As the digital era continues to evolve rapidly, marketers and outbound sales teams are scrambling for new methods that will help them keep up with the competition. One strategy gaining popularity is personalized video marketing. This article explores the topic in detail, so you know whether or not it’s right for your business. Let’s get started!

What is personalized video marketing?

Personalized video marketing is a form of cold outreach. The central premise involves creating an engaging video that introduces yourself and your business, then sending it to targeted customers at the top of your sales funnel.

To be clear, we’re not talking about sending out a single video to a lot of people; that’s content marketing, and your potential customers will have seen it done 1000 times before. Instead, we’re talking about human-to-human, bespoke messages specifically filmed, recorded and delivered for an audience of one!

In essence, personalized video marketing is a form of account-based marketing (ABM) – in that effort is put into tailoring content to individual customers and prospects, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach as most marketers do. As a result, it is a great way to drive customer engagement and improve conversions.

What type of business is suited to using personalized videos?

Any company that wishes to develop a stronger relationship with potential consumers can benefit from personalized video.

Personalized video is perfect for high-ticket B2B companies

It’s particularly beneficial for B2B enterprises to connect with prospective customers on a deeper level.

Because it relies on quality over quantity, personalized video is a better fit for high-ticket products and services or for businesses whose customers have a high lifetime value. Particularly well-suited industries include SaaS, IT, manufacturing, creative, and professional services such as accountancy, consulting and law.

Which job roles can benefit from sending personalized videos?

Anyone responsible for business development within a company can benefit from using video personalization.

Small businesses

In small businesses, the business development role often falls on the shoulders of the business owner or Sales Manager. That means they should be the ones to record a personalized video because they are trying to build a rapport with prospective customers.

Large organisations and enterprise

This could be SDR’s, business development managers, account executives, and sales representatives in larger organisations. It could even be an entire inside sales team!

Should my personalized videos look a certain way?

Your videos should reflect the values of the brand you represent. In addition, because your personalized videos aim to build trust in you and your business with your target audience, you should aim for the highest production level you can.

That’s not to say you have to go mad! There are loads of ways to create a high-quality look for your videos without spending lots of money. This includes using good quality lighting and choosing an interesting background.

What equipment do I need to create a personalised video?

You do not need a lot of equipment to create a personalized video message. However, to improve the look of your videos, we recommend that you invest in a few key areas:

A high-quality video camera

The single most important investment you need to make for filming high-quality personal videos is a high-quality camera. Unfortunately, most built-in webcams are unsuitable because they operate poorly in low-light and have limited adjustability, causing grainy, uninspiring footage.

Instead, it is better to opt for a quality external camera. This can be a pro webcam such as a Logitech Brio or even a DSLR camera, giving you high-end results without breaking the bank.

You can also use your smartphone as a pro webcam with clever bits of software like camo by reincubate (this is one of our faves!).

Video lighting kit

It is crucial to choose the proper lighting for your video. Having good directional lighting and, if necessary, a ring light can make videos much more pleasant to watch.

External microphone

Having great audio on your personalized video is critical because nothing puts people off more than poor sound. A good-quality external microphone can help you to ensure clear sound that makes your recordings more professional.

Green screen

While not essential, a green screen can open up a world of creative possibilities for any video personalization task.

For example, you can use a green screen to help overlay your image onto a product so that you can simultaneously do a ‘show and tell’ style presentation without ever leaving the screen for the viewer. Such videos are the closest you can get to delivering a live demo remotely.

What should I say in my personalized videos?

The script for your personalized video content is critical. You are sending your video to drive action, but the best way to achieve that is by looking at the bigger picture.

Most customers are not ready to buy from you

95% of B2B buyers are not in the market for goods and services at any one time. Pushing potential customers into action is futile because it ignores the fundamental reality that most of them are not ready to buy from you.

Base your video script on a long-term view

Instead, personalized video scripts should look long-term. It should acknowledge that new customers are unlikely to be in the market and present the value you offer compellingly and succinctly. Your goal should be to build a lasting relationship, not a brief one.

Resources for creating a compelling, personalized video script

In the Wonder Leads book and accompanying downloadable resource pack, you’ll find comprehensive guides for constructing the perfect personalized video marketing script.

What makes a personalized video ‘personal’?

Personalised video marketing is a more friendly and inviting way to communicate your message. Personalization can exist in several forms, but here are some of our top recommendations:

Use the customer name in your video

A person’s name is a powerful psychological trigger. Our brains are hardwired to react when we hear our name, so personalizing by using a customers name right at the start of your video is a great way to grab their attention. You can also get a similar effect by including their company name.

Personalize the URL and thumbnail

The most important hurdle you need to overcome is getting your recipient to click and view the video. That can be a challenge in a world where users are wary of clicking on content from relatively unknown sources.

Two great ways to improve open rate and overcome ‘click reluctance’ are by using a customised thumbnail and URL which use the customer details. For example, overlaying the customer name and company on top of the video image indicates that the content of the video is specific to them. Using the customer’s name and company name in the URL has a similarly powerful effect.

Demonstrate empathy through relevant personal details

The most effective way to engage a customer in a conversation is to show that you are interested in them personally. Doing so shows that you care about them and have made an effort to understand their wants and needs.

