The Ultimate Guide To Video Prospecting (Examples & 10 Tools)

Very few people like to read these days. Everyone prefers spoon-fed information. This makes plain text advertising relatively ineffective. You now need something that captures your audience. So how can you be unique? The one answer to that is interactive video prospecting!

It is worth noting that video advertising is 600% more effective than print media and direct email combined (Well that’s enough proof!)

Using a video prospectus will gain you a spotlight in the thundering pool of spam and other “useless” emails (Yes, most emails nowadays are useless!)

This blog will discuss why, how, and when to use video prospecting for sales. So, sit back, relax and get ready to maximize your engagement with video sales.

What Is Video Prospecting?

Video prospecting is a marketing technique in which a sales representative creates and sends a short, personalized video to the prospect. Most people send these prospecting videos via email and social media. But why is it so important, you may ask?

As the first stage of the sales process, prospecting involves identifying potential customers suited for your product. For this, sales reps use emails, phones, social media, etc, to connect with prospects. Identifying and gathering customers is the first objective.

However, getting a response from prospects is hard in modern times. One of the toughest jobs is finding new prospects and getting them to try your services. Unanswered surveys, emails, or calls delay the sales process. And this forces the sales team to follow up repeatedly. 

This is where the use of video prospecting can lead to a significant jump in conversions. In fact, you can increase the click rates just by adding the word “video” in your catchy email subject lines!! This is because videos help your customer connect with you by giving a face to a name. Besides, anyone can do it! 

Consequently, organizations are using video prospecting to complement their current sales strategy. Using personalized videos in sales will help you to humanize the sales process, which is much better than regular wordy emails or comments over the phone.

However, since prospecting videos are your very first interaction with the customer, the video should be short and on point. Lengthy videos will make customers lose interest or even prevent them from clicking on them. Therefore, try to keep the videos around 30 sec to 1 min long. Ensure that the prospect watches the entire video and understands the message pursuing them to take further action. 

Why Is Video Prospecting So Popular?

For many types of content marketing, video is the most popular and engaging format, that can easily grab audiences’ attention.  It makes you stand out amongst the boring crowd of plain text emails. Moreover, it humanizes the traditional and mind-numbing approach of sales and makes information transfer much quicker and clearer. And that’s not all!

You’ve probably heard that the “First impression is the last impression.” First impressions can make or break a deal. The positive first interaction with your brand will bring you more consumers. Video prospecting does a great job at connecting with the customer when compared to written text messages. It is a great way to engage and get buyers familiar with your products or services. 

When you demonstrate solutions to the customer’s problems visually, they’ll empathize and understand that you want to remove their pain points. And at the end of the day, this is what customers want.

In fact, companies using videos have a 20% higher conversion rate! Additionally, videos generate 50 times more shares than text and images combined!

Therefore, video prospecting does a splendid job of engaging customers and getting their reactions and eventually conversions. If you like the sound of these benefits and want to reap them for your business, we have you covered.

When To Use Video Prospecting?

Trying to figure out when to use video prospecting is not rocket science. As it helps boost a  slow sales process, you can use it whenever you feel you need to speed up. 

The most important thing to remember is that the video should not feel forced or unnecessary. You can’t strategize your sales process and figure out what part of the process would benefit the most from face-to-face interactions. You can use it for explaining how to use a product or a service, how you can solve the customer’s problem, highlighting marketing content, etc.

 Videos come to your rescue when actual in-person meetings or seminars are not possible. Also, videos speak to a larger audience, unlike physical meetings, making them the perfect digital substitute for facetime.

When Not to Use Video While Prospecting?

It would help if you were sure of where to use video prospecting. Converting everything into a video format will deplete its effect on the audience. Videos you use to gain attention from the audience should feel important and valuable.

You should avoid using videos when discussing or explaining your product or services in detail. It will increase the length of your video, reducing watch time. It is worth noting that video prospecting, when done right, is very advantageous. But it can be a waste of resources and time when done incorrectly. Also, try not to overwhelm your prospect with videos. 

Types Of Videos For Prospecting

One of the many reasons why video prospecting is popular is because you can use it dynamically to identify prospects. Once you get this out of the way, you can focus the marketing on converting prospects into regular customers. Below is a list of the types of videos you can use to discover valued prospects.

1. Support Videos

Support is the key to sales. A video that shows genuine support will overshadow one that desperately focuses on making a sale. This type of video aims at providing potential solutions to problems that your customer may experience. This markets your business as “a problem solver” rather than one that focuses on selling. 

2. Referral Videos

Peer recommendations easily sway people, and you can use this to your advantage by using the feedback of your current customers. Take the permission to use their names and feedback in your marketing content. Additionally, take referrals as to who can benefit from your service in their peer group and send this feedback to them. The conversion will increase when people see familiar names in your prospecting video.

3. Reminder Videos

These videos remind potential customers about your business and show that you value them and care for them. The video renews your already set image for the prospect. It offers specific information about the product, including pricing and clear contact details. Customers considering making a purchase will appreciate this type of effort.

