We often take video marketing at face value.
Believing it to be the thing that solves all your B2B marketing problems.
While this is true, it’s only the half truth.
To use video marketing the right way requires us to dig a bit deeper.
Which requires taking steps based on tangible evidence and facts over generic statements.
And what better way to do that than with the help of science.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at video marketing from a scientific perspective.
Understanding why and how it can help B2Bs make their voice heard and keep their audience coming back for more.
Let’s brush up on some fundamentals.
Video marketing is a framework that relies on using video content as the primary medium for marketing campaigns.
But it doesn’t discredit the merits of mediums like printed media or text-based marketing.
It simply builds upon traditional mediums to improve B2B marketing prospects even further.
But there has to be a reason why B2Bs would consider giving video marketing a chance.
There are plenty!
I’ll uncover them from a scientific lens in the next section.
For B2Bs, making rash decisions isn’t a luxury they have.
Especially when their video marketing strategies are in question.
That’s where a scientific perspective can expedite informed decision making.
Giving B2Bs the confidence and rationale to invest in videos without having second thoughts.
Let’s begin our discussion with…
At the end of the day, B2B videos are visual mediums.
Where audience perception of your brand ultimately boils down to their ability for visual processing.
Visual processing, as Wikipedia defines it:
“Is a term that is used to refer to the brain's ability to use and interpret visual information from the world.”
But why is visual processing so important?
Trevor Price and Rabia Khan give us some insight in their 2017 paper, “The Evolution of Visual Processing in The Human Retina”, citing:
“Visual processing includes the detection of movement, pattern, and color, and integrating all these inputs into a coherent picture of the natural world.”
Which essentially means that visual processing is what ultimately helps people establish an opinion of things they visually encounter.
But visuals aren’t the only thing that your brain processes really well.
Auditory stimulus is often coupled with visuals to make your mental picture more coherent.
It’s also the first thing that the brain picks on, as concluded in a study by Scientific Research Publishing.
A comparison of reaction times between auditory and visual stimuli (Source: Scientific Research Publishing)
So when visuals and audio are combined in the form of a video, it not only captures your audience’s attention but also helps them form a perception.
Both being really important for B2Bs to drive customer retention and brand recall.
In many cases, B2B marketing quite literally becomes a means to an end
Where the goal is to either:
While this is effective (and somewhat necessary),
it isn’t sustainable long term.
Why? It throws emotional engagement out the window.
To tangibly measure the impact of emotional engagement, CXL and Neil Patel conducted an interesting experiment.
They were trying to determine the characteristics of an interesting headline, be it as an email subject line or as a hook for a sales ad.
They found that the use of negative superlatives in headline titles shot up engagement (in the form of CTR) by more than 30%.
An experimental overview of the impact of emotional engagement in marketing (Source: CXL)
Surprisingly, using positive superlatives led to a 29% decrease in CTR numbers.
This small finding tells us everything we need to know about evoking emotions in B2B marketing.
Specifically, using negative superlatives led to a stronger emotional response than using positive (or no) superlatives in the first place.
It intrigued the readers, challenged their norms, and preconceived notions on a personal level, encouraging them to do something about it subsequently.
Scientifically, this is a clear case of the Cannon-Bard interpretation of emotions, showing stimulus to be directly correlated to both emotional and physiological response.
The three prominent interpretation theories for studying emotional response (Source: Michigan State University)
When we bring our attention to video marketing, all three interpretations of emotions become even more obvious.
Videos not only make you pay attention on a personal level, they also tell you what to do next.
A combination of visual design, voiceover, and video CTA work together to emotionally hook you in.
Which gives B2Bs a chance to make their videos a great lead magnet and tool that drives conversions across all their marketing channels.
While I established a scientific outlook on the emotional aspect of video marketing and why it works.
I merely touched upon the physiological aspect,
The one that ultimately encourages your B2B audience to take your desired action.
So to understand this, we need to dive a bit into mirror neuron research.
In neuroscience, mirror neurons are nerve endings in your brain that fire up when a human being does the following two things simultaneously:
Both essentially act as feedback mechanisms to reinforce your trust in performing the activity in question.
Let’s understand this with a real-life example.
When Coca-Cola was first developed by John Pemberton in 1886, he sold it as a patent medicine at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.
Image Credits: The Coca-Cola Company (Source)
From a marketing perspective, he had created Coca-Cola as a highly specialized medical product meant for medical consumption only.
But a lot of people slowly started consuming it as a comfort soft drink rather than a prescription medicine as the years went on.
Image Credits: The Coca-Cola Company (Source)
And when other people saw this, they were quickly intrigued to try Coca-Cola for themselves too.
Which created a snowball effect, helping Coca-Cola become the beverage brand we know today.
Coming back to our discussion, how does video marketing trigger our mirror neuron response?
Using visualization and word of mouth.
For B2Bs, visualization can range from product demonstrations to software demos, based on the industry they are in.
And word of mouth can be video testimonials of actual consumers talking about their experiences interacting with your products and services.
Playing well into triggering mirror neuron responses in your prospects,
Making them physiologically more willing to seek out your offering.
