I almost feel awkward talking about this in a B2B marketing context, but here it goes–our marketing team is highly invested in video.
You read that right: We've invested a ton in a traditionally money-and-effort-suck initiative, with no proof of concept or tangible results to show yet. Oof! What are we thinking, right? And I don't just mean casual videos for Tik Tok. I’m talking serious, high-concept stuff for all sorts of channels and playbooks, including:
- Video for paid acquisition on Facebook and Instagram
- YouTube strategy and support for our organic search playbook
- Video for social (IG reels, TikTok, Linkedin) including tons of UGC-style "live" stuff
- Video to make long-form content like eBooks, guides or support articles more lively and interactive
It’s a big, expensive lift with no historical promise of payback. Why, for the sake of all that is holy, are we investing in video right now?
Video Marketing Grabs Attention, Keeps it There
Let’s unpack our definition of “success” in video marketing: Historically, there isn’t one. We’re in largely uncharted territory, and the definitive value of an effort this size won’t be studiable en-masse for a few more years. So, what figures have prompted this investment, if not ones with dollar signs before them?
Organic search
- 87% increase in video views from Google SERPs
- 300% increase in clicks on content with video
- 63% of our 2022 videos are appearing on the first page of Google Search Results
- Over 31k organic video views on YouTube this year
We started testing with video in late 2020 using UGC style mixed with animations and, later on, bigger video productions. Video for performance marketing has almost always outperformed pure animation and static carousel ads.
Performance marketing
- By adding a human face and narration to an already well-performing ad promoting an ebook, we improved our CTR by 48% and dropped CPC by 62%
- Ads with video have converted at a 30% higher rate to demo request (our typical direct response CTA) when compared to animation-only ads or static ads
- We’ve generated 2500+ demo requests with video since late 2020, with millions of dollars in our pipeline
Asking for the ROI of video marketing at this stage is like asking where the sky begins. We can’t quite say, but we’re damn sure from the sunshine and birds singing that it’s there.
Organic social & e-mail marketing
When it comes to the video content that we invest in across our social channels, we focus largely in 2 areas:
- Original video content (as seen on our TikTok, and made for social videos aligned with gated assets - Designers Read Bad Feedback)
- Promotional/repurposed video content from our Gather and Grow webinar series, Summits, and YouTube videos
Since investing in video we have seen an increase in engagement across our social channels of 26% and average of 9,000 views a month & growing
Account-based marketing
Our marketing videos help us build awareness of Superside across the full buyer committee, sharing video content at all stages of the funnel.
By leveraging video (and Vidyard!) in our sales outreach, we have seen:
- 8x increase in Click-Through Rates
- 4x increase in Reply Rates
- 50% of New Opportunities driven by video
Modern Marketing Favors Video Content
Since 2020, Google has shown video thumbnails in over 25% of search results. That number is increasing, signaling a growing opportunity and competitive advantage for brands leveraging video.
I won’t lie: Developing and funding a sweeping video marketing plan like this is intimidating. It was for me as well. It’s hard to think about, let alone build a plan and get started. I promise you though–it is doable, and it is lucrative.
What You Need for Video Marketing
An effective video marketing strategy requires three key ingredients:
1. A thorough understanding of the various platforms, their formats, and aspect ratios—with an overall content/media strategy that adheres to it strictly.
2. A culture of thinking about video across most of your content marketing and paid media efforts. Make it an involuntary function, like breathing and scrolling. And, most importantly…
3. A dedicated, high-performance video marketing team to develop a winning strategy, imbue novelty and creativity into each asset, and make your voice as loud as it is undeniable.
Make Video Marketing a Top Priority, and Do it Soon
Infusing video in all of our marketing initiatives has helped improve results across the full funnel, from organic search to performance marketing; from socials and emails to ABM. The numbers don’t lie. Video is where modern B2B marketers should plant their flag.
We just wrapped our H2 planning and we've agreed to continue to heavily invest time, effort, brain matter and budget in these efforts. We’re discovering video as a great way to stand out from the crowd, atomize big thoughts and improve the performance of your content.
If these numbers intrigue you — and as a marketer, they should — let’s talk video. Together, we’ll shape your reach to match your grasp.
