Video Prospecting: Tips and Techniques for Engaging Your Audience

The power of using video prospecting in your sales process

When you need a fresh approach to boost your B2B sales strategy, video prospecting could be the game changer. It’s already connecting sales reps with their potential clients more effectively. Over 60% of sales professionals report higher response rates just from switching to video messaging.

But what makes it such a standout choice? Here are the benefits that make prospecting videos a must-have in any sales toolkit.

Video outreach streamlines sales prospecting

Leads typically interact with a company 8 times before scheduling a meeting, completing a purchase, or otherwise becoming a customer. With improved outreach and messaging, it’s possible to reduce that number to just 5 touchpoints, and custom videos can make that happen.

The video format lets you show and tell what you offer, making it easier for potential clients to understand and remember. You can directly demo your product, share the benefits of each feature, and address commonly asked questions. This eliminates the back-and-forth that often comes with written communication methods to create a smoother sales process. Plus, it’s more time efficient and scalable than in-person meetings.

Personalized videos instantly grab the prospect’s attention

On average, people get over 120 emails per day. Nearly half of them are spam. Some may even contain malicious content. Spam direct messages are also a problem on social media, with 60% of people receiving them monthly, if not more often.

Unsurprisingly, most emails and social media messages remain unopened and even trashed without a second glance. But here’s where custom videos come into play.

Including video messages in your content instantly grabs the attention of the potential customer and improves open rates by 16%. They’re also 26% more likely to reply and keep the sales conversation going.

Video scripts improve your ability to quickly close the deal

With a conversion rate of 3%, email marketing is a numbers game. Send out 1,000 basic emails, and you’ll be lucky if 30 people take action. But toss in a well-crafted personalized video, and things start to change.

A solid video script shows prospects just what they’ll be getting, so they can better understand its value and visualize exactly how it can resolve their pain points. Video is more direct, more relevant to customers’ needs, and, often, more persuasive than other marketing formats.

Working video into any part of your warm or cold outreach process improves your chances of closing by nearly 130%. But it’s most effective when used to jump-start the sales relationship.

Prospecting videos help you better connect with potential customers

While landing the sale is the goal, it’s not everything. If you’re going to put in all that hard work to get a customer, you also want to keep them loyal to your brand. Traditional emails and social media messages do little to build that lasting relationship.

People need to be able to put a face to a name. It’s important for them to feel that you understand their unique challenges and are always in their corner. They want a genuine connection that makes them feel seen, heard, and valued. Video prospecting does all that through face-to-face interactions, albeit virtual, making videos an essential part of your customer retention strategy.

Best practices: Get excellent engagement and results with video prospecting

Just getting your face out there is a great start, but there are additional things you can do to improve your sales prospecting results. Use any or all of the following best practices to capture the attention of each potential customer, effectively share your brand messaging, and gain loyal customers.

Experiment with video prospecting to find where it works best in your sales funnel

Getting more sales with video prospecting starts with finding the sweet spot in your sales funnel. Placement matters significantly in how well the videos capture your audience’s attention and inspire them to move on to the next stage of the buying process.

The ideal spot for videos differs from brand to brand, however. So, there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy here. You’ll need to experiment to see what gets people clicking on and watching your content. Then, make the necessary adjustments for optimal results.

Start with a short and sweet video introduction at the beginning of the sales funnel or acquisition stage. Or show off a product with a brief demo when prospects hit the consideration stage and start weighing their options.

You could also use video to reconnect with leads who once considered your brand but then went in a different direction. Remember to properly time your follow-up emails and social media messages as well.

Research your target audience to create truly personalized video messages

Sales prospecting is all about connecting with people on a one-to-one level. You need to show that you understand their needs, preferences, and pain points to establish a genuine relationship. But first, you need to learn about those key areas, and that requires customer research.

The research process involves gleaning info from your existing customer data and building detailed buyer personas. If the existing data doesn’t tell the whole story, research your competitors’ customers and learn about industry trends on social media and forums. Go even deeper by reading online reviews, social listening on your customers’ favorite platforms, and conducting surveys and interviews.

Interpret the data to determine what your leads might want from your company and how to tailor your messaging to speak to their needs. Whenever possible, position your product as the ideal solution for whatever challenges your prospects are facing at that very moment.

Select the best format for your first prospecting video and follow-ups

Your first prospecting video and all follow-ups are the most effective when delivered in the correct format for the situation.

