Book More Meetings With Personalized Sales Videos

What do we talk about when we talk about sales prospecting? Usually, we mean email outreach, cold calling, direct mail, and LinkedIn networking. But these methods can be thankless; cold email response rates, for instance, are rarely over 5% (and are often closer to 1%). So what if there was a more engaging way guaranteed to grab a prospect's attention, reach more potential customers at once, and reduce production costs in the process?

Leadium recently met with Ryan O'Hara, Pitchfire founder and creative video prospecting expert, to explore why creative sales videos may be the perfect component of your next sales strategy.

As Ryan explains, sales motivational videos and personalized video messages are efficient tools for reaching customers, an excellent way to increase sales, and much easier than you may imagine to produce. Let's see how you can get filming for more business and more responses today.

What is a sales video?

Put simply, a sales video is any video content or video message aimed to attract potential customers. Think 90s TV commercials - the kind you used to see when you were a kid - with customized jingles and corny messaging. They may seem like a thing of the past, but if the point is to be remembered, they did a decent job, right?

Okay, that might not be your bag, but personalized videos have come a long way since then. They have enormous potential when it comes to business development and streamlining your sales cycle. With well-toned and well-executed sales videos, well-distributed through various channels, video prospecting has the power to transform your sales approach and increase sales.

How can sales videos help my sales process?

Though they come with their own challenges (and require a healthy dose of creativity), sales videos can have many advantages over more traditional outreach methods. Let's take a look in detail:

1. Reach a bigger audience
   - You can only email, call, or DM one person at a time, so while you can email prospect all day long, the number of prospects you can literally address is limited. One video, however, can reach dozens, hundreds, even thousands of potential customers. The beauty of video messages is that there is no upper limit to the amount of people it can reach once it's out there.
   
   - Ryan gave us a great example of this: in one afternoon, he made a 30-second jingle/commercial for Zoom, which was seen by 800 people from his target company on LinkedIn. Ever imagined making a sales call to 800 people at once?‍
2. Express your personality
   - Video messages are a fantastic way to express not only your company's personality, but yours as well. Cold emails and cold calls can often seem, well, cold. On the other hand, a well-produced sales video presents the opportunity to showcase yourself, your commitment to quality, your service, and your creativity. A good video is a perfect demo opportunity for your team.‍
3. Cut costs
   - The words 'sales video' may conjure up daunting notions of expensive production teams and costly video recording equipment. But this simply isn't the case.
   
   - Ryan points out that these days, you can get professional standard, high-quality video cameras - as well as lights and microphones - at a lower price than ever before.
   
   - What's more, your team can create videos in bulk, meaning that you can cut costs significantly. Ryan would often produce several marketing videos in one session.‍
4. Close deals
   - By reaching out to companies both privately via email/phone and publicly via LinkedIn, a video sales presentation can help your team achieve big returns and get more deals.
   ‍
   - Ryan often gets 90% response rates, 40-50% of which result in bookings. Those numbers make cold emailing look futile.

The sales video process

Creating the perfect sales video doesn't have to be a headache. Ryan's whittled it down to a fine art which allows you to break down complex concepts into achievable goals. It's all about process.

1. Identify your target company or audience
   - Of course, when video prospecting, you have to be selective. Your sales reps may use more or less the same sales strategy for every call or email they make, but this isn't the case with personalized videos.
   
   - You'll want to methodically work through your top 20-50 target companies, which, while time-consuming, will allow you to build trust, highlight your value, and explain in a way that resonates exactly what you're selling and why your prospect needs it.‍
2. Create your video(s)
   - Okay, you'll need a healthy pinch of creativity in creating a great sales video. These are no ordinary sales training videos - you want your message to stand out, resonate, and above all improve your buyer's journey and secure more deals. For that reason, video pre-production is key.
   
   - If you're struggling, outsourcing the mission to professionals like Ryan is a great way to get a head start. Alternatively, do some research online and find out what makes the best sales videos work and why. Don't forget to include customer testimonials where possible.
   
   - When it comes to filming, remember that it doesn't have to be Hollywood. We're not shooting for the Oscars, here. You can use relatively cheap, high-quality equipment and outsource editing by using a service like Fiverr.‍
3. Spread the word
   ‍With your video in the bag, the next step is to distribute it. So what's the process? How do you secure the meeting and start closing deals? Ryan breaks it down into four stages:
   
   - Upload the video to a site like Vidyard. Sites like these help you reach prospects with personalized videos that streamline your sales process.
   
   - Email decision makers and team leaders. For Ryan, that means simply reaching out and explaining that he can help them reduce the amount of cold calls and emails they have to make/send and reach more prospects more effectively.
   
   - Of course, the message will vary, but the idea won't. Whatever your sales skills, you can highlight them to the right prospects and link to the full video.
   
   - If you don't get a response, call. A personalized voice message to let prospects know what you're about and that they can watch your demo/video message (without selling too hard) can go a long way.
   
   - Upload on LinkedIn. If all else fails, Ryan will head over to the public sphere: LinkedIn. He writes a post, tags the company or business he's trying to address, and encourages users who know employees of the target company to link them in the video. He'll also keep an eye out for mutual connections with relevant sales reps/sales teams and DM them (again, without selling too hard).

Essential tips for effective sales videos

Now we've covered why and how to make great sales videos, let's take a look at some other exclusive tips that'll help you demonstrate value, reach prospects, and drive sales.

• Be persistent
  - You should approach sales video production and distribution as you would any sales process: be persistent and don't give up. Don't forget that one in three emails you send to prospects don't even reach the right inbox. If you're going to commit to high returns and more sales, commit to persistent video messaging - and always follow up!‍
• Address your prospects
  - Ryan says that effective sales videos are about their prospects, not about you or your product. Use video to address your target company and explain how you can deal with their unique problems. You want great communication and clear value propositions.
  
  - If you create a one-size-fits-all video which is just a minute-long demo of your product or an explainer video, prospects are less likely to watch because it feels like another ad rather than a focussed message designed specifically for them and their needs.‍
• Be yourself
  - Although you want to create a sales video which addresses your target audience, don't be afraid of making your personality a part of the experience. After all, people, even CEOs and sales leaders, are people and value honesty.
  
  - This doesn't have to mean channelling your 'company image'; think about what sets you apart and leverage your individuality for maximum effect.‍
• Get personal
  - As Ryan puts it: 'your prospect isn't your company anymore'.
  
  - The average person will stay at one company for 18 months, so the 90s sentiment that employees 'are' the company doesn't necessarily add up today. You want to create content that addresses individual prospects' needs and focus on selling something of value to them. Think of your video communication with them as personal.

Streamline your sales cycle with personalized videos

To summarize, sales videos represent a fantastic opportunity for sales teams to reach more people, express their personality, lower outreach and marketing costs, and initiate more deal cycles. With the right combination of vision and know-how, your team can use the power of video messages to enhance their sales strategy and get more invested leads.

So the next steps are simple: research video marketing and ideal customers, invest in some video recording equipment, produce a killer sales video, send it to the prospect, and get selling. By implementing our essential tips, your chances of reaching more customers and booking more meetings will increase dramatically.

Your next deal could be just around the corner.

Thanks again to Ryan O'Hara for sitting down with Leadium. If you'd like to know more about his world, you can find him on LinkedIn or go to Pitchfire.com.