5 Mistakes To Avoid While Creating your B2B Explainer Video

Does your order book not exactly overflow with orders despite having a great software product?

If so, you should stop spending money on outdated marketing methods as well as using text-based content for customer education, onboarding, and support.

How would you like to get some expert advice from people who have worked with some of the top B2B brands in the world and helped them overcome the same challenges you are currently facing using video content?  

Why videos? Look at this bit of statistics: According to a Worldstream study, videos account for one-third of all online activity.

Simply put, explainer videos provide your B2B brand with the sales and marketing power needed to attract even the most discerning of customers and retain them for a long time.

In this article, we will tell you not only what you need to do but also what not to do with your B2B explainer videos.

Let’s start with the basics:

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What is a B2B explainer video?

A B2B explainer video is a short, 1-2 minute video that explains what your company does. They are primarily used by SaaS companies, but they can be used by any B2B company.

Look at this B2B explainer video example created by Content Beta for Peoplevine, the premier membership platform for lifestyle hospitality businesses:

5 Mistakes to avoid with a B2B explainer video

Creating the best explainer videos is not enough. You need to follow certain best practices to achieve the kind of results you are hoping to achieve with them:

1. Not defining your target audience

One of the most common mistakes that businesses make when creating B2B explainer videos is not defining their target audience.

Without a clear understanding of who your target audience is, it will be very difficult to create a video that resonates with them. To avoid this mistake, take the time to research your target audience and create a buyer persona.

A buyer persona is a semi-fictionalized representation of your ideal customer, based on market research and real data about your existing customers. It helps you to understand your audience and produce content that appeals to them.

Look at this example of a B2B explainer video created by Explainer Video Hero for VWO. The target audience is clearly defined as those B2B businesses that want to measure the success of their landing page conversion rates based on criteria like free trial sign-ups or tracking revenue:

Why are buyer personas important for B2B video marketing?

Well, first of all, they help you to know who you are making your videos for. It can be easy to get lost in the sea of faceless businesses when you are trying to market your product or service, but a buyer persona helps to give you a human face to market to.

Second, buyer persona helps you to understand what kind of content will appeal to your ideal customer. What are their pain points? What are their goals? What do they like to watch? Answering these questions will help you to produce videos that are more likely to resonate with your target audience.

Once you understand your target audience, you can then create an exceptional animated explainer video that addresses these needs.

2. Not making it viewer friendly

What makes your viewers abandon your website or social media account? The simple answer is not bothering to make your content worth their while.

Why make an explainer video? Well, to explain something to the average person.

It is certainly not a means for showing off how clever you are (and showing your viewers in poor light in the bargain).

Your B2B explainer video should:

• Have a clear message: Use one central message that you want to communicate to your target audience. Keep it concise and clear to make it easily understood by your target audience.
• Not be boring: Keep your audience engaged by making the video interesting and informative. Use visuals and storytelling to keep your viewers hooked.
• Not be too long: If your video is too long or if it tries to communicate too many messages, then your target audience is likely to get confused and they may not remember your video. Keep it under 2 minutes at the most.
• Not use complex jargon: Your explainer video should avoid using complex jargon or industry-specific terms that your audience may not be familiar with.

Here is a B2B explainer video created by Content Beta for Pipe, a platform for SaaS companies to grow without dilution by financing their SaaS receivables. 30 second explainer videos are currently the most popular trend. The video explains how the product works in just 24 seconds:

3. Not focusing on the benefits

Your target audience will not be interested in your explainer video if it does not offer them any value. They will want to know what’s in it for them.

With B2B video marketing using explainer videos, it is important to focus on product benefits because other businesses that are looking for solutions to their problems need to know that your product can provide those solutions.

By focusing on product benefits, you can show businesses how they can improve their operations and bottom line. This will make them more likely to take notice of your brand and consider doing business with you. And you should be quick about it.

Watch this B2B explainer video created by one of the best explainer video company around, Explainer Video Hero for Book Like A Boss, the Booking Page builder. The video starts with a simple message ‘More Bookings, More Money’ before going on to explain the full benefits of their product:

4. Not doing post-production work

Post-production work takes your video from good to great because:

• First, post-production allows you to improve the quality of your video. You can fix any mistakes that you made during the filming process as well as enhance the video with special effects and transitions.
• Second, it allows you to tell a more cohesive story. In addition to controlling the pacing and flow of the video, you can also add any necessary voice-overs or captions. A poor voiceover will make your target audience think that your video is unreliable.
• Third, allows you to create a professional-looking video. Taking the time to polish your video in post-production can ensure that it looks its best.
• Fourth, if you want your video to be seen by your target audience, make sure it is optimized for SEO. You must include relevant keywords and phrases in your video title and description.
• Lastly, add a call to action before posting your video on a popular platform such as YouTube so that your viewers know what you want them to do after watching your video.

An example of a B2B explainer video that has undergone the post-production process. This video was created by Explainer Video Hero for In-app Chat, the instant messaging app:

5. Not promoting your video

As companies increasingly turn to video content to engage with audiences, it is more important than ever to ensure that this content is effectively promoted.

Videos are an incredibly powerful marketing tool, but they can be easily lost in the sea of content on the internet if it is not properly promoted. Promoting them on social media helps:

• Capture viewer attention and communicate messages better than just text and images can. More eyeballs could translate into more business.
• Second, viewers trust and respect a company producing quality video content. Make it easy for them to access your videos
• Third, video can help to drive traffic to a website, increase sales, and build brand awareness.

Once your B2B explainer video is created, share it on social media, video-sharing platforms, embed it on your website, and send it to your email list.

For example, a viewer visiting the Explainer Video Hero Website would have no problem accessing their portfolio because it is embedded on their website.

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Conclusion

Before wrapping up, let’s look at the benefits of B2B explainer videos:

• They are more likely to be shared because they are shorter, simpler, and easier to understand.
• They can increase conversion rates because they clarify the message and purpose of a company's product or service.
• They can be shared on YouTube, Facebook, etc., and will likely to be viewed by friends, colleagues, and family members.
• They can motivate people to visit your site, and sign up for a free trial, refer a friend, or whatever action you want them to take.