In 2021, video is one of the most effective ways of marketing on social media – and B2B companies are no exception. In other words, video is hot right now. It’s a form of communication that can combine visuals, words and music in a way that no other medium can. Statistics show its popularity is ever rising, with Cisco predicting that in 2021, video will make up 82% of internet traffic throughout the world.
If you’re not taking advantage of that viewership, your company is missing out. Here are a few tips to make sure you are on the up and up with social media video trends this year.
Company Values
Trends in marketing show that buyers want to know more about the values of a company before they buy. A study by The B2B Institute and GWI regarding the rise in millennials as B2B decision makers showed that 76% care strongly about diversity, 74% about community contribution, and 67% are concerned with sustainability when making purchasing choices. If you can create a story showing that your company shares these concerns, you will rise above those who do not.
Better yet, if that story can come directly from your CEO’s mouth in a well-produced video, it can do wonders for the image your company wants to present. Information will always be more valuable coming from the person in charge, and more companies are putting their CEOs in the spotlight this year than ever before. Be careful to put your money where your mouth is here, however. For example, you wouldn’t want to go on a video tangent about the importance of diversity if your staff is 99% white unless you are taking action to correct the issue and can be public about your efforts.
An excellent example can be seen by Bill Gates, who does a great job of speaking about his views on climate change.
Getting Personal Through Education
Along with wanting to know a company’s values, showcasing knowledgeable employees on your staff can help to increase brand trust. When buyers can associate an individual with a brand and experience the value that individual can provide, they are much more apt to want to work with the company that individual is associated with.
One strategy is to identify specific concerns held by your target audience and create educational videos starring your key employees to address these concerns. Not only are these types of videos valuable tools for buyers, but they can position your company as an expert on the topic. Even without directly advertising a product your company has for sale, you are generating trust in your brand, which will often lead to sales further down the buyer journey.
If buyers see consistent and useful content being produced on your social media channels, they will come to you for guidance and increase your viewership and perceived thought leadership. Once expertise and familiarity is established, it is only natural that your products will be trusted over a lesser known brand.
In the video below, BlackRock Investment Institute quotes one of their employees to position them as an expert in their field.
Captions
Accessibility is a must in 2021, and failing to keep up with the times in this regard can cost you viewers. Some of the things you need to consider when making videos accessible include using colors with good contrast, avoiding flashing content and using captions. Captions are vital additions to videos for many reasons, but it is important to understand the use of captions outside of accessibility issues. A survey conducted by 3Play Media shows that, while 98% of people watch videos with the captions on, only 25% of them use them for reasons related to hearing loss. Adding captions to your videos enable people to watch even while in crowded and loud environments, or even in quiet places where sound would be inappropriate. Captions also make your videos more easily discoverable on search engines.
For more information on how to create an accessible experience for your videos, check out this Checklist for Creating Accessible Videos by the Bureau of Internet Accessibility.
Lights, Camera, Action!
While video is not exactly new to marketing, its importance has been amplified by the pandemic and the unique lifestyle it has created. If your B2B business hasn’t gotten on the video train, it’s time to hop aboard. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by video production, and making this type of content can be time consuming for those who are new to it. If you would like professional guidance to fit video into your marketing strategy, leave it to the pros at Content Matterz. (You can see more of their video work, plus tips and tricks here!)They can create a content strategy plan that considers video trends unique to 2021 and put you ahead of the game in no time.