A picture is worth a thousand words, as the idiom goes. But what about videos in B2B marketing? The advertising agency dieleutefürkommunikation AG investigated this and published their results in a new marketing study.
More than 200 decision makers from the B2B sector participated in the study to determine how videos are used in work environments. In this blog entry, I will summarise what I believe are the most important findings.
11 questions – 2,000 answers – interesting insights
Videos are not new to B2B marketing. But how are they actually used and evaluated? Basically, four main kinds of videos are used:
- Image videos: these are used to portray a company
- Product videos: these show the properties of a product and its application
- How-to videos: these explain complex technical matters and procedures, often in an entertaining way
- Interviews: these show experts giving statements, often at trade fairs
How-to and product videos top the popularity charts among the respondents, with 53% using such formats in the course of their daily work. But interviews are well-liked as well: 33% of the decision makers view them. An example of how-to video can be seen here: view how-to video.
How frequently are videos viewed at work?
The study gives some interesting figures:
- 31% of respondents view more than three videos per week on subjects related to their work.
- These clips should not be too long: 75% of the respondents regard one to three minutes as ideal.
This is also reflected by the professional videos on our scientific information portals www.chemeurope.com and www.bionity.com, where many customers have added their videos to their product presentations. The viewing figures suggest that such online videos are highly popular among users.
What’s keeping companies from using videos?
Although it is generally accepted that videos offer great benefits to marketing communications, there are certain hurdles. The study mentions:
- Uncertainty about which contents are appropriate
- Lack of production expertise
The costs of producing videos seem not to be an obstacle.
The study’s conclusions
The agency dieleutefürkommunikation AG notes in its study:
“Our survey shows that German B2B decision makers are receptive to using videos in order to get their message across. They regularly consume and share them. Videos are searched and viewed for very specific purposes. A lot of information can be put into one to three-minute clips. At the same time, many German companies are already using video clips as part of their marketing strategy.”
The German language study “Videos im B2B” can be ordered free of charge by e-mail: info@dieleute.de
The bottom line
I have gained much experience myself with image videos, animated product videos, how-to videos and screencasts. Each format poses different challenges and not everything went smoothly all the time. That’s why video projects require professional service providers who understand film language and command the technical know-how.
What experiences have you had with your video productions? Which type is the most popular among your existing and prospective customers? I look forward to your comments.