Here’s something ironic about the human brain.
According to several neurological studies, our brains are capable of storing the equivalent of 2.5 million gigabytes of digital memory.
But the theory of cognitive load from psychology tells a different story.
Cognitive Load, as defined by the Medical College of Wisconsin:
“Refers to the amount of information our working memory can process at any given time.”
The theory, as cited by a 2016 paper in ScienceDirect, expands on cognitive load, stating:
“Cognitive load theory is based on the premise that the cognitive structure of the human brain allows a limited amount of information to be processed”
Based on these findings, I can infer two things:
This is where video marketing turns cognitive load in your favor.
Videos can streamline information to make it more specific and relevant based on visual cues, animations, and visual storytelling.
It prevents your videos from beating around the bush and hitting points of importance straight on.
Which is particularly beneficial for B2B audiences who often deal with complex data and need a more coherent way to present it to their customers, clients, and stakeholders.
All the scientific evidence we saw for video marketing point to one thing.
Video marketing can help B2Bs drive impact in the long run.
But can it also promise immediate results in the form of growth hacking?
Let’s find an answer together, starting with…
Lead generation is perhaps the most important target for B2Bs in their marketing campaigns.
It’s also a major challenge for almost 61% of B2B companies, as stated by Startup Bonsai
Lead generation is a major challenge for B2Bs (Source: Startup Bonsai)
The solution to this is simple.
In order to attract B2B leads, you need to give them exactly what they’re looking for.
And you need to give it to them quickly.
Which is where video content can be the medium that supercharges your lead generation efforts and gets you results.
Email marketing, landing pages, and whitepaper like ebooks are some ways B2Bs can use videos to drive more leads.
Here’s a survey from MoEngage I found very interesting.
When they asked B2Bs the main purpose of using their digital channels,
27.8% stated that their efforts were centered around sending personalized products or content recommendations to their audience.
The various avenues for driving B2B customer engagement (Source: MoEngage)
24.9% of companies used their digital channels for customer education and informational updates.
All of these are efforts by B2Bs to enhance their customer engagement.
By using personalized content to grab and retain their attention.
Videos dial up the impact of personalization to new levels by helping your viewers see themselves in your message.
This is achieved using visual storytelling and coherent visual design.
Innovative video formats like interactive videos can also help in customer engagement by making the viewing experience come alive.
All in all, customer engagement is the doorway for B2Bs to achieve faster sales cycles and increased loyalty.
On the business side of things, B2Bs take their sales funnels pretty seriously.
Most B2B sales funnels look like the one shown here from Testimonial Hero.
The basic layout of a B2B sales funnel (Source: Testimonial Hero)
B2Bs have 3 main goals when it comes to their sales funnels:
Videos are a versatile medium that play a major role across all the three phases of your sales funnel.
By turning content like:
Into videos, B2Bs can improve the efficiency of their sales funnel and also maintain sales funnel health for future campaigns.
A comprehensive study on thought leadership by Brighttail found some fascinating insights that B2Bs should be aware of
They found 66% of marketers stating thought leadership to be a top priority for their organization.
The importance of thought leadership in B2B marketing (Source: Brighttail)
The same study also found that there’s a massive gap in thought leadership content from B2Bs.
There’s a massive void in demand for thought leadership content (Source: Brighttail)
Videos can help B2Bs fill this gap by making educational videos that share their expertise and authority.
Synthesizing industry insights into an informative video can position your B2B as a leader in your field.
Such videos also act as a filter when it comes to attracting the right audience to your business.
Moreover, sharing valuable content through video helps to nurture existing leads, keeping them engaged throughout their buyer journey.
B2Bs aren’t just looking for strategies to get started with video marketing.
They’re also looking for inspiration.
And to help you out, I have curated some amazing video marketing examples from top B2B brands.
Let's begin our exploration with a brand that needs no introduction…
I want you to think to yourself:
If I were a B2B with god-like recognition in my industry, how would I push the ceiling of authority even further?
This video marketing example from Adobe answers this question in a practical way.
As an industry leader in B2B SaaS,
They already know a thing or two when it comes to gaining the trust of their audience.
But their primary goal was to play the long game.
So by using this company culture video, they talk about their opinions on maintaining trust and transparency when it comes to online content.
Expanding further on their Content Authenticity Initiative and the developments they have made since they launched this awareness drive.
Sometimes it’s not possible to explain everything about your B2B product at once.
Even if you use videos for it, lengthy explanations can make your videos too long.
The best path forward is to go one step at a time.
This video marketing example from Customer.io shows you how it’s done.
It talks about their Data Pipelines platform and its role in simplifying customer data management.
Notice how they cleverly use motion graphics animation to give a complete tour of their product’s features.
In fact, their YouTube channel is filled with such short yet impactful product demo videos.
And that’s the beauty of it. They don’t clutter too much information into one video.
Instead, breaking it down into short videos that can be consumed quickly and understood efficiently.
Explaining a product isn’t actually that difficult.
It’s how you explain it that becomes a deal breaker for your customers.
Oracle decided to do that using character animation in this video marketing example.
