing toward increasing video content. By focusing on video marketing, you can stay up to date on (even ahead of!) current trends and tailor your content to what propels buyers through their journey.