You market and sell to businesses, not to consumers. We're talking real B2B stuff here. So, if you're going to create marketing and sales material, which make no mistake your explainer video is, you should make sure to keep the type of business you're selling to in mind, right?
Sure, but what about the people who are going to be watching the video?
The way you write your script needs to focus on the humans you're crafting it for, not just on closing the deal or selling your offering to theirs. There needs to be a story. Your video should evoke some emotion (any emotion!). Once you creatively include those engaging elements, then you can back them up with the facts and figures to appeal to the business part of the brain.
The typical business explainer video script uses the following format: problem/status quo, solution, how it works, benefits, call to action (CTA).
With that top of mind, let's dissect each script section to make sure we're carrying that valuable conversion mission throughout the B2B video. That means we've got five ways to write a B2B video script that converts.
1. Make the problem(s) relatable to many
One of the key differentiators of selling B2B as opposed to B2C is that there are multiple people who need to be sold on your product.
This means you need to position the problems in your video script so that they're relatable to those always-hesitant gatekeepers, yet recognizable enough so that if their boss watches the video... they, too, will recognize the annoyance of the issue that your offering promises to resolve.
2. Specify your solution
Now it's time to talk about your business and the amazing product or service that's going to change the industry. The big thing to keep in mind for this section of a B2B script: It's OK to use some industry terms (sparingly), because your viewer knows the ins and outs of what you're discussing; they live and breathe it 50+ hours a week.
Businesses are being sold on products or services all day, probably even from your competitors, so they'll be skeptical of fluffy or unsubstantiated claims regarding any solution. Use their industry knowledge to your advantage and sum up the value proposition in one sentence that's very specific to how your product will solve the problems you've previously mentioned.
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3. The benefits should be for everyone
As in the first point (making the problems you're solving relatable across job titles), the benefits you tout should be recognizable to the different stakeholders.
One of the tougher parts of writing benefits into a B2B script is that the benefits that people are most drawn to change as you move up the org chart.
Employees might like your app because it saves them time. Their manager is excited about the prospect of having a happier team. And the VP may see your app as an opportunity to reduce the team size and cut costs (sorry... but it happens!).
It's crucial to find ways to allude to the benefits in ways that draw the attention of the video's different audiences. Focus heavily on that first viewer's desires; then, as you move up the org chart, gradually diminish the time you commit to each person's benefit preferences.
4. Get detailed with how it works
Consumers might not really care what the upload speed may be, how the neural network expands across the platform, or what the licensing options are... but businesses sure do. Especially when you're selling to large enterprises, where every small percentage they can save in money and time has a big effect on the bottom line.
Also feel free to talk about the "nerdy" stuff that gets your engineers excited, or separates the platform functionality from the competition. Everyone likes to nerd out at their job once in a while.
5. Make the call to action more human
The call to action is a great place to add some personal touch into your video script. All too often, B2B scripts direct people to a URL or to "download today!" but companies want to enter trusting and trusted partnerships.
So add some extra language to your CTA to hint that you're ready to talk to them more about the product or help them get a free demo setup.
Even if your solution is turnkey or "easy to implement," it is reassuring to know that your business is there on the front end to make sure potential clients have all the info they need to then go it alone.
The CTA comes at the end of what is likely your initial engagement with prospective clients (via your video), so show them you're there to lend them a hand.
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If you remember just one thing from this article, keep in mind that you'll need to get everyone's buy-in in order to get the business. From the first viewer (gatekeeper), to the one who gets sent the video via Slack (their boss), and even the person who may see it during a meeting (VP).
With a great B2B video script, you can do just that.
Want more on "How to Write B2B Explainer Video Scripts That Convert"? See MarketingProfs University's Marketing Writing Bootcamp course class list.
