Video is like the multi-bit screwdriver in a tool kit: Its base structure is always the same, but you can change its function by adding various bits, such as a Philips or flathead.
Video is so versatile that you can use it at every touchpoint in your account-based marketing (ABM) strategy: You can open doors with personalized sales videos, brand marketing videos, educational videos, demo videos, and more.
We've created an easy-to-follow road map of how to use video in every stage of your ABM strategy. So, buckle up and grab some snacks...
Video for Cold Outreach
Did you know that people are 13% more likely to remember details from an email with video than a text-based email?
Think about it: Now that most office work is digital, we are all continually scanning text during the workday, and we end up with inbox fatigue. But when a video comes along, it stands out against the mass of text-based emails, captures our attention, and increases the likelihood that we'll click through.
Account-based marketing tactics can be applied to cold outreach at the top of your sales funnel by tailoring personalized messages to key accounts.
When you create a custom video message for a key account decision-maker, it's an excellent opportunity to connect to that person by showcasing your knowledge of the account and its business. Share only content relevant to what you know the person is interested in. Video analytics are helpful for that because you can track every view to score the account further.
Video in ABM Email Nurtures
An email nurture campaign is a series of emails to targeted accounts sent out based on the recipient's behaviors. If the recipient opens the email or engages with the content, then those actions will trigger the nurture campaign to schedule and send other personalized emails.
Using video within your email nurture is a great way to introduce your brand to cold leads, and it drives higher engagement scores than text-based emails. Adding a video into an email nurture allows you to double lead score a prospect off one send.
As the nurture continues and prospects' scores grow, you can also define what types of video content they receive in the future.
Video for Retargeting Accounts
After using video in an email nurture, you can launch retargeting ads at leads who hit a specific view threshold in that nurture. Retargeting ads are then shown to people who are already a contact in your database or have visited your website—meaning, if they engaged with you before, they will now receive targeted ads for your business on websites and social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
You can increase funnel velocity by delivering relevant ads to the video content your prospect engaged with, and offer up relevant content assets based on the journey stage.
The retargeting ad structure ensures you're showing the correct type of content to the right audience at the right time and not burning significant ad dollars on leads that are too cold to convert. Social media, websites, and YouTube are now the most popular places to distribute video content, so use those channels to your advantage and get those retargeting ads out there!
How to Scale Your Video Efforts
The goal is always to scale. The best part about having video in your toolbox is the ability to take one engaging asset and use it multiple times.
1. Account-Specific Personalized Video
Nothing beats a one-to-one video, but if you're looking to scale (and need to reach several folks within an account), the perfect solution is to create an account-specific personalized video.
Instead of the one-to-one approach, you can reach multiple recipients across one account. It still feels personal, but it can save a ton of time. By addressing a specific account pain point, you can increase engagement at scale while maintaining white-glove treatment. Plus, if you're using an enterprise video platform, viewer analytics will let you know who watched and for how long.
2. Marketing Personalized Video
One of the best ways to make a marketing video scalable is to add personalization. To do so, you need to create a video that can have personalized elements added directly into it—such as the viewer's name, email, job title, or company name. By using a video personalization platform, you can designate fields within the video where the personalized elements can be inserted.
For example, Vidyard created a personalized holiday video campaign that put the name of the viewer right into every scene of the video. Think about it: You could create one video and send it out to thousands of people, but they all view it and wonder, "Was this made just for me?"
The personalized holiday video was so successful with our customers that it had a CTR 157% higher than the industry average.
3. Customized Playlists
You can customize pre-existing content in your library such as demo videos, case studies, or customer stories by recording a custom video introduction to a curated playlist.
Record a quick 30-second intro video to your content in which you explain what the content is and why it's valuable to your audience. Then include a call to action in the video to drive prospects to the content.
If the content is on your website or in a video playlist, make sure the ensuing video is the content you're addressing. Video introductions to pre-existing content help maintain the personal connection with your prospect.
4. Gifting and Direct Mail Videos
Gifting and direct mail are great ways on their own to personalize and scale account-level marketing. Adding video can take gifting and direct mail to the next level.
Create one-to-one videos for gifting recipients to make an introduction and let them know what is coming their way. Sending a video will create anticipation for the gift and help the prospect put a face to the sender's name.
Sales teams can also make unboxing videos to make the follow-up with a prospect even more personalized. Be sure to show the gift in the video thumbnail. Seeing the gift in the video will drive clickthroughs and views!
Want to go that extra mile? When tracking views of your outreach videos to target accounts, send a personalized gift to those that view the whole video. They won't forget it, and it adds another touchpoint for you to connect on.
5. Follow-Up Demo Videos
A demo video (a product demonstration) is a video demonstrating how your product works. A demo video could show the viewer how to use software, set up a new device, or explain a complex topic. It's the perfect example of a type of video that is scalable and repeatable in many ways.
You can use a product demo video...
- In an email to a prospect or target account
- On your website
- For customer support and enablement
- In digital ad campaigns
6. Brand Marketing Videos
Your video marketing strategy wouldn't be complete without brand marketing videos.
Brand marketing videos are the foundation your entire team can pull from, and they're the way your customers can start to familiarize themselves with your products. They are scalable at a tactile level for Web, landing pages, and digital ads, and they target account-level communication.
Video Works for Both Sales and Marketing Teams
Video can be used in every part of Sales and Marketing strategies, but it takes a symbiotic relationship between sales and marketing teams to make the strategic approach successful.
Now that you know where video can fit across your ABM journey, it's time to hit the road and put those tactics into action.
