Convincing Yourself That B2B Video Marketing Content is Worth It

Why create video? It’s certainly a lot of work for those who haven’t utilized video marketing before, but we’re seeing it become critical for businesses to keep in their toolbelt — especially in B2B settings.

 Joe Picirrilli, founder of RoseWater Energy, certainly needed some convincing from his PR agency. 

“Getting me to change habits is not easy,” he says. “It took convincing. My buyers are incredibly busy and are now looking to consume information about products in small bites.”

Picirrilli says his rule of thumb is if a piece of marketing is longer than 2 minutes, it’s not effective.

If he was going to invest in creating B2B video marketing content, it had to be compelling in terms of both a video and audio standpoint. 

After his PR coordinator involved him at a “tech talk” during a technology trade show a few years ago, he found himself impressed by the opportunity to hone his message and what that could mean for his company’s marketing.

How RoseWater targeted buyers

You may be familiar with integrators — the people installing technology at some of your tech pro customer’s workplaces. Those are the folks RoseWater targets most, though they also deal directly with tech professionals.

Integrators and people in general are very reluctant to change habits, so how do you create a message and message frequency?

Another challenge Piccirilli faced was the fact that his company’s product intentionally came at a higher price point than many integrators have seen in the technology price point. He says it was important to create a specific tactic towards video which helped his audience “get over” the price hurdle immediately.

So RoseWater broke down the message to chip away at price resistance.

“We broke our messaging into chunks like ‘introducing this to a client,’ ‘why it’s good for you, the integrator,’ and ‘why it’s good for your [tech pro] client,’” he says.

How the videos are produced

As company founders go, Picirrilli is very involved in the day-to-day marketing operations of his company. While the videos are produced through a third party video production company, Picirilli plays a big role in their conception.

“I start with a germ of an idea; talk it over with my public relations coordinator, then script it out with the Marketing Matters agency. We’ve had some of them done within 2 weeks,” he says.

“We’re very concerned with how someone reacts to the first videos they see,” Picirrilli says.

“I have a tight-knit group of integrators who I know very well and have worked with before. I rely on them to provide accurate feedback, which I then compare to what feedback I expected to have.”

“I also pay attention to how much of a video our audience watches. Are there any videos which receive more views, suggesting an integrator is showing it to a client?”

They also use Google Analytics G4 to track video performance over time.

What made them successful

Every time RoseWater launches a video, Picirrilli tracks the number of inquiries, dealers, etc. who follow up on a product mentioned in the video.

“They’re telling me they have clients for our products. It’s that sort of a ‘phone is really ringing!’ moment. The year 2020’s revenue was double over 2019; 2021 will be at least another double at the current rate.”

The entire process hinges on the fact that people consume information differently today – even integrators. But the potential success for video campaigns has to be thought about reasonably.

Related: Using the Top B2B Video Channels to Reach Customers and Achieve High Viewership

“You have to manage your expectations of success, knowing the creation of video is a long-term strategy. It’s about creating a place in someone’s mindshare, and that is NOT as easy as flipping a switch. You need to think YEARS ahead, not weeks.”

“When you are marketing, everything you produce is about your brand and position in the marketplace.  I hate the phrase, ‘be patient,’ but you have to be for this to be worth it.”

“Incoming generations do NOT read ads anymore – information targeting them needs to be very pointed and needs to come quick.”