It was great to be a part of this week’s #B2BChat. The topic was about creating great (if not yet viral) videos for B2B. The conversation was frenetic, informative and fun and it was indeed quite exciting to partake in an event such as this. There were several key points discussed and, as expected, the answers kept coming in at a hectic pace.
The chat revolved around several topics like scenarios where B2B videos can go viral, the advantages between slick or raw production styles, the differences between in-house and out-sourced content, techniques and “secret” recipes, etc.
This is a summary adapted from the complete transcript and if you want to read it you can just drop by here. Here are some highlights.
When and where do we use video for B2B marketing?
@billrobbSAP : My gripe is that u can’t “create a viral video”. u create a compelling video that hopefully ur community makes viral.
@martinehunter : training, testimonials, factory tours, case studies, product demos, production schematics, should be short, concise
@fearlesscomp : I believe customer videos need to be front and center on websites
@asuthosh : when video tells a compelling story, when customers are willing to be featured. When authenticity is key
In-house development versus out-sourcing … what works best for video content?
@prdreamer : Depends on style. Slick corp. video should be outsourced to co. w/ skill set. Quick testimonials can B done in-house w/ Flip.
@chevypham : outsource for creative content, editing, production, but in-house editorial for appropriateness and relevancy.
@billymitchell1: Production value is driven by type of result desired – and budget limitations. Some of the best B2B video is very basic
Are there any secret recipes that fuel B2B video content?
@jeremyvictor: Same as with any other content – connect with your buyer personas rationally, emotionally and logically
What are the tools and techniques that you use or can suggest for pre and post production?
@SpideyJo : Tools – can be as simple as using Windows Movie Maker up to Adobe Premiere. Techniques : Good planning
@billymitchell1 : Voice, personality, humor, passion, sincerity, knowledge of subject and confidence. Video camera sees all.
Where can you post your B2B videos? White label hosting … YouTube … etc. And why there?
@prdreamer: Post em where the ppl are. I say YouTube. It’s easy and free for the video hosting. #b2bchat
@fearlesscomp: TubeMogul.com is a good site that posts to all, including YouTube
@b2bento: YouTube embed in webpage – pump up the SEO
To round it all up, it was a nice session as expected. Thanks to all who participated. Join us for next week’s #B2Bchat, Thursday, July 22, at 8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific). Follow @B2B_chat for updates.
About the B2Bblogger:Anol Bhattacharya (@B2Bento) is CEO of GetIT Comms, a marketing and communications consultancy for hi-tech and telco’s, where he helps clients (Cisco Systems Inc, IBM, IDC Asia Pacific, HP, Datacraft etc) in the field of B2B marketing, demand generation, lead nurturing, social media strategy & implementation, interactive digital media for marketing initiatives and user experience design.
Anol is one of the key contributors at B2Bento.com and has had his articles published in various media in the region.
You must be living in a vacuum if aren’t aware of the buzz surrounding the latest Old Spice videos that have gone viral. Earlier this week on Facebook, I responded to a question posed by Social Fresh about whether or not the viral ads will sell more Old Spice.
Will the Old Spice viral video campaign sell more Old Spice? Yes or No?
Here was my response:
Of course it will. As consumers we may not realize it consciously.
But, when standing in the aisle in front of all the brands – even if you are loyal to another brand – you will see Old Spice. Don’t think for a second that this is not a coordinated retail effort.
Pay close attention to product placement in the next few weeks – Is there more end cap placements for Old Spice, more Signage, etc. What may seem like a social only event – is certainly tied to a set of specific retailing strategies at the store level. The brand owner of OLD Spice is a former Proctor and Gamble exec. More will be sold. Lots more. ·
Correction: At the time, I posted the comment, I failed to remember that OLD Spice is a Proctor and Gamble brand. – So better said:
Remember, the brand of owner of Old Spice IS a Proctor and Gamble executive. What does P&G do? BUILD BRANDS.
is much more thought through than the blogosphere is giving Old Spice credit for. This is a well planned, coordinated, measured effort to increase revenue.
There are a lot of super smart, creative, innovative and intelligent marketers in this world. Nothing that is happening with Old Spice brand right now is happening by chance. Nothing. Market share, and more importantly, MIND share is be gained every day.