4. Demonstration Videos

A demonstration video helps the leads decide whether your product is what they want. It contains information on how to use your product or service and how it can solve the prospect’s problems. They can see for themselves how you can solve their problem. And this may make them seal the deal.

5. Background Videos

At seminars or trade shows, a well-made background video about your product can  catch the prospect’s eye and help you identify leads. People stopping by to watch your video shows that they have an interest in your product. Be ready to explain and convince them about your product. Also, remember to take their contact details for a later marketing process.

6. Question Videos

Question video prospecting is the best way to filter out potential buyers. Start with asking a question that your target audience would answer, this would eliminate those who don’t require your products or services. When the buyer listens to a question they would like answered, they will watch your video. And once you get the engagement, you can use your convincing abilities to retain these leads.

7. Personalized Videos

If a prospect doesn’t reply to a personalized video, it’s a dead end. That’s how impactful these videos are. Try including their names, share videos related to the leads’ online search, and identify where they stand in the buying process. This will help you create a gripping video showing them what they want to see. Yes, the effort required is high, but so is the conversion rate!

8. Follow-up Videos

Prospects engaging in a follow-up video are sure to be future customers. It can be either a short video or a detailed video about why they should do business with you. These are your most valued prospects, and you should help them figure out the next step and how they can contact your company. Consequently, they are most likely to buy from you.

Video prospecting helps you eliminate non-buyers so you can focus on potential customers, hence increasing sales. Moreover, effective sales prospecting can help you seal deals while making the best use of your time.

Top Video Prospecting Examples

Learn from the pros to grow in any industry. It helps you identify the dos and don’ts without facing them, hence saving your resources and time. It will help you understand the correct usage of video prospecting.

BambooHR

BambooHR provides applicant tracking tools that modernize the process of hiring. Their prospecting videos are highly relatable, personalized and have a funny twist! Their representatives introduce themselves at a personal level and solicit further conversation to address your problems right at the end. 

This approach is great for building relationships with new customers at a human level before any apparent efforts at selling. And this gets around their resistance to promotion while still building curiosity and interest. So, if your usual advertising is not getting attention, this style of video prospecting could be the solution for you!

Wistia

Wistia is a video marketing tool that allows you to manage and update existing videos as your product and marketing evolve. Their videos aim at addressing the problems faced by the target audience with a clever mix of friendly and informative slides. The basic video marketing strategy is to apply a helpful and informative approach to deliver the message quickly and convincingly. 

Hence, it acts as another personalized and indirect method of promotion which effectively engages the viewers. And it is the ideal approach if your product or service is complex and the audience needs guidance to understand and use it.

Vidyard

Vidyard is a video prospecting platform that allows you to record and send personalized videos. In this case, Terrance Kwok uses Vidyard to send a video to the Chief Marketing Officer of Vidyard himself! This popular example shows Terrance presenting screen recordings of Vidyard’s website and LinkedIn page and making useful comments and observations, followed by an offer of further help through discussion.

This is an excellent example of marketing a service by giving short, personalized suggestions. It shows that the company or person has made special efforts to help you and is an expert in the field. It is a highly effective method of generating interested leads if you provide digital services to a targeted group of customers.

How To Create A Prospecting Video For B2B?

Now you know the impact and value that video prospecting can add to your company. Let us dive into how to create one for your firm.

1. Plan Your Timing

You need to figure out where the video needs to be in the sales process. Is it the 1st interaction, the follow-up, reminder, demonstration, etc.? After this you can move on to the next step.

2. Research Prospects

Knowing your audience is essential. People tend to reply to personalized messages more often, and it also shows that you care about their needs and problems. 

Figure out who they are, their challenges, pain points, etc. to build around that information and engage with them through your video.

3. Decide The Type Of Video To Use

You must decide how to present your data. It will determine the engagement of the prospects and if they are interested in your product or not.

WebCam

It’s great for introducing prospects to you and your company. It does a phenomenal job of relationship building.

Screen Share

It is great for explaining and walking them through a process. You can help them take baby steps and understand the process as you can both show and tell.

Playlist

It is an excellent choice in the later sales process where you have identified the potential buyers. You can add a collection of different types of videos for the prospect to see.

4. Write An Engaging Script

What you say in your video will decide if you will make or break the deal. You need to write a script from the viewer’s perspective. Start with an introduction, explain the purpose of the video, tell them what to do next, and end with a positive thank you note.

5. Record Your Video

Practice off-screen what you want to say. Don’t worry about little details. Imperfection is what connects people on a deeper level. Just make sure that you cover all the required information within time limits.

6. Select A Catchy Thumbnail

You need to make people click on the video. The most crucial part of this is the thumbnail that you use. A catchy thumbnail will excite them to watch your video and understand the message.

7. Write A Supporting Message

An impactful video can’t increase engagement on its own. You need to tell the buyer why they should click on the video in a written message. Make sure you have a decent subject line before you drop the video.

