Some B2B tech products are a little easier to put in front of the camera than others. A physical product can be shown in action and a new piece of hardware can be filmed from every angle. But what about a cloud platform or cyber security service? These deliver significant business value, but it can be a little harder to clearly showcase what they do in a video.
The result is that businesses assume their product or service is too technical or complicated to make good video content, so they steer clear of the idea entirely. In reality, video can make these propositions far easier to grasp for potential buyers, who might otherwise work through reams of technical detail to get an idea of the benefits.
How is the big problem solved?
Technical explainers can easily lose potential buyers if they begin with long voiceover spiel about how great the product is and why they should purchase it. Buyers are usually more interested in the business problem those features help them solve. At the very beginning of the process, brands need to ask themselves whether the explainer video uses clear language and short explanations to highlight the benefits.
If the solution leads to cost or time savings for staff, potential buyers will want to know about it. Focusing on the advantages offered by specialist products makes it easier for viewers to understand how they can solve the big problem they’re facing. The result should still feel credible to technical viewers while giving less technical decision-makers enough context to understand the value.
Planning before the video is made is therefore critical. That means being clear on who the video is for, the main message they need to understand, where the content will sit in the buyer journey and what you want the viewer to do next. It also means considering from the outset where else the content could be used, from social media and sales activity to product pages and presentations.
The creative idea and the explanation should be developed together, rather than treating the visuals as something added once the technical script has already been written. Done well, all these elements help turn a technical proposition into a clear story people actually want to watch.
Show what buyers can’t see
With planning in place before the video is created, it’s time to focus on the visuals. The problem in the sector is that some of the most valuable B2B products or services sit almost entirely out of sight, whirring away in the background. Data moves between platforms, security tools monitor and identify threats and software automates tasks that previously took teams hours to complete. The problem is that it gives little for a production team to point a camera at.
Animation solves that problem by adding visuals to the invisible processes. For example, instead of explaining how a platform organises data, motion graphics can show the journey it takes to get to a refined end result.
Or rather than listing the stages of a workflow, an animation can move the viewer through them. Diagrams, icons and typography can all work together to turn an abstract technical process into something much easier to understand. Great design can add personality around subjects that might otherwise exist as technical documentation.
Keep explainer videos concise
There might be a temptation to make an explainer video carry an entire product story. Investment in creating the video might encourage brands to include every feature, use case, integration and technical advantage. But that video can’t cover everything. The strongest videos know what they need to communicate and leave some detail for later in the buyer journey.
Thinking about the content in this way also allows a business to build a larger bank of useful assets rather than relying on one video to do everything. For example, shorter edits can support social campaigns. Individual sections can be used by sales teams and animations can sit on product pages or appear in presentations. Visual elements can even be reused across wider campaign content. One complicated proposition can provide the material for far more than one explainer. Video production experts can advise on how to plan for a bank of content that offers long-term value.
Easier to understand
The best explainer videos do a little more than make a technical subject look good. Importantly, they reduce the amount of effort required to understand it. That can make it easier for potential buyers to see how a product fits their business needs, why it is relevant to the problem they’re trying to solve and whether they want to explore it further.
Speak to Whiteoaks Studio to discover how an explainer video can turn your most complicated product or service into content your customers can quickly understand.
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