According to their YouTube video description, their customer experience platform feels like a complicated offering that can do a lot of things.
That’s why Oracle uses characters and motion graphics in this video.
It presents their message from a user’s perspective.
Showing one of many possibilities on how a potential user might use their CX platform.
But, most importantly, it helps viewers see themselves using Oracle’s solution through the character animation.
Making a name for yourself is something every B2B strives for.
One such brand that seems to get it is J.P. Morgan.
This video marketing example is one among many videos in their JP Morgan Insights series they run on YouTube.
For the viewer, this is a financial services brand presenting powerful insights on the financial industry.
But when you look at it from a brand perspective, the real purpose becomes obvious.
It’s a way for JP Morgan to build and maintain their authority in the B2B finance industry.
And using a blend of mixed-media and infographic animation makes data points and visualization feel more intuitive.
Did this video work for JP Morgan?
This video got 11.7M views!
That should put your doubts to rest.
This next example comes from Intel.
This is a product overview video on their Thunderbolt 5 USB-C data cables.
But what makes this video marketing example unique is how they put forth their product to potential users.
It takes a “benefits over features” approach to sell their new data cables.
Covering technical features at places that it matters the most.
And I believe this execution is done really well.
It draws parallels with the previous generation of Thunderbolt cables to build context and utility.
Showing their shortcomings and then using animation to build it into a visual narrative.
Ending with a CTA to visit their website to purchase their new data cables.
B2B marketing isn't just about selling a product or service.
Videos can help B2Bs in their recruitment and onboarding campaigns too.
Here’s an example in action from Procter & Gamble (P&G).
It’s not easy to summarize your brand’s USP in mere minutes.
But with the help of this company introduction video, P&G makes it look too easy.
It answers the jovial question every potential employee has before joining an organization.
Why should I work at P&G?
Along with character animation, P&G uses infographics to help their potential hires make an informed decision.
If selling yourself as a B2B feels like stepping into the void,
P&G seems to have it figured out and can give you the pointers you’re looking for.
Speaking about selling yourself, another B2B that does it right is Unilever.
In this video marketing example, they embrace the art of subtle persuasion to perfection.
They turn this promotional video into a visual spectacle with a medley of punchy colors, character animation, and kinetic typography.
But the thing that strikes out the best to me is their tone.
Notice how the video is less about Unilever and more about you, the viewer.
Unilever tells the viewer’s story in their own unique words.
Where you’re the hero and Unilever is the friend that’s with you every step of the way.
Quite a unique presentation that I can’t keep my eyes off of.
AI was once an esoteric term confined to computer science labs.
Now, it seems like common lingo. But that’s just on the surface.
Just like any complicated technology, AI and AI-related tools also need simplification.
Salesforce chose screencast animation to be their medium of choice.
In this video marketing example, they take you on a comprehensive tour of Einstein Copilot, their flagship AI offering.
Every important aspect is not only covered but also demonstrated in real time.
But the thing that caught my eye was their brand mascot at the end of the video,
A cute cartoon depiction of Einstein himself.
Showing that not all B2B offerings need to be rigid and salesy.
You can have some fun too.
For this example from Twilio, I want to do a small experiment.
According to Wikipedia, Twilio is:
“An American cloud communications company based in San Francisco, California, which provides programmable communication tools for making and receiving phone calls, sending and receiving text messages, and performing other communication functions using its web service APIs.”
According to Twilio themselves, here’s how they define their USP in this video’s description:
“Your customers span countries, channels, and continents. Twilio makes it easy to reach them everywhere by simplifying communications. Use powerful API tools to communicate with customers on WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, SMS, Voice, and more.”
Now I ask you this: Which definition sounds more relatable to you?
I’m 99% sure that most of you would have chosen the second definition.
Why? In that definition, Twilio talks about a problem from their user’s perspective and then talks about how they solve it.
The first definition seems like it was taken straight from a textbook.
In this video marketing example, Twilio maintains this customer-centric approach to explaining their brand using visual storytelling.
One look at the video and you feel immediately drawn into their brand story,
Almost as if you’re a part of Twilio’s tale of making your lives easier.
And if you were to ask me, this is intentional and effective.
This final example comes from ServiceNow.
This is a SaaS explainer video that takes you on a complete tour of the ServiceNow platform.
One of the main challenges for B2Bs with highly technical products is simplification but without trying to talk down to your audience.
Something ServiceNow seems to nail in this animated video.
It uses a medley of motion graphics and 2D animation to talk about their SaaS in detail.
By their own admission, they have attempted to explain their platform in human terms.
Which brings a humorous self-awareness to their presentation.
Instantly making their brand feel more relatable to their audience and putting them at ease.
Doesn’t video marketing feel fun now?
Some latest trends point to the same thing:
And with innovations like AI-generated videos making their way into B2B marketing,
The future prospects look even more exciting.
My advice going forward is simple.
Fully embrace the dynamic nature of videos as much as you can.
This will not only help you unlock new ways to leverage the power of video marketing,
But also presents new possibilities for your B2B to make a difference in your industry.