In a few short months, we will see the same come true in B2B marketing. My bet is that SAP has some super things in the works. Have you seen SAP’s Facebook Friend Optimizer? I bet they have much more on the way. Watch them. Here is an interesting interview with William Robb, Director, Social Media Marketing for SAP. SAP will be a B2B brand that continues making waves in the social web.
Remember, the recession slowed everything down. The creative juices are following everywhere. I am excited for the future of B2B marketing, are you?
Editor’s Note: Please join Andrew, Ksenia and I as we welcome Anol Bhattacharya (@B2Bbento) as a new co-moderator to #B2BChat. Anol is one of the leading B2B marketers in Asia and serves as the CEO of GetIT in Singapore. We look forward to his international perspective and leadership on our moderating team. Anol takes Kent’s place who plans to be joining us frequently each Thursday, but has stepped away to focus on other exciting endeavors like,Social Media Marketing (SMM) Magazine.
Recipes for Great Viral B2B Videos
Social media is littered with countless “close encounters of the viral kind”, with most of these encounters being videos that transcend cultural barriers and achieve both cult and pop status. B2C businesses have exploited this for several years now and reaped mostly positive results.
Which leads us to ask, can B2B video achieve the same impact as their B2C counterparts? And if so, then how can we make our videos go on to become viral hits – the Old Spice man being the most recent wild success?
In this week’s #B2BChat, we will attempt to answer those questions and more. Our conversation will delve into why B2C videos go viral and how can we adapt these aspects to our B2B content.
Here are some snapshots of our topics at hand:
When and where to use video for B2B marketing?
The pros and cons of in-house development versus out-sourcing
Are there any “secret recipes” that fuel successful B2B content?
Tools and techniques for pre and post production
Tapping the right distribution channels: answering “where” and “why”
Bring your opinions, experiences and questions for a lively discussion with other B2B marketers.
Join us for this week’s #B2Bchat on B2B Podcasting and Video, Thursday, July 22nd, at 8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific). Follow @B2B_chat for updates.
About the B2Bblogger:Anol Bhattacharya (@B2Bento) is CEO of GetIT Comms, a marketing and communications consultancy for hi-tech and telco’s, where he helps clients (Cisco Systems Inc, IBM, IDC Asia Pacific, HP, Datacraft etc) in the field of B2B marketing, demand generation, lead nurturing, social media strategy & implementation, interactive digital media for marketing initiatives and user experience design.
Anol is one of the key contributors at B2Bento.com and has had his articles published in various media in the region.
Long the domain of right-brain mystics and technical gear heads, video production has remained out of reach for your average B2B marketing director.
Now that the responsibility for turning your marketing department into a content marketing engine resides solidly in your hands, it’s imperative that as a B2B marketer you begin to understand the basics of video production. And that charge is the genesis of Reel Social Media’s new video production toolkit, 17 Essential Tools You Need To Produce Your Own Videos.
Despite what you may have seen on the ‘behind-the-scenes’ clips on your latest LOST DVD, you don’t need thousands of dollars in equipment to get started. Producing video does require some initial cost for your laptop, camera, microphone and software, but beyond that, it’s the depth of your mind (not your pockets) that will make you successful.
And the first place to begin is with GEAR. Choosing the right gear to begin producing videos can be confusing, daunting and frustrating.
If you’re going to be shooting around the office or setting up your own vlog then it’s best to focus on the basics –audio first, camera second, lighting third.
Regarding the first two items, you’re in luck. There are some great products that long-time videophiles have already vetted for you – the Audio Technica ATR-3350 microphone and the Kodak Zi8 video camera. You can fill in the final piece of the puzzle – lighting with a pair of floor lamps and a general proximity to a window.
Of course, there are a few other things that you’ll need – tripod, an editing package, a distribution channel and expendables. We’ve outlined them all in this free video production toolkit that covers the essentials of producing your own videos.
You’ll learn about tools, prices and where to get the necessary equipment that will have you distributing videos quickly and easily. To make things even easier, we’ve added a shopping list in the back.
Content marketing with new media like video requires that you exercise previously unused publishing and production skills. But adding video to your marketing toolkit doesn’t have to be a chore and it is an excellent way to humanize your company and brand. You just have to know what tools to ask for and let your creativity take care of the rest.
Again, we hope you enjoy the video production toolkit. Kindly share your feedback and fire away with your questions in the comments, I’ll be glad to help.
