3 Exciting Ways B2B Brands Can Use Video to Drive Digital Engagement

When you think about your favorite B2B brands, chances are you’ve seen them pop up in more than one place. In addition to their company website, you’ve probably noticed them on digital channels like email, social media, and targeted ads.

This omnichannel experience is what modern consumers have come to expect, and you’ll need to employ a similar approach to hold people’s attention in today’s crowded marketplace.

Marketers and business owners expect the customer journey will lead them across multiple digital customer engagement touchpoints — and it’s up to your brand to deliver excellent content on as many of them as possible.

That said, it’s also no secret that video sits atop of the digital engagement food chain. According to Wyzowl’s The State of Video Marketing 2021 report, 84% of people say “they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.” Deploy a multi-pronged digital engagement strategy that emphasizes video to keep consumers intrigued and engaged across all of your channels.

“84% of people say they’ve been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand’s video.”

Today we’ll cover three unique ways you can use video to digitally engage with your audience: hosting live webinars, adding video snippets to social media posts, and leveraging video advertisements.

What is digital engagement?

Digital engagement refers to how a consumer interacts with your brand online. Companies can build customer relationships and raise brand awareness through interactions on their website, social networks, instant messaging, email, ads, and more.

The most successful digital engagement strategies will use different touchpoints to create a holistic customer experience and reach people in their audience wherever they are.

Three ways to drive digital engagement with video

Now that we’ve covered the basics on digital engagement, let’s explore three tactical ways brands can use video to support these efforts.

1. Host live webinars on your website

A lot of B2B brands are starting to see the value behind webinars. Wyzowl found that 53% of video marketers already have plans to use webinars as part of their video marketing strategies in 2021.

It’s not that much of a surprise when you think about it. Live video events like webinars give people a direct line of communication with your brand. This real-time interaction helps consumers feel more connected to your company. In a live webinar with a Q&A component, for example, people can get immediate answers to pressing questions they may have.

“53% of video marketers already have plans to use webinars as part of their video marketing strategies in 2021.”

Your brand should create webinars on a range of topics, from how to use your brand’s digital tools down to more granular customer support inquiries. Stakeholders, in particular, will find these events helpful since they often need to build a case for using a B2B product or service (primarily because of price). A Q&A webinar can help them feel more confident about a future purchase.

In general, live webinars also run longer than other forms of video content, so you have plenty of time to educate your audience about your product or service. Keep in mind the webinar still needs to be engaging throughout the session — otherwise, attendees will sign off early.

Positioning your brand as an industry authority in your webinars will help B2B stakeholders trust you more and increase your chance of ultimately closing the sale. Quality matters here. It’s important to have people within your organization who have a solid presence in a live video setting so your brand voice comes through as knowledgeable, helpful, and authoritative in the midst of questions.

2. Add snackable videos to your social media posts

People love the idea of short, snackable videos they can watch on-the-go, whenever they want. That’s especially true for B2B stakeholders who might be too busy to block off an hour or two to join a live webinar. Sometimes, all these folks want is a brand’s cliff notes. Social media posts are the perfect place to add a video that conveys those bite-size ideas.

One platform that’s capitalizing on snackable videos is TikTok, which is why more B2B brands have started popping up there. The social network might be home to some of the most random video content online, but it’s also a breeding ground for some of the most inventive. From a marketer’s perspective, TikTok encourages brands to simplify their narratives to tell the story of their brand, product, or service in a short timeframe.

You can apply that same mentality to other social media channels as well, like LinkedIn. Add short videos that describe your brand, product, or service and quickly show stakeholders what you’re all about. There are so many business professionals on LinkedIn, particularly in B2B, so you’ll be able to capture the interest of potential customers with these condensed videos.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter also all have video functionality that you should be taking advantage of. Most B2B stakeholders nowadays are on various social platforms, even if it’s during their time outside of work. Engage these potential customers with short videos that even a fast-scrolling user will stop to watch.

3. Use compelling video ads as a gateway for other touchpoints

Take a second and think of an ad that pushed you to buy a particular product or service. What was it about the ad that you found compelling? While there might be a few different reasons it was effective, there’s a good chance it directed you to explore other content under that brand’s umbrella.

There’s also a decent probability that the ad contained video. According to a Databox marketer survey, video ad content (in this case, on Facebook) led to higher engagement, more clicks, and ultimately increased conversions. Take advantage of this and use video ads as an effective tunnel to other digital engagement touchpoints.

“75% of US adults are more likely to make a purchase after watching a video.”

You can also include video content in the landing page itself. An Animoto survey revealed that almost 75% of US adults are more likely to make a purchase after watching a video that explains your product or service — all the more reason to create a product explainer and showcase it front and center on your website! Think about thoughtful ways like this that you can incorporate video at every touchpoint along a customer’s journey.

Ready to drive digital engagement with video?

Digital engagement through video is a numbers game. You can’t assume people will view all of your video content on one particular channel, even if it’s popular with your audience. Set up multiple touchpoints for consumers to find your videos to create a more comprehensive, wide-reaching user experience and reach a bigger audience.