Last updated on 10th January 2024
In this article we’re going to take a look at how to increase sales with video prospecting in 2024.
Video is often used as a marketing tool to increase brand awareness and capture the attention of potential customers. But it can also be a great tool for your sales team, helping them to build a rapport with their leads and bring new clients on board faster.
According to our latest Video Marketing Statistics, 30% of companies say they make sales videos and 87% say video has helped them to directly increase sales.
Plus, a Vidyard report found that almost 90% of sales professionals use video to qualify leads, engage prospects, or influence deals.
What is video prospecting? (A definition)
Video prospecting is the process of reaching out to potential customers using a video message. This is opposed to (or in addition to) other outreach methods, such as emailing or calling.
It’s a very simple method that can yield powerful results, putting you head and shoulders above the competition when it comes to capturing the attention of potential customers.
Why you should be video prospecting in 2024
There are a number of benefits to using video prospecting as a sales strategy. For starters, it allows you to build rapport and establish trust with potential customers more quickly than traditional methods like cold-calling or emailing.
It also gives you the opportunity to make your leads feel valued. By taking the time to make a personalised video directed just towards them, you’re showing prospective customers that you care.
According to a report by Evergage, 99% of respondents say that personalisation positively impacts customer relationships, so this aspect of video prospecting is especially important.
Another reason to give video prospecting a try in 2024 is that it gives you the opportunity to show off your personality and humanise your brand. This is important in today’s climate, where people are increasingly buying from brands they know and trust.
A study by Edelman on brand trust found that customers are 57% more likely to purchase a new product or service from a brand they fully trust.
How to make a prospecting video in 5 steps
1. Research your prospect
The first step towards making a successful prospecting video is researching your prospect. By finding out as much about them as you can, you can personalise your video in a way that appeals to them.
This is a strategy used by such video prospectors as Kate Harrison, HR Director at Car Donation Centers.
Harrison shared of their “Great success with video prospecting. We’ve sent over 400 videos in the past 4 months. We’re seeing an 80% open rate and 20% response rate. We’re closing 25% of people who’ve watched the video.”
Harrison expanded to explain that researching prospects on social media to find pain points is a large part of this success.
She explains, “For example, I just created a video for the VP of Marketing at AddThis about getting more likes on Facebook. She had tweeted about wanting more Facebook likes earlier this year. I also discovered that she came from ShareThis which is another social sharing platform. So I was able to tie in some things from her past experience as well as this current situation.”
By using social media to your advantage, you can find out everything you need to know to stand out in your prospect’s inbox.
2. Decide what type of video is best
So far when talking about video prospecting, we’ve mainly been referring to personalised greeting videos.
These types of videos are a great way to introduce yourself and start building a rapport. However, there are other types of videos that may be a better fit to send to your prospects.
One example is a testimonial video. If you have testimonial videos to hand then it will certainly help to tag those at the end of your prospecting emails!
Testimonial videos, like the one above, can help build trust and encourage leads to convert. In fact, 2 out of 3 people are more likely to make a purchase after watching a testimonial video demonstrating how a business, product, or service has helped someone like them.
You can find out more about this type of video on the Wyzowl testimonial video services page.
Another great type of prospecting video to send out is a demo of your product or software. This allows you to show your product in action, pique the interest of potential customers, and ultimately show off the value that your company provides.
This strategy was used by Tristan Harris, Demand Generation Marketing Director at Thrive Agency.
While Harris didn’t have a software or product to demo, he demonstrated the value that the agency could provide to prospective customers by presenting them with an inbound marketing assessment via video.
According to Harris:
“We’re constantly examining ways to enhance our sales reps’ performance…And since videos are a trendy content setup, we wanted to witness if adding that to our conventional outreach mix could benefit. We included this video to intrigue prospects by showing them what they could expect if they scheduled a meeting. 16 percent of the opportunities created that month came from the video — a promising result.”
3. Write a script
When you know what type of video you’re going to create and who you’re going to send it to, the next step is to write a script – if you need one!
If you’re creating a prospecting video from scratch, bespoke for each new lead, then it can be helpful to create a master script that you can tweak and personalise for each prospect.
A script will also ensure you hit all the right notes and make the most impact with your video. If you’re not sure where to start with scriptwriting, check out this article: How to Write a Video Script (Template Included).
4. Hit record!
Step 4: record your video! This is pretty self explanatory but there are a few different ways to record your prospecting video.
We cover this in more detail below in the section: 3 Great video prospecting tools to try.
5. Writing compelling accompanying copy
You could be forgiven for thinking that “hit record” would be the last step when creating a prospecting video, but the final step is to ensure that your video is accompanied by some compelling copy.
After all, even after creating your video, you still have the hurdle of getting prospects to press play. A brief and intriguing description that introduces your company and explains what the video is about should hopefully be enough to encourage people to hit play!