About The B2Bblogger: Talmadge Boyd @Talmadge has been building businesses around online communities since the late nineties. After running a bumper sticker company with a small group of angry, suburban white kids, he attended Acton Business School to learn how to bring his love of community involvement to business and received an MBA in Entrepreneurship. He is currently co-founder of Reel Social Media, a web video production, social media and content marketing strategy company based in Austin, Texas.
That’s the battle cry that makes me swoon. Usually, this exclamation is followed very quickly with, “Okay, I don’t even know how to get started.”
If you’ve been contemplating adding video to your content arsenal, here are a few simple items that you should consider before pitching The Next Big Thing to your boss.
1. Define your objectives
Before you pick up the camera, get a clear understanding of what you’re trying to achieve with your videos. Are you trying to increase traffic, improve time on site, get more conversions on a landing page, or get people to hang out in your convention booth?
Answers to these questions will define style and content. Everything from the kinds of videos you shoot to the calls to action that you place in the video or in surrounding copy will be born here.
Also think about how this campaign fits into your broader corporate designs. If your objective is to make your company attractive to potential buyers, you may not want to shoot in front of the utility closet that also doubles as your server room.
2. Conduct an audit of your current assets
Video doesn’t occur in a vacuum, either in its production or its distribution. Conduct a thorough audit of the content that you already have on your website.
Going through this process will help you identify places where video can be added to fill gaps in your story or augment already existing offers.
If your goal is to increase conversions, take a note from the information marketers who have been ‘building value’ by packaging video with eBooks for years. A download containing multiple kinds of media can be a compelling proposition.
3. Create a content matrix
Different audiences have different informational needs. Building a content matrix can help you create the right message for the right group as well as identify places where your video can be effectively repurposed.
If you’ve never created a content matrix before, now is a good time to start. Open up Excel, and in one column lay out your customers’ buy cycle – Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action, Satisfaction or whatever funnel you prefer.
Across the top, fill the columns with the audience categories. This could be your direct targets or influencers like press or analysts. Use the fields in between to map out your videos and the stories you want to tell.
4. It’s about people
Whether you’re selling products or services, B2B often involves a very complex sales cycle. It’s one in which you’re trying to get a prospect to know, trust, and like you.
Videos provide an excellent tool for tearing down walls and increasing transparency…if they are done well. Keep in mind that not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera. Your CEO can be as charming as they come, but may go tharn as soon as the little red light comes on.
Speaking in front of the camera is an art. Generally, the more equipment and gear you bring into a production the more ‘stiff’ your co-workers will get. Mouths go dry, sweat beads up…
Keep this in mind when you’re coming up with video ideas. Who is going to be on-camera?
5. Choosing equipment
Equipment will eventually come up in your discussions about video, so let’s go ahead and address it here. You need to consider audio first and camera second.
Why is audio first?
People will watch a poor quality video with great audio, but won’t tune in to gorgeous footage with terrible audio.
There are a variety of videos that you can shoot in-house. To get you started, I’ve listed five simple ones that you can use to showcase your people and thought leadership.
Interviews: If you’re at a tradeshow or around the office, you can grab a few minutes of commentary from just about anyone. Keep these short by asking only one question. To make them more dynamic and natural, don’t worry about staging. Go commando and do it on the fly.
Testimonials: Interviews are designed to get people to talk about themselves. Testimonials get people to say what they think about you. Take charge of this opportunity and guide your subject through the things you want your customers to hear.
Video Book Reviews: More than simple critiques, book reviews allow you to create a dialogue with your audience, the author and publisher. Looking for links? Publishers actively seek out people who are talking about their books. They respond to your comments by Tweeting and linking back to your site.
Screencasts: If you’re selling software or if you want to give a PowerPoint presentation, look into Screenflow and Camtasia for creating a quick screencast. These videos are perfect for How To’s as well as training.
Whiteboard Presentations: Feel more comfortable in front of the camera? Set up in front of a whiteboard and use it to illustrate your points. These videos feel more engaging than simple talking heads and work well for conceptual topics.
7. Distribution
You can distribute video in a variety of ways. The most common is through the web. And here you have two strategies:
Hosted: Choosing this option means that you’ll be hosting video on your own server and using your own player. Keeping the video on your site gives you more control over your branding, but you miss out on the traffic that you get from posting to a community like YouTube.