8. Include A CTA

Directing the prospect to the next step is a crucial part of video prospecting. How would the prospect know what to do next? If you don’t answer the question, you will lose your prospects. Call to action (CTA) will tell your leads what they need to do next; for example, you can say-

“If interested, reply YES to this email”.

Best Practices For Video Prospecting

So now you know what to do and how to do it. But what about how to make it better? Before diving into it, you’ll need to know some dos and don’ts of video prospecting. Here, we’ve covered some practices that’ll help create an impactful video.

1. Keep The Video Short

Keep the video short and precise. We recommend keeping the video somewhere between 30 seconds to 1 minute. Start with your introduction, the reason for outreach, and what you want to talk about.

Keeping the video short increases the chance of clicks and engagement. It will make sure that your prospect watches the whole thing. Don’t try to make the video picture-perfect; instead focus on making the video more authentic.

2. Personalize Your Message

While recording a sales prospecting video adding a personalized touch will help you get the viewer’s attention. Make them feel like you’re working for them. It will also increase your click-through and response rates dramatically. You can start with their name on a whiteboard or a piece of paper. This will intrigue them when they realize it was made specifically for them.

3. Include CTA

As explained above, CTA will help you turn potential buyers into regular customers. When creating a video for prospects, always make sure to add a CTA at the end, telling them what to do next.

4. Choose The Subject Line Carefully

The subject line is what a person reads before opening an email. Always be sure to include the word “video” in your subject line, as this will increase the click-through rate by 19%, as you saw above. Try to include your prospect’s 1st name in the subject line to add that extra touch of personalization.

These are some of the most crucial points to keep in mind while video prospecting. They will surely gain you more buyers and regular customers.

Top 10 Tools For Video Prospecting

Now we’ll also help you find the best tools to use while prospecting. They will help you create stunning videos that will have a long-lasting impact on your prospects.

1. PlayStory

PlayStory is a great tool for creating interactive videos that will engage and involve your audience. Viewers can interact with the video in real-time and get a more personalized and satisfying experience from it. Naturally, this is a great opportunity for marketers to involve and impress their target audience.

2. Vidyard

Vidyard is a video marketing platform that allows you to record videos from your browser, desktop, or even your phone! It offers a great plethora of features. It will notify you whenever someone watches your video, along with their location and the duration. 

3. Hippo Video

Hippo Video provides a wide suite of features for creating and sharing videos and generating video marketing workflows. You can share and record videos on Gmail or Outlook itself and use the dashboard analytics to optimize the viewer’s experience etc.

4. Bonjoro

It offers you numerous templates to choose from. These templates have pre-created subject lines and messages for you. Additionally, it helps you understand the customer by pulling out data from your CRM before you create a prospecting video.

5. BombBomb

This tool gives you flexibility and dynamism at hand. You can know when and for how long the prospects watch your videos and how they engage with them. It also allows you to add prompts for your CTA in the video.

6. Soapbox by Wistia

Soapbox is a freemium chrome extension by Wistia. It is very easy to use, even if you have a basic understanding of recording and editing. It allows you to stylize your video to suit your branding. Besides, it makes booking meetings using videos very easy, which is a great feature as it is what you’ll be aiming for.

7. Drift

Primarily a sales acceleration platform, Drift is now offering video sales facilities as well. It allows you to create and add gifs to personalize your video. Drift adds a chatbot to your video so the prospect can interact with it, or you can interact with them live while they’re watching the video! It also gives real-time notification to the sales rep.

8. Dubb

Dubb allows you to combine email engagement with video prospecting. This means that you can track the opening of emails, their clicks, the watch time of the videos, and the CTA clicks! It provides a calendar option that will help the prospect in booking meetings.

9. Vmaker

Vmaker helps you record, edit, and share videos. It’s a webcam and screen recording software that you can install on Mac or Chrome extension. It will help make a personalized webcam and screen recording video simultaneously. Additionally, it allows you to add custom names, CTA, and branded frames to your webcam.

10. Loom

Last but not least, Loom is a chrome extension that helps you record your screen. Plus, it is also available as a mobile app! It is easier to edit videos in Loom, and they claim their editing is faster than the competition. You can keep up with your performance using their analytics.

These are some of the best tools to help you build an impactful video for your prospect. So, what is there to wait for! You know the what, why, and how of making prospecting videos. So get on with it!.

Increase Sales With Video Prospecting!

Video sales is the future. In a world of information overload, consumers are more likely to respond to prospecting videos than any other type of content. For salespeople, using creative and personalized video messaging is vital for finding new customers and closing deals faster. Moreover, with marketing video metrics, there are a lot of unknowns—but one thing we can say with absolute certainty: It is worth it! 

We hope you found our guide on sales prospecting videos useful. We tried to help you create videos that give your audience value, and also do it in a way that’s authentic and builds trust.

Happy video prospecting!

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