This doesn’t mean being creepy! On the contrary, personalization means including relevant personal data that show you know something about them and their company. For example:

• Business wins (awards, projects etc.)
• Career milestones (promotions etc.)
• Revenue milestones (record growth, funding etc.)
• Experiences you’ve shared (events, education etc.)
• Interests you share (social content, hobbies)

Grab your audience’s attention by showing you care

The idea isn’t to go mad, instead to personalize one or two relevant pieces of information. That will demonstrate that you have gone over and above the usual generic marketing approach most customers receive from other marketers. It’s the best way to build a personal connection, increase engagement and build loyal customers.

Do I need to edit my personalized videos?

Any video personalization is likely to require a bit of light-touch editing, but there’s no need to panic! Editing your personalized video is a straightforward process.

Free software for editing personalized videos

There are plenty of free video editing software packages you can download from the internet. Your personal computer will likely have a version of Microsoft Movie Maker (if on a PC) or iMovie (if on a Mac) installed by default, which will be sufficient for simple edits.

Essential video editing features

The only essential feature you need is the ability to trim your footage which means cutting out the bits you don’t need at the beginning and the end. Background noise reduction is also a big help (especially if you work in a noisy environment).

Feature-rich video editing software

If you are a more confident user and want access to even more features, programs like Adobe Premiere or Filmora can give you access to state-of-the-art functions. While not essential, they can help you to take your personalized videos to another level.

How long does it take to create a personalised sales video message?

A typical personalized video message should be somewhere between 1 – 2 minutes long. Once you have practised and become comfortable with your basic script, you can create a personalized video message in a single take. That means you can easily record 10-15 videos in less than half an hour, so they do scale!

You’ll then need to factor in a bit of time to edit your videos, create your landing pages and send them out to prospects, but with the right software, this can be a rapid process.

How should I send my personalized videos?

While it is possible to attach a personalized video directly to an email or messaging platform, we advise against it. That’s because it’s almost impossible to measure the effectiveness of your personalized video campaign.

The best marketers measure

If you simply message a video file to a customer, you have no way of knowing whether they have viewed it or how many times they have played it. Personalized video marketing requires an investment of time, so you must understand whether you are spending it wisely. Unfortunately, you won’t know that unless you take steps to monitor the engagement you receive.

Use a personalized landing page

The best way to present your personalized videos is by embedding each one into its unique landing page. Not only does this make it possible to monitor the engagement of your video campaign by measuring landing page visits, but it presents the opportunity to create an even more personalized experience for the customer.

Where should I host my personalized video messages?

There are several options available to you for hosting your personalized video. Which one you choose will be dependent on the technical resources and budget at your disposal.

Personalized videos embedded on your website

You can host videos on your website by creating new functionality to add unique landing pages for each recipient. This offers excellent continuity and builds brand recognition. However, it generally requires support from a web developer, and it can make administration complicated.

Adding personalized videos to YouTube

It is possible to record a video and upload it directly to a video content platform like YouTube as a private video. However, videos can easily find themselves prefaced by unwanted ads, which will inevitably turn many customers off.

It is also a very distracting platform. You want your audience to be 100% focused on your video, not the latest trending cat videos!

Dedicated personalized video marketing platform

Rather than video content platforms like YouTube, Vimeo or Wistia, you will have far more success using a dedicated, personalized video marketing platform to send videos.

There are several providers out there that offer services specifically geared up to personalized video messaging. These include BombBomb, Bonjoro, Vidyard, Hippo Video, Idomoo and Pirsonal, to name but a few.

Socialaser by Wonder Leads

Wonder Leads also have a personalized video marketing platform called Socialaser. It is the only system specifically designed to implement our unique approach to lead generation, proven to be nearly 20x more effective than cold calling. You can get started for FREE.

How do I send a personalized video?

You can send personalised videos through any digital channel, including email, messaging and social media.

However, because they operate on a quality over quantity basis, it is crucial to focus on permission-based routes – in other words, where the recipients have already given you the green light to be part of their world.

Focus on sending videos to first-degree social connections

With that in mind, sending videos to first-degree social contacts is most effective because they have already given you initial permission to be part of their network.

LinkedIn is an ideal platform because it is the largest professional network globally, and therefore has the highest concentration of potential customers for you to explore.

Can you send personalized videos using email?

You can. However, we advise you proceed with caution, specifically in circumstances where you’ve had a previous email conversation with that person.

Never cold email someone with a personalized video message. The open rates for a cold email are terrible, but most importantly, the click-through rates are less than 3%! That means that your recipients won’t see 97 out of 100 videos you send.

What results can I expect from video personalization?

Personalizing videos are an incredibly effective way to increase engagement in your outbound marketing campaigns.

A study by Wonder Leads of 120 personalized video messages sent to previously uncontacted board-level executives in the UK manufacturing sector through LinkedIn showed a view rate of 55%, a response rate of 44% and a lead generation rate of 10.8%. Results proved to be nearly 20x more effective than cold calling!

How can I make my personal video marketing messages even more effective?

Any personalized video message that you send to a prospect will be a vast improvement on the usual generic rubbish they receive. However, there are ways to take your videos to another level and raise your response and lead generation rates to new heights.

The Wonder Leads UP™ programme blends creativity, positivity and strategy with personalized video to help your business rise above the noise. You can learn more here.

Thank you (and next steps)!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this guide to personalized video marketing and have been able to get a sense of the benefits it can offer.

If you are looking for a proven framework to guide you through your personalized video marketing journey, then check out the award-winning book ‘Wonder Leads’ by Dave Holloway or take a look at our training options.