Posted: If you’re looking to cast a wide net, posting your video on sharing sites gives you a built in audience that is actively looking for content. You don’t have as much control over branding and embed codes send traffic back to YouTube, not your own site.
With either method, make sure that you’ve done your SEO research so that your videos are primed for bots as well as people. SEOmoz has a fantastic write up on strategy and ReelSEO is a must read for video SEO tactics.
8. Know when to say when.
Adding video to your content toolkit is an exciting prospect for most people. These tips should get you a long way towards building your in-house strategy.
Remember, however, that producing video is a skill that people hone for their entire careers. If you’re getting to the point where content is mission-critical, consider bringing in professionals who can make you look great every time.
About The B2Bblogger: Talmadge Boyd @Talmadge has been building businesses around online communities since the late nineties. After running a bumper sticker company with a small group of angry, suburban white kids, he attended Acton Business School to learn how to bring his love of community involvement to business and received an MBA in Entrepreneurship. He is currently co-founder of Reel Social Media, a web video production, social media and content marketing strategy company based in Austin, Texas.
Social media goes beyond Twitter and blogging: new content delivery methods, namely podcasting and video, are gaining ground and offer a compelling experience for your B2B audiences. Are these new vehicles vital to your content marketing strategy?
In this week’s #B2BChat, we attempt to answer that question. Join us for a conversation on how to integrate audio and video podcasts, trade show clips, and training videos into the mix.
We’ll delve into questions that every B2B marketer wants to know:
The role of podcasts and videos in B2B marketing
What you should to know to pull them off successfully?
How to be a ‘multi-media producer’ – and do you need someone dedicated to this role?
How to create engaging content and how to handle the ‘talent’ (people being interviewed)
Tools and equipment you will need, along with post-production techniques and tips
We will be joined by unofficial guest speakers:
Keith Parsons (@KiethRParsons): Keith produces audio podcasts for his blog Wireless LAN Professional and will share his insights into the audio side of things.
Yvonne Schwemmer (@ProfMarketer) and Carey Schock (@cdschock) of Pelco (for those who are not in the physical security industry, Pelco is one of the largest manufacturers of security cameras and related equipment): Pelco’s trade show videos from ISC West were fun and ended up being complimented by such industry notables as Sam Pfeifle of SSN (again, for those not in the industry, Sam does not compliment anybody lightly). See the results of Pelco’s ISC West video efforts on YouTube.
Even though we’ll have Keith, Yvonne and Carey joining us (fingers crossed!), it does not mean that the chat will be a Q&A just with them. Bring your opinions, experiences and questions for a lively discussion with other B2B marketers.
Join us for this week’s #B2Bchat on B2B Podcasting and Video, Thursday, April 1st, at 8pm Eastern (5pm Pacific). Follow @B2B_chat for updates.
About the B2Bblogger: Ksenia Coffman is senior marketing manager at Firetide, a wireless infrastructure mesh company, where she is responsible for Firetide’s marketing strategy and technology solution partnerships. Her articles on wireless infrastructure appeared in various publications, including Security Products, Law & Order, SecurityInfoWatch.com and Communications News.
An ASIS member (an international association for security professionals), she is a frequent speaker at industry events, including ASIS workshops and IWCE conferences. Ksenia launched @Firetide – with 800+ followers, it’s is one of the most active Twitter accounts in physical security and wireless infrastructure space. You can read more from Ksenia at Mesh Without Wires blog.
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Hi, I'm @jeremyvictor, the founder of Make Good Media and Editor In Chief of B2Bbloggers.com.
B2Bbloggers.com is an online magazine for B2B marketers. Our goal is to engage, educate, and make it easier for B2B marketers to find the information they care about to do their jobs successfully.
As a publisher and new media marketing agency, Make Good Media advises businesses how to integrate social media and content marketing with traditional marketing tactics to attract, nurture, engage, and convert customers in the brave new B2B world of the social, mobile web. How can we help you Make Good Media?
About the B2Bblogger:Anol Bhattacharya (@B2Bento) is CEO of GetIT Comms, a marketing and communications consultancy for hi-tech and telco’s, where he helps clients (Cisco Systems Inc, IBM, IDC Asia Pacific, HP, Datacraft etc) in the field of B2B marketing, demand generation, lead nurturing, social media strategy & implementation, interactive digital media for marketing initiatives and user experience design.
About the B2Bblogger: Ksenia Coffman is senior marketing manager at 
