Video content has taken over the internet and changed the way people interact, behave and purchase things online. Marketers and advertisers are already using videos across various channels and it’s proving to be a wild success. (Even I have fallen victim to the occasional marketing trap and am now the proud owner of a 2-litre water bottle and a stackable lunchbox that I didn’t need…)
But that’s beside the point. Promotional videos and marketing content are seemingly typically created for consumers, particularly those we see on TV or TikTok (for example). Consumers are usually easy to target with videos because nowadays, with smartphones, the majority of the world’s population has easy access to some sort of video supporting platform. And, 95% of consumers retain information communicated by video.
I learnt all of this when I recently took a video production course created by the Chartered Institute for Marketing and the British Film Institute. It got me thinking, how how relevant is video really to the B2B PR community and how can I harness the power of video as a cybersecurity PR professional?
As a PR professional working in the cybersecurity industry, how can I harness the power of the moving picture to support my clients and the company I work for? Well, consumers aren’t the only ones who watch and retain content this way. In fact, this year 82.5% of all web traffic will be down to videos. In addition, 72% of people prefer to watch videos to learn about products and services as opposed to texts; together, this creates the perfect opportunity for us PR people to help our clients stand out in a vastly noisy space.
Using video in B2B communications
There are several ways to create and showcase video content to be useful to cybersecurity vendors, for example. You could use videos to showcase product demos or drive awareness of a product or provide insight into the way a company works and the people behind it.
Another way is to portray a spokesperson as a thought leader. Positioning our clients as thought leaders in their space is already a large part of what we do. We tend to do so through articles and commentary that are shared in the press. Using video is just another method to portray someone as an authority and build up trust with clients and potential leads. There are several different video strategies you could implement in order to do so:
- Q & A videos: Question and answer videos are incredibly useful for spokespeople to offer their specific and valuable insights into trending or important topics in the space. They can also be used to answer frequently asked questions (FAQs) and help viewers get to know them and their company better. More importantly, it helps create a space in which to engage with their audience and build valuable relationships that could lead to new leads.
- Industry trends: This could be a video describing certain ongoing trends within the specific industry the thought leader is working in. In our case, this could look like describing the latest cyberattack, or going over why phishing is such a large threat to organisations across every sector. Really think about what the audience should know based on what they’re currently talking about and have your thought leader contribute a new and interesting angle through video medium.
- Advisory Video: This can be as simple as having a thought leader speak straight to the camera, offering advice on the industry. This could include insight into how to enter the industry as a newbie or what challenges people may expect to face in their first two years. This can also include sharing tips on how to be successful or showcasing what works best for their business.
These are only a few ideas of what could help you portray your clients as a thought leader in the cyber space (or any other space for that matter). A good way to start is by finding examples of what you may be looking for, to help you find inspiration and create the best final product.
Social Proof videos
Another great way to utilise video is to help showcase your company culture. The way in which you do so is dependent on the audience you’re willing to target. If you’re using it for your own PR firm, you may want to use a different style than if you were helping a cybersecurity client. This could come in a few different forms.
- User testimonials: This is where you ask clients or customers to speak about what it’s like to work with your company. What experience have they had with your team? What have you helped them achieve? How have they benefited from working with a PR company? These videos give others an idea of who you are and what others like about your company and the service you provide.
- Positive brand sentiment: An example of this is getting employees to talk about what it’s like working for the company. Why do they enjoy it? What are the perks? What have they achieved? This allows you to present a company as a good company to buy from because, remember, people like doing business with people; this kind of video does not only allow others to see the company for what it is and how it treats its employees, but it also gives the employees a chance to reveal who they are. And who knows, maybe you’ll attract new talent who are intrigued by your company culture!
These types of videos are incredibly effective for PR campaigns as they can be used widely across social media and help generate leads and spark interest in a firm. Another benefit of using video in your PR projects, is that it gives people a great opportunity to portray their personalities and get creative. When creating videos, however, it’s important not to focus on selling a product – you work in PR not sales, so the goal of your video should be to tell a story and make the viewers want to engage in the content. The best way to do this is to think of the goal you’d like to achieve and how you’re going to get there. Think about what the customer would find interesting about the video, how does it help them? A lot of planning and thought should go into a video before filming, which will help you achieve a much more detailed and interesting end result.
Ultimately, there are so many different ways to create content that isn’t only insightful, and inspiring but also fun!
