How to use video in your B2B healthcare marketing strategy

Using video in B2B healthcare marketing shows no signs of slowing down and experts agree, it will be the preferred way to build brand recognition, drive traffic, stand apart from the competition, nurture leads, and get buyers to sign on the dotted line in 2022.

In fact, according to a report by the Content Marketing Institute, 66% of B2B marketers created or used videos in the last year, and 60% anticipate their video budgets will increase this year compared to 2021.

Why video is effective in B2B healthcare marketing

If you’re still not convinced that video is vital to your marketing this year, consider this:

• Online video can be up to 600% more effective for marketing than print and direct mail combined (source: Diode Digital)
• 87% of video marketers say video nets a positive ROI (source: Wyzowl & Hubspot)
• Video email marketing offers a 280% higher return than regular emails (source: Email Uplers)

5 ways B2B healthcare marketing videos translate into results

Fortunately, there are so many ways to leverage video in your B2B healthcare marketing strategy. Here are 5 to consider.

1. Build credibility with a customer case study video

Video customer case studies and testimonials are an effective way to:

• Prove your credibility and trustworthiness
• Drive home what makes you stand apart from the competition
• Boost customer confidence
• Drive sales, upsell, and cross-sell
• Shorten the sales cycle
• Land media hits

The right healthcare marketing agency can work with your sales team to identify a customer or two that has a great story about how your company solved their problem and can point to quantifiable results.

It’s also a good idea to interview a customer who is comfortable and engaging on camera—or is at least willing to be coached.

2. Educate B2B buyers with explainer videos

The B2B sales cycle can be lengthy and require buy-in from all levels, so there’s no doubt your prospects will be doing their due diligence to research all their options, understand and compare solutions, and dig deep to understand their potential ROI.

Make it easy for them with explainer videos, which are best for top-of-funnel marketing.

Explainer videos can build brand awareness, educate your potential customers, and answer their biggest questions.

Conduct keyword research, search LinkedIn groups or read industry news to identify the questions your target audience is asking and then create a video around the story.

Explainer videos should describe your solution and the pain point it solves, the benefits, and how you deliver on your mission.

3. Go beyond webinars with live streaming

There’s no shortage of webinars, and 67% of B2B marketers use them as a promotional tool, according to a recent report from the Content Marketing Institute.

Yet with so many webinars flooding your customers’ inboxes, you need to set yourself apart from the competition and live streaming is the perfect choice—and booming.

In fact, the live streaming industry has experienced 99% year-over-year growth based on hours watched between April 2019 and April 2020, one report found.

Live streaming is an effective way to connect with your potential buyers in an authentic way that builds trust and connection.

Some ideas for live streaming include interviews, behind-the-scenes, industry news, or company announcements.

4. Nudge buyers with a product demo

A product demo video is a great way to move leads further down the funnel and ultimately become customers.

With this type of video, you’ll want to clearly explain the benefits and features and how it solves your customers’ biggest challenges.

When they’re able to see the product or solution in action, the more likely they’ll be to contact you, so be sure you have a clear call-to-action and a way to capture their information.

5. Offer industry insights with thought leadership videos

If you have a content marketing strategy in place, chances are, you’re already creating thought leadership content so video is the next best step.

A thought leadership video can help your audience understand the industry’s biggest issues or get a unique perspective.

Thought leadership videos can also build brand awareness, position your c-suite as industry experts, engage your LinkedIn community (add link), and even land media interviews.

Although thought leadership is usually a high-level overview of a particular challenge, trend, or insight, you can also include practical tips and advice.

Also, instead of re-inventing the wheel, you can re-purpose thought leadership articles into one, or several, small videos.

B2B healthcare marketing videos tips

Every video is unique, but here are some general recommendations to keep in mind.

• Create an original concept. You don’t have to aim for perfection, but your videos should have a unique perspective and add to the conversation.
• Stick to one main idea. Your videos should always be succinct and to the point so focus on one idea. If you’re repurposing long-form content like an article or white paper, for example, break up the ideas into several videos.
• Add captions. Whether your buyers are working from home or the coffee shop, they want videos with captions. In fact, 80% of people are more likely to watch an entire video when captions are available, a 2019 joint survey by Verizon Media and Publicis Media found.
• Keep it short. Your buyers are busy and their attention spans are short, so make sure your videos are under 2 minutes.
• Add a call-to-action (CTA). As with any type of content, you want to tell the viewer what to do next to improve conversion rates. The type of CTA depends on where they are in the buyer’s journey but it can include watching the next video, visiting a product page, requesting a demo, or scheduling a meeting, for example.

Looking to incorporate video into your B2B healthcare marketing strategy? We can help.