Industrial Sales: Why Video Must Be Part of Your Sales Strategy

No matter what marketing strategy you use, videos play an important role in both attracting attention…and keeping it.

Videos aren’t just for marketers; your sales strategy should tap these invaluable assets, too.

Videos are extremely versatile. They can be included in blogs, emails, or used independently as a YouTube offering. With proper scripting and videography, you can create videos that are both informative as well as entertaining.

1. MAKE SALES EMAILS MORE VISUALLY DYNAMIC

Simply reading well-written content is…well, boring. But if you get an email with an image, the color immediately draws your eye, doesn’t it?

And let’s be honest…who can resist the urge to click a play button?

Sometimes, you need to include visual elements that are able to imbue your prospects with excitement that the written word leaves out.

While written content is informative, it leaves a lot to the imagination.

Using a video to explain how a manufacturing process works or to show off a new product line will give the viewer a clear and concise look at what is being discussed.

Visual and audio messages are interpreted by the brain much faster than the written word.

Just check out how much click-through-rates rise when your sales emails include video voicemails!

2. ANSWER COMMON QUESTIONS WITH INSTRUCTIVE CONTENT

As a sales rep, the nature of your job is answering questions.

If you find yourself answering the same questions over and over, getting video content made to answer those questions will be valuable not only to you, but to all the other reps with the same repetitive grind.

People skim brochures and sometimes throw manuals out entirely…but they’re more responsive to video instructions.

Videos can display the instructions as text, visually display the process, and dictate the instructions (with all-important vocal inflection) as the video is being played.

Using both videos and written content also allows you to reach individuals on all levels of the learning scale.

Videos give viewers the advantage of knowing what something is supposed to look like, instead of having to visualize it on their own. Take this vlog post from Optimum Productions, for example: they decided to explain the common misconception that videographers, production companies, and agencies are all synonymous.

3. STORYTELLING SPARKS RELATIONSHIPS

Videos are excellent for telling your story.

The stories you share with others will give them an inside view of how your company works. They will get to see your employees in action, doing what they do best.

Stories are arguably the primary form of human communication.

People communicate about their days or life experiences by telling a story. They seek entertainment through stories. They teach lessons with stories. We process the world through stories.

While you may not feel like a content creator, any clips of yourself made with a webcam or iPhone will still mean more to your potential clients because it humanizes you.

You can use videos to give tours of your facilities, demonstrate how machines work, and explain the intricacies of a difficult manufacturing process or the different stages in a production cycle.

Being able to visually experience the stories of the people who make your company what it is, allows your customers to get to know you on a more personal level.

Videos help to create a bond that works to cement the business relationship you hope to develop.

Every video you create is one more chapter that you can add to your story. That’s one of the reasons why starting a video series can be such an invaluable asset, despite common fears amongst sales reps about why they don’t feel capable of starting a personal brand.

4. VIDEOS SEND A GENUINE MESSAGE

Videos don’t lie.

Have you seen those new movies with computer-generated monsters, animals, or sometimes even people? There’s something not-quite-organic about those creations, million-dollar creations though they be…that we can just instinctively spot and recognize as false.

You can’t fake a happy customer.

Unlike a text or an email that may be misunderstood or misinterpreted, a video carries the inflection of your voice and a visual picture of what is being sold. This gives the buyer a first-hand look at what they will be receiving.

If you have videos where your customers talk about their experience, your potential clients will likely trust them even more than they trust you.

Leads know that even if you believe in your company, you’re still also getting paid to promote it.

Leads also know that if previous buyers authentically praise your company, then it is actually deserving of praise.

Just check out this blast-from-the-past video by Optimum Productions, talking about the same thing!

5. BECOME A THOUGHT LEADER

Videos allow you to showcase your level of knowledge and experience within your own industry.

Being a thought leader doesn’t just mean being an expert: it means being a helpful informant.

By using your videos to keep your audience informed about your products and manufacturing processes, you will be able to present yourselves as leaders in your field.

But you should be sharing more than just your own company content.

If your viewers have a dilemma, you should be seeking the solution that works best for them…even if it leaves you out of pocket.

It’s not a common business practice, perhaps. But if people recognize that you connected them with the right person, or the right company, or the right product, even though you didn’t have to…they will remember that.

People will flock to you if they know you’re putting them first.

Just ask sales expert Mo Bunnell, author of The Snowball Effect.

Always remember…

Being recognized as a leader brings responsibility. The videos you use must not only relay a positive message, but also be credible and contain accurate and verifiable information.

With each video you produce, you are maximizing your credibility and integrity and proving yourselves as leaders in your field.

Video means your call to action is no longer impersonal: now it’s a personal request from one friend to another.

The more prospective buyers trust you to not push a sale for your own ends, the more likely they’ll come to you when they finally are ready to buy.

The question is…can you settle in and play the long game?

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