Video content marketing has been deemed a must-do for B2B brands. However, tight budgets and compressed schedules can be hurdles to production. Are you doomed if you’re not producing viral videos to promote your product or service?
Absolutely not. Video will win an audience better than a 25-page thesis paper, no doubt. But, text is not a dead medium. It can still be highly effective. The three most popular content types B2B buyers use to research purchase decisions include: whitepapers (78%), case studies (73%), and webinars (67%). Videos come in fourth at 58%. While video may be winning in the consumer world, don’t be so quick to assume that no one is paying attention to the other content you produce.
As marketers of manufacturing brands know, there’s a lot of product news, announcements and complex technical information that needs to be shared. Producing a video for thousands of dollars may be ideal, but a compelling article or case study can be just as effective. We recently spoke with a group of engineers who rated e-newsletters and articles as their preferred method for staying up to date on new codes, technology, products and equipment.
Video and text can play well together. Capture the audience with a compelling headline and short summary text, then show, rather than tell the nitty gritty technical details. So, how do you decide which is better, text or video? Start by defining the purpose of the content. If your content is easy-to-understand, then text and pictures may suffice. However, if you are attempting to explain how a product works and/or the detail of its features and benefits, then it may be best to give the audience a visual representation with a video.
Whether you use video or not, here’s a good rule of thumb: pump up your content with compelling visual counterparts. Don’t rule out the power of original photography and infographics to visualize your message.
