Webinar: Leveraging Live Video To Engage Buyers
- Written by Brian Anderson, Associate Editor
- Published in Content Strategies
The B2B marketing space is quickly evolving, and B2B buyers are finding live video an appealing alternative to e-books and white papers. According to the 2013 B2B Content Preferences Survey conducted by Demand Gen Report, 50% of the B2B marketers surveyed stated that these used video in the past year to research B2B purchasing decisions.
In a recent webinar, titled Streaming Your Way To Marketing Success, representatives from Ustream and Demand Gen Report discussed the ever-growing value of live broadcast video in campaign strategies and marketing plans.
“There is just something about the shared experience that comes with live video,” said David Gibbons, VP of Marketing at Ustream. “Seeing something live — as it’s happening — is impossible to duplicate. There is no way you can make up the excitement of live video with on-demand video clips sent later. ”
Andrew Gaffney, Content Director at Demand Gen Report, added: “I think some marketing executives have the preconceived notion that live video is still more for consumer brands only and it’s more for B2C companies. But our study shows that half of the B2B marketers surveyed said they have already accessed video content as part of their research process. So I think it’s becoming much more common that B2B buyers can use live video to find and collect information.”
Live online video has grown in popularity for main reasons. First of all, the content consumers of today’s B2B marketing industry prefer live video due to its high level of entertainment. Compared to a standard white paper or case study, live online video takes on similar aspects as live television in order to attract viewers and provide them an enjoyable experience.
Another appealing quality of live video is its ability to leverage social interaction throughout the entire event. Whether it’s before, during, or after the video goes live, social interaction with viewers further boosts the overall engagement and experience. The social interaction can also provide another avenue to engage with prospects.
“Combining social interaction with live online video broadcasts keeps the audience engaged and motivated,” said Gibbons. “And as people interact socially with the event, they have the ability to share it through their social networks and drive the attendance rate even further.”
Online Video Broadens Your Reach, Without Extra Expenses
Although enhanced customer engagement is beneficial to B2B marketers, live online video has the reach to touch every potential customer, no matter where they are located. The only other type of content with this much potential is live television, but it is oftentimes too expensive to add to a marketing strategy, Gibbons explained.
“There’s a way to reach people, and it’s not television,” said Gibbons. “Online video gives you the ability to reach a global audience without having to go through the process of planning and executing a live TV broadcast, and that is pretty phenomenal.”
With live video in your arsenal of marketing tools, you have the opportunity to engage potential customers on a consistent basis. Whether it’s with PR and raising awareness or customer engagement, live online video can be “very beneficial to any part of an integrated marketing campaign,” according to Gibbons. “A platform that offers live video broadcasting can easily help you meet all your marketing goals, while also helping viewers make a direct action. That’s the power of live online video; you can create these memorable, shareable experiences around your brand that help give you a really great addition to your integrated marketing campaign.”
Click here for an on-demand version of the webinar.