Let’s face it, as modern marketers, we’ve all had a brilliant idea that doesn’t come to fruition because it’s difficult to translate the potential results.
And that’s what this blog is about.
Stay with me as I explain how you, the innovative marketer, can avoid having your next big video marketing idea shut down because it’s “too expensive” or “too time consuming”.
The key to executive buy-in is to pitch video marketing as an investment that’s trackable and reusable, rather than a one and done creative piece that’s going to collect dust on your content shelf.
How to create a winning pitch
To get the attention and ultimately the support your idea needs, you must clearly define the key elements of a successful video marketing campaign.
Define the problem
This is the foundation of pitching a video marketing campaign to executives. It could be as simple as building more website traffic, or as complex as solving a thorny issue in your buying process.
Either way, it needs to be well thought out and championed by your colleagues. After all, video marketing is a team sport, and the best marketers are those who use other departments as a sounding board. You’ll quickly find out that marketing isn’t the only department that needs video. Just ask sales to confirm! You’ll soon uncover more use cases than you thought.
Benchmark the industry
The use of video is more and more common in business, and the last thing an executive wants is for their company to be late to the party.
When taking a reactive approach, show your executives what competitors are doing, and explain how you’re going to do it better.
When taking a proactive approach, tell your executives about the success other markets have had. Share an example and detail the success, and share your insight into what you’d do to make it better for your industry and audience.
Outline key metrics
B2B executives are less inclined to measure success based on a “viral video” because the definition is so abstract and therefore difficult to measure. And unless you’re in the advertising business, social views aren’t a sustainable way to measure your video marketing campaigns.
Your executives want specific metrics such as repeat viewership, amount of Marketing Qualified Leads to Sales Qualified Leads, bounce rates, and lead conversion. To connect the dots and deliver these specific metrics in a digestible way, use a top scale video marketing platform and integrate it with your marketing automation and CRM platforms.
Audience + buyer personas
For strong creative execution, you need to understand your audience. That’s why you need to produce videos for your most valuable buyer personas first. After all, Elon Musk wouldn’t plan a mission to Mars without having done the research, right?
Same goes for marketers!
A strong foundation in buyer research is essential before you start to build your campaign, even in the pre-creative phase, as it shows your executives how well you know your buyer.
Before you dive into a script, examine things like your persona’s background, their demographics, identifiers, goals, challenges, and the potential solutions.
Content gaps in your buyer journey
Develop videos where you need them most, and fill voids where other content is struggling.
To get your executives to buy into video, explain the common points of failure by stage in the buyer journey, and show how video can supplement these areas.
Ask this of your C-levels: would you rather read a whitepaper, or watch a video? I think you know the answer. It’s video, 99 times out of 100. It’s easier to consume and simply more engaging than traditional content.
Video repurposing
Executives don’t like one-offs, and neither should you. When pitching a video campaign, think outside your primary needs. Reflect on how other departments can use the video, and how you can use the raw video footage for other purposes. And if you’re working with an agency, be sure to ask for that raw footage!
It’s amazing how many videos you can make with a little creativity.
Build a video machine that can handle the mileage and your executives will see it as an investment rather than a depreciating asset!
Resources + budget
Video doesn’t need to be expensive. Great videos can be produced with basic video skills and resources.
Recruit employees as actors! They’ll love it and it will add another layer of authenticity.
To produce a higher quality video, make sure your executives know how much it’s going to cost so they can compare the return to your metrics. This kind of detail shows that you’ve done your research and understand the cost breakdown and different video production options.
To recap, your executives are more likely to buy into a video marketing campaign if you outline the following:
- Define the problem your organization is having with marketing and sales.
- Benchmark the industry to push the envelope.
- Show how you’ll prove results, and provide a timeline for return on the investment.
- Research your audience to justify your creative messaging.
- Find your content gaps and explain why video is the best remedy.
- Emphasize video repurposing to show how other departments can benefit from one budget.
- Show the approximate cost and the resources needed to make the project successful.
- As marketers, it’s our responsibility to push new ideas. If you follow this simple process, you should have no problem “convincing” your executives that video marketing is the way to go.
Let me know how it goes!
The post How to get executive buy-in on video marketing appeared first on Demand Spring.
