B2B Sales Automation and Educational Sales Videos
Gabriel Sales specializes in working with B2B companies that have solution sales processes that require one of two things to develop qualified leads and close business.
- The company needs to build trust with the buyer by proving that the understand their challenges and have the domain expertise and/or the thought leadership to solve that problem
- The company needs to demo the product so the buyer understands its value and what makes the solution unique
Successful B2B sales video production is about clear, honest, and genuine communication. Videos need to simply educate your buyer and makes it easier for your buyer to buy. Gabriel Sales’ videos are designed to hit multiple stages of the content framework below and to educate buyers throughout the buyer’s journey. Feature and Benefit “dumping” is the enemy of a successful buyer education process and sales videos.
Today, the majority of products and solutions are first “bought,” through customer-focused, buyer education content, then “sold,” when the buyer gains trust and is ready to engage with a sales rep.
To be successful with multi-channel marketing and sales automation there are three critical criteria for your overall content strategy.
- You need content for each stage of your buyer’s journey
- You need to score that content to predict when your buyer is ready to engage with a sales rep
- You need to notify when buyers engage with specific types of content
B2B buyer education does not work the same way as B2C buyer education. B2C sales videos are typically designed to produce:
- an immediate direct response
- or an immediate transaction based on volume, price-point and emotional excitement
Effective B2B videos are designed to:
- be used episodically in a sequence that mirrors the buyers’ buying process
- to be scored using your marketing automation and lead scoring software (for example: Lead Scoring Center™)
- to help replace the need for the salesperson to educate buyers 1 to 1 so they can focus their time on buyers serious about buying
- build trust with the buyer over time
- replicate and clone the information that would be delivered by a sales rep or more senior resources over time at different stages of the buyer’s process
- make it easy for the buyer to self-educate during different stages of the buying process
- allow buyers to engage with and get to know your thought leaders digitally
- make it easy for your buyer to engage other internal influencers and decision-makers at their company to help them champion and move the sale forward.
What should you look for in producing effective B2B videos:
- Genuine “educational” explanations of:
- problems buyers may face
- overall business environment
- business challenges your solutions solve
- how you solve them
- Communication style needs to be:
- Authentic
- Direct
- Educational
- In most cases, the message should be delivered by genuine thought leaders and domain experts active in the field. Authenticity trumps flash.
- “Calls to Action” should be for further education or assistance in helping the buyer make an educated decision
- In some cases, you should develop the video for additional purposes such as:
- social media sharing
- looping at tradeshows
- internal education and training
What your B2B videos should NOT be:
- Pitchy/salesy
- Over-produced or entertainment focused
- No closing or specific price mentions
What is required from your team:
- Product knowledge
- Industry knowledge
- If not done on-site at Gabriel Sales, a quiet place to shoot – corporate environment such as conference room, industrial space, library
- B-roll and/or access to b-roll (extra footage captured to enrich the story)
- Professionals with passion for the product and or solution
We take care of the:
- Technical direction
- Digital production
Every client is unique. Below are samples of the different possible approaches for your B2B solution. Final recommendations are made as part of Gabriel Sales strategy & consulting engagement to best meet your buyer’s objectives and your sales goals.
Software
Simple “Pain and Gain” Headshot – 1:00
Delivered by CEO, who describes a need/pain experienced by a specific type of buyer, and succinctly explains how the product solves that pain. It’s designed for mid-stage buyers to demonstrate the company empathizes with the needs of the buyer to establish trust.
Style: basic, straight-forward and conversational
Equipment Manufacturer
Blended Customer Testimonial and Company Overview – 7:00
Company introduction that allows you to meet the executives and inventors of the product with an overview of the products available. Support of the product is detailed through customer testimonials. Also used as tradeshow booth loop video.
Style: blends headshots with b-roll, and supported with mild audio.
Software and Services
Animated Explainer Video
Professional voice over. Script starts with problem solution then details the features and benefits of the solution.
Style: animated and scripted with professional voice over
SaaS and Ecommerce
Animated Screencast Overview – 2:15
Scripted company overview delivered by founder that explains the situation in the market, the complications and complexities the market situation creates, and how the solution solves these issues. It’s designed for early-stage buyers.
Style: straight-forward and educational with basic animation
SaaS and Ecommerce
Animated Screencast General Product Demo – 7:00
Delivered by the company founder, this demo compresses a typical 30-minute live demo into a comprehensive overview of the software solution. It’s designed to help buyers make a preliminary decision if the solution is the right fit for their high-level needs to save sales engineers time educating buyers that are “just kicking the tires.”
Style: straight-forward and educational with basic animation
Software and Managed Services
Mini-Webcast – Teach the Shopper How to Shop – 7:00
Product specialist educates the buyer about what is important to consider when making the purchase of a software solutions. Also explains why working with domain experts that can support the solution with managed services and strong support is important.
