Videos in B2B Sales Outperform Other Content Formats
Discover how videos perform in B2B sales compared to other content formats and the best practices for using videos in sales.
As the B2B sales landscape continues to evolve, sales reps are using various content formats, such as word documents, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, and videos, to thrive in a competitive environment. So, how do videos perform compared to other content formats, and what is the state of usage in sales? Allego recently conducted a study to find the answers.
B2B sales has changed. Customers today can discover new products or services and their details in many ways without even meeting the sales representative. It has also become challenging for a company to differentiate its products or services or stand out. Further, the attention spans of potential customers are rapidly shrinking. This means the way companies and sales reps communicate with prospects should change.
To thrive in this competitive environment, sales reps are using various content formats, such as PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, PDFs, and videos. To understand the state of video content usage in sales and, specifically, how videos perform compared to other content formats, Allego recently conducted a study. One key takeaway is that videos outperform other document formats in views and engagements.
The following are a few findings in detail.
Videos Outperform Textual Content Formats in Views and Engagement
The study found that shared videos are viewed more than shared documents. In fact, the View to Share ratio (the number of views divided by the number of shares) of videos was 236% higher than that of other documents. The view-to-share ratio for documents was 1.1, and this ratio for videos was 3.6. In essence, videos generated about 2.4x more views than other types of documents.
See more: 95% B2B Buyers Say Videos Play Crucial Role in Their Purchase Decisions
Recipients Are More Likely To Engage With Videos
Prospects and customers prefer to watch videos more than reading documents. According to the study, videos shared externally are 12% more likely to be opened than other content formats. When users share content, the average open rate is just over half. But comparing the open rates of documents vs. videos, the documents are opened 50% of the time, while videos are opened 56% of the time.
Recipients Engage With Videos More Frequently Than Documents
It was also found that users revisit videos more frequently than reread a document. When content recipients engage with a content item, they do so 3x more frequently with videos than with static documents.
Personal Videos Generate More Views Than Other Videos
Creators of videos influence view rates. Personal videos (videos created and shared by the same person) are viewed more often than non-personal videos. For example, videos created by a sales representative and shared with a prospective customer are watched more than those created by a sales enablement manager and shared with the sales team for external sharing. In fact, personal videos generate 3.6x more views than non-personal videos.
Viewer Engagement Drops With Longer Videos
The study found that videos smaller than 1 minute have a completion rate of 66%. Videos 1-4 minutes long have the highest completion rate of 71%. But after 4 minutes, the completion rate begins to drop. Videos over one hour long have a completion rate of only 36%.
Average completion rate depending on video length
Source: The Sales Video Report
Best Practices for Sales Leaders for Using Videos
As remote and hybrid work becomes the norm, this is the best time for your company to take advantage of videos in your sales efforts and stay ahead of the competition. A video can be the winning content format that helps you move your prospects closer to purchase and win more deals. But to use videos effectively in your sales efforts, here are a few best practices.
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Prospect and engage buyers
Today’s customers prefer to do their own research and are more likely to engage with videos than text-based or static documents. Recording and sharing personalized videos at key moments in the buying process is crucial to success in sales.
Video can help generate new leads and fulfill your sales team’s pipeline. Adding video is also a great way to improve prospecting emails’ performance. Sales reps can use pre-recorded videos to engage prospects and build trust and rapport.
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Personalize pre-meeting
Sales reps have fewer opportunities to meet prospects face-to-face nowadays. Hence, introducing themselves on video before a potential meeting can break the ice. Further, sending a video in advance allows the prospect to watch and learn about the product/service at their own pace before the meeting.
Sales reps can also personalize their documents, presentations, and lead-nurturing communications with videos.
See more: 88% of Companies Believe Video Content Output To Increase in Coming Year
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Differentiate post-meeting
Sales reps can use personalized videos to recap conversations and cover missing points after a meeting with a prospect. Recording a video is a simple way to make a thank-you message more personal and engaging. It also helps differentiate your communication from others.
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Reinforce relationships post-sale
For businesses, retaining a customer is as crucial as gaining one. Strong renewal rates improve customer lifetime value and allow companies to realize better revenues. Hence, use videos to help customers gain the most value from your product/service. Video content makes it easy to share tips and provide previews of upcoming features. Teaching existing customers how to find useful features and provide new use cases are valuable uses of a video.
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Track video engagement
Tracking the prospect’s engagement with the shared content reveals the impact and revenue contribution of the asset. Ensure your sales reps can track the activity on the videos and other collaterals they share with prospects. This helps the sales reps understand the prospect’s interest level and buying intent.
Leverage Videos To Gain a Competitive Advantage
It can be seen from the study that video content outperforms static documents in views, engagement and overall performance. For sales teams, a video is a tool that can provide a competitive advantage. Short and personal videos can enhance communications with prospects, building connection and trust, ultimately leading to more sales. Hence, leverage videos and follow the best practices to attract better revenues.
Have you used videos in your sales efforts? Let us know what benefits you have seen on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Image source: Shutterstock
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