Your imagination is the limit as to what types of videos you can create, but the most effective ones are:

• Webcam introduction of you, your team, and your brand
• Screen share for product demos and walk-throughs
• An 80% video that answers your most common questions
• Playlist with product benefit overviews and testimonials
• Tutorials on how to use your products to overcome challenges

Step into your customers’ shoes to determine where they are in the buyer’s journey and what content would help them move to the next step. The goal isn’t to make the flashiest videos but to feature relevant content that meets your prospects where they’re at and delivers value.

Create an engaging video script sharing your message in 60 seconds or less

With so much content vying for people’s attention online, it pays to keep your videos short. Between 30 and 60 seconds is the ideal length for each video recording. About 85% of marketers find these brief clips most effective, especially since they drive 2.5 times more engagement than longer videos.

The biggest exception to this rule is product demos and tutorials. Because that content packs more value into every minute, you have around 6 minutes max to work with. To keep your audience’s attention, make sure that the first 30 seconds clearly convey the value of watching the sales prospecting video.

You might also benefit from more time when answering in-depth questions in the middle of the sales cycle, like software integration inquiries. For that, 20 minutes tops should suffice. If not, you may need to schedule a meeting instead.

Think like a professional when recording and editing each prospecting video

While you don’t need a Hollywood-level production, quality can make a big difference in your video outreach success. Your prospecting video quality reflects your brand, so it needs to look its best to make an excellent first impression.

• To do that, keep the basics of video recording and editing in mind:
• Set up your recording space with a plain background and minimal distractions.
• Try to get as much natural light in the room as possible—barring that, use a ring light.
• Use the highest quality clip-on microphone and position it at the front of your shirt collar.
• Keep your camera at eye level to ensure you’re directly engaging with your prospects.
• After filming, edit the content for clarity, conciseness, and to remove any awkward pauses.

You’re not striving for perfection here. Minor errors can make each prospecting video feel more authentic and relatable if they don’t detract from your core message.

Support video content with well-written copy and an eye-catching thumbnail

Even the best video content cannot stand on its own. To maximize its reach and impact, it needs supporting elements, like well-written copy and an eye-catching thumbnail.

Your copy starts with a strong subject line. This is the first thing people see, directly influencing whether they’ll click to view more. It should grab their attention and evoke curiosity while staying relevant to the topic of your video. Your body copy should follow up by introducing the video and providing key takeaways and a call to action (CTA).

The video thumbnail is a visual teaser inviting people to watch your content. You can either go with a regular photo or an animated GIF. A personalized photo of the prospect’s name or company logo can pique interest. But there’s something irresistible about a video that starts with a friendly face smiling and waving at the camera.

Spend extra time crafting a video CTA prospective customers cannot pass up

Prospecting videos are about more than introducing yourself and your product to potential customers. They’re all about getting people to move from one stage of the buyer’s journey to the next. And you have to make sure to explain how to do that by closing your video with a clear call to action.

Your CTA should provide easy-to-understand, actionable steps the prospect can take to achieve the desired outcome, such as:

• Signing up for a trial, email newsletter, or webinar
• Scheduling a follow-up call or product demonstration
• Visiting the associated landing page for a special offer
• Sharing the video with colleagues or decision-makers
• Engaging with your brand on social media or your blog

Be direct with your request. Use action words to guide your prospective customers to the goal, like “Sign up now,” “Share our video,” and “Book your spot.”

Build a collection of outreach videos for demos and general questions

Custom videos hold the most appeal, but not everything has to be personalized to get the desired outcome. You can save time by building a sales video outreach library for product demos, tutorials, and general questions.

Find your ideal video topics by thinking about the product features you highlight or questions you answer most often. Then, take some time to create general sales videos that can work in a pinch as inquiries come your way.

Strike a balance between using videos from your library and creating personalized clips from scratch. For instance, sales team introductions should always have that personal touch, while tutorials don’t require custom content to provide value to your viewer.

Add a personalized touch with video prospecting

Every prospect is on their own unique journey. So, why not cater to that with personalized videos? Instead of sending generic pitches, you can make your target audience feel understood and valued with custom content.

The personal touch creates lasting connections and improves conversion rates by showing people you’re ready to address their needs. This makes your brand stand out while streamlining the sales cycle, ensuring that both you and your leads benefit from video prospecting.