Style: Screenshots of a simple animated PPT.
Manufacturer
How to Demo Video – 7:00
Delivered by head of sales and marketing to demonstrate how easy it is to use the product for the first time to demonstrate ease of use.
Style: basic, straight-forward demo with light background audio
Services Company
Promotional Video and Case Study- 3:00
Highly produced promotional video for turnkey marketing solution. Leverages customer testimonials and live action to demonstrate the experience and explain the business case for engaging with sales reps to discuss the solution.
Style: Highly produced video to generate excitement around the solution
Manufacturer and Retailer
Product and Business Model Overview – 2:00
Delivered by a Product Specialist Executive for early-stage B2B buyers that have expressed preliminary interest in learning more about what makes the company unique. It’s designed for a buyer or product champion to share internally to help generate interest with other stakeholders and decision makers.
Style: blends headshots with stock footage and b-roll, and supported with audio to build excitement.
Manufacturer and Retailer
Headshot and Specific Product Demo – 3:45
Delivered by a Product Specialist Executive for late-stage, engaged B2B prospects and existing customers to highlight specific products. It shares features, benefits, and unique differentiators.
Style: slightly produced with audio to generate excitement when shared by buyer with internal team.
Software
Blended Customer Testimonial Headshot Company Overview – 3:45
Substantive company introduction delivered by core team including, executives, developers, product specialists, and frontline delivery personnel to provide early-stage buyers with the value proposition and unique differentiators of the company. Features and benefits of the product are intentionally ignored. Instead, customer testimonials and b-roll are used, so the buyer understands what the solution will do for their business.
Style: blends headshots with b-roll, and supported with mild audio.
Analytics Software
ROI Case Study and Methodology Webcast – 25:00
Disruptive solution that changes the market is explained so all stakeholders understand how solution will impact their business and the KPIs they are measured against.
Style: Straight forward and detailed ROI and Use Case
Manufacturer
Specific Headshot and Product Demo – 3:00
Delivered by Head of Sales for late-stage buyers, to help them understand the specific features of a particular product. It’s designed to make it easy to compare and contrast the pros and cons of the product to assist in making an educated buying decision.
Style: blends headshots with close-ups of the product.
Software
Headshot and Product Use Explanation – 2:00
Delivered by frontline manager for engaged leads to explain how the product meets a need in the market. It’s supported by customer using the specific feature of the product.
Style: basic, straight-forward and conversational
Professional Services and Software
Simple “Pain/Need” Headshot – 2:00
Delivered by a seasoned thought-leader to increase the urgency of solving the problem. It’s designed for mid-stage buyers to increase the prioritization of the solution and to help build a business case within the company, through a clear articulation of the risks of not solving the problem.
Style: basic, straight-forward and conversational
Software and Managed Services
Animated Best Practices Webcast – 11:00
Delivered by a Product Specialist to demonstrate how blended software and managed services solution can be leveraged to solve a specific and overall business challenges f It’s designed for a mid- to late-stage buyer to demonstrate the usefulness of the application and the potential ROI for that business
Style: straight-forward and educational with basic animation
Business Process Outsourcing
Comprehensive Blended Company Overview – 9:00
Delivered by multiple internal and external talent. It combines headshot videos, b-roll, and general education information and illustrations to introduce the company and its products and services. It’s designed for all decision-makers and influencers across the company to support early-stage education and late-stage confirmation in an enterprise sale.
Style: sales and marketing featurette designed to be used as part of the sales process as well as marketing collateral and trade show use.
Enterprise Software and Professional Services
Comprehensive Company Overview and Software Demo – 9:00
Scripted presentation delivered by a professional voice over actor. It’s designed for mid- to late-stage executive decision-makers to compare and contrast this solution to other solutions and to explain the company’s overall business model. It contains a live product demo, delivery frameworks, and organizational structure.
Style: straight-forward and educational with value propositions interspersed
Manufacturer
Things to Consider Mini Webcast with B-Roll – 5:00
Straight forward presentation of “5 Things to Consider” delivered by founder. Designed for an early stage buyer to that is at the beginning of their buying process and new to buying this type of solution.
Style: straight-forward and educational to help the buyer learn how to buy.
SaaS Use Case Demo
Deep Demo of One Specific Use – 7:00
An educational demo of a mobile application that dives deep into a specific business challenge and what tools and solution are needed to solve the problem. It’s designed for both a business-buyer and an end-user.
Style: straight-forward, educational and succinct to demonstrate the ease of use.
Manufacturer
“Teach the Shopper How to Shop” Webcast – 4:30
Delivered by a thought leader and designed to educate early- to mid-stage buyers about how to shop for a solution and what questions to ask while doing so.
Style: straight-forward and educational with minor animations