4 Great video prospecting tools to try
1. Soapbox
Soapbox (from Wistia) is a free webcam and screen recording tool for Chrome. It allows you to quickly and easily record, share, and edit videos – all by yourself!
All you need to do is download the extension and it will record your webcam and screen simultaneously. With the editing software, you can easily transition from split screen and full screen layouts to make the most professional video for your needs.
You can also upgrade to one of their more extensive plans if you want to track and measure the results of your prospecting videos.
2. Loom
Loom is another webcam and screen recording tool. Using the Chrome Extension you can create a video with Loom on any device.
All you need to do is record your video and then share the link generated. You can share the link with anyone and they’ll be able to view the video without logging in or creating an account.
Even better, your video recipients can add time stamped comments and emoji reactions directly onto the video.
3. Bonjoro
Bonjoro is an all-in-one video platform that can help you convert more leads, engage more customers, and grow your business. The platform makes it easy to create personalised videos and branded templates for different use cases.
It’s similar to Soapbox in that you can record your screen and your webcam, then edit the footage together before sharing a video link or embedding videos directly into your emails.
What’s more, Bonjoro can link up with your existing tools so you can be notified to send your prospecting videos at the perfect time.
4. Vidyard
Vidyard is yet another great Chrome extension that allows you to create engaging videos that can help you onboard new clients.
With Vidyard you can create customised landing pages for your video and add call-to-action buttons.
You can also see exactly when prospects watched your video and whether or not they clicked the call-to-action button.
7 Video prospecting best practices
1. Be genuine
Treat your video exactly like a face-to-face conversation. Be genuine and show that you’re really interested in your lead and eager to work with them.
2. Make it personalised
Do not send out a blanket video to all of your prospects. While it can seem like a tempting way to save a bit of time, it will probably just turn a lot of leads away.
People can tell when they’re receiving a generic sales pitch and when they’re getting your undivided attention. And the latter goes so much further. According to research by McKinsey & Company, personalisation drives a 10-15% revenue lift.
3. Keep it short
Make your video concise. Attention spans are shrinking and people are busy, so making your video as short as possible is the best way to ensure it’s seen by your intended recipient.
If you’re struggling to keep your prospecting videos short, seriously consider what you need to say in this initial stage and what can wait for a later conversation.
4. Include a Call-to-Action
Every video, regardless of the use case, should end with a call-to-action. A direction to point viewers in after they’ve finished watching.
For video prospecting, this can be as simple as “give me a call”. But despite the simplicity, it’s still vital to include in your video.
If you’ve just delighted a potential customer by sending them a personalised video, you really want to capitalise on that as soon as possible to increase your chances of conversion.
5. Include “video” in the subject line
To give your video the best chance of being watched, you need to let your prospects know about it as soon as you can.
A subject line along the lines of “Hey! [NAME], I made a video for you” could help you get off to a great start. It may also help you to know that including the word “video” in a subject line can increase open rates by 6%!
6. Make eye contact with the camera and smile
If you’re recording a video of yourself talking to the camera, treat the lens as you would treat your prospective customer. That means making eye contact, smiling, and doing anything else that will make them feel special and like they have your full attention!
7. Use an attention grabbing thumbnail
Just like a catchy subject line, an attention grabbing thumbnail is going to give you more of a chance of your leads hitting that play button!
Don’t just go with a randomly generated frame from the video. Create an image that is clear and enticing. This article covers some best practices and great thumbnail creator tools: YouTube Thumbnail Size Guide (Best Practices, Top Examples).
3 Video prospecting success stories
1. HubSpot
HubSpot wanted to see if adding videos to their traditional outreach mix could help them increase sales opportunities.
They had 3 hypotheses to test:
- 1. That video does not hinder the activity levels of sales reps
- 2. That video is more engaging than emails or phone calls
- 3. Videos will be more efficient at creating opportunities than emails or phone calls
And then they got to work! They ran the test over 45 days with 5 sales reps and they found that video helped them achieve 4x the number of sales opportunities!
2. Dynamic Signal
A top-performing sales rep at the company communications platform Dynamic Signal was looking for a way to increase her conversion rate and still hit quota without working 12 hour days, 6 days a week.
So she tried video prospecting, sending out 55 personalised videos to her prospects. In each video she included a whiteboard with the prospect’s name written on it.
The result?
A 12.75% response rate, 5x the number of meetings booked, and an incredible 200% meeting to opportunity conversion!
3. ReviewTrackers
This review management software company used Vidyard to transform their 9 person sales team into a video prospecting powerhouse in just 60 days.
As soon as they started sending personalised videos out to prospects they started to see positive results. By the end of the first two weeks using video, the company had a 22% increase in open rates, a 92% increase in reply rates, and they had landed 4 new customer meetings.
Final thoughts
Sales is always going to be competitive, so anything you can do to stand out and differentiate yourself is going to make your life easier.
Check out our Sales Videos page for more information about the sales videos we create.
