B2B VIDEO MARKETING

B2B BENCHMARKS AND BEST PRACTICES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Executive Summary 11 Channel Usage & Success

4 Video Usage 12 Resources Used for Video Marketing

5 Video Marketing Objectives 13 Usage of Video Optimization Tactics

6 Current Video Marketing Success 14 Video Optimization Tactic Effectiveness

7 Obstacles to Video Marketing Success 15 Optimization Usage & Success

8 Video Marketing Budget 16 About Vidyard

9 Usage of Channels for Video Distribution 17 About Demand Metric & Ascend2

10 Channel Effectiveness for Videos 18 Appendix – Survey Background

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Video has become the most engaging form of communications for marketing purposes and is an increasingly important piece of
the online B2B marketing mix.

But what will be the most challenging obstacles to video marketing success in the year ahead and how will B2B marketers
overcome them?

To find out, Demand Metric in partnership with Ascend2, fielded the Video Marketing Survey and completed interviews with 398
marketing, sales and business professionals from around the world; 28% of whom are dedicated to the B2B channel and are
represented in this report. We thank these busy professionals for sharing their valuable insights with us.

This research has been produced for your use. Put it to work in your own marketing strategy planning and presentation
materials.

Clip the charts and write about them in your blog or post them on social media. Please share this research credited as
published.

- Jerry Rackley, Chief Analyst – Demand Metric

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VIDEO USAGE
Figure 1: Current and Future Video Usage for B2B Marketing

B2B Video Marketing Usage

Have used Of the B2B professionals participating in this study,

video for B2B more than two-thirds (69%) have used video for B2B
marketing
purposes 31% marketing purposes.

The remaining 31% have not begun using video in their

Have not used marketing strategies, however, they are planning to in the
video but we future.
are planning to
69% Organizations that have not used video for marketing
and are not planning to were disqualified from
participating in the remainder of the survey.

B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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VIDEO MARKETING OBJECTIVES
Figure 2: Most Important Video Marketing Objectives for the Upcoming Year

The most important objectives for B2B video marketing

Most Important Video Marketing Objectives
Increase brand awareness
Increase lead generation
Increase online engagement
Improve customer education
Improve lead nurturing
Increase website traffic
Increase conversion rate
Increase direct sales
0%
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118
5
strategies range from the easily measureable (lead
generation) to the less discernible (brand awareness).
52%
Survey participants were asked to choose all of the
45%
objectives that applied to their organization. The data from
42% these responses is displayed in Figure 2.
37% Although brand awareness is not easily measured,
35% more than half of respondents (52%) found this
objective to be the most important for the upcoming
26% year. Not surprisingly, increasing lead generation and
online engagement followed closely behind the leading
19% response.
15%
Interestingly, the objectives for increasing conversion rates
20% 40% 60% and direct sales were chosen the least for this survey
question. However, one can infer that, by way of the
other objectives on this list, video marketing initiatives
will eventually produce more conversions and
generate more revenue for the organization.
CURRENT VIDEO MARKETING SUCCESS
Figure 3: Self-Assessment Ratings of Current Video Marketing Success

Current Video Marketing Success Ratings

Participants were asked to rate their current video

15% marketing success. Figure 3 highlights the results of this
18% survey question.
Very
successful
Presently, 15% of survey participants consider video
Somewhat marketing “Very successful” at achieving important
successful objectives. Another 67% rated video marketing a less
enthusiastic, but supportive “somewhat successful”.
Not successful
Overall, 82% of participants are experiencing some sort
of success with current video marketing initiatives.
This is an extremely high majority, proving that video
67% marketing has the capacity to improve marketing strategy
and campaigns.

B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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OBSTACLES TO VIDEO MARKETING SUCCESS
Figure 4: Most Challenging Obstacles to Video Marketing Success

As video marketing becomes more imperative to

Obstacles to Video Marketing Success
Lack of budget for video
Lack of in-house resources
Creating compelling content
Lack of effective strategy
Attributing a ROI to video
Producing studio-quality video
Lack of management buy-in 12%
Distributing video content 11%
0% 10%
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118
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implement, organizations must consider the risks
associated with program planning, strategy and system
47% implementation.
45%
Participants were asked to rank the most challenging
45% obstacles they may face in their journey to video marketing
success. The data from these responses is presented in
33% Figure 4.
27%
Nearly half of study participants replied that three
26% obstacles – the lack of budget, resources and
compelling content – are almost equally challenging to
achieving video marketing success.
Again, as the need for video content increases, these
20% 30% 40% 50% barriers are becoming less and less challenging.
Products/services for video marketing are becoming more
affordable. Likewise, organizations are finding that there is
a necessity for dedicated video marketing professionals on
their payroll.
VIDEO MARKETING BUDGET
Figure 5: Video Marketing Budget Changes in the Upcoming Year

Since lack of budget was ranked as one of the biggest

Changes in Video Marketing Budget
obstacles to video marketing success, participants were
asked how their video marketing budgets will be changing
5% over the next 12-18 months.
Significant
increase Responses were collected and are displayed in Figure 5.
31%
Insignificant For 63% of participating B2B organizations, video
increase 32% marketing spending is on the rise, either slightly or
Remain the
significantly. Another third (32%) responded that their
same budget for video marketing will remain the same for the
upcoming year.
Decrease
spending Only 5% of organizations are planning to decrease
32% spending in the year ahead.

From this data, we can conclude that a lack of budget

will become less of an obstacle for the large portion of
the organizations that participated in this study.
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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USAGE OF CHANNELS FOR VIDEO DISTRIBUTION
Figure 6: Online Channels Used for Video Distribution

Participants were asked to choose all channels from the

Online Channels Used for Video Distribution
Company or brand website
Video sharing sites e.g. Youtube
Email or enewsletters
Social networks e.g. Facebook
Campaign landing pages
Professional networks e.g. LinkedIn
Company or brand blogs
Microblogs e.g. Twitter
0%
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118
given options that they utilize to distribute video content.
The results are presented in Figure 6.
81%
73% Expectedly, a great deal of respondents (81%) ranked
their own company/brand website as the most used
66% channel for distribution.
49% Following close behind company websites, video sharing
43% websites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, were chosen as the
second most used channel for distribution. Unfortunately,
42% only the most compelling and universally understood videos
become viral.
34%
Since the vast majority of videos produced for B2B
29%
marketing purposes are more informative than
50% 100% compelling, B2B organization should consider relying
more heavily on outbound channels, such as email
marketing campaigns and e-newsletters to reach
prospects and customers.

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CHANNEL EFFECTIVENESS FOR VIDEOS
Figure 7: Most Effective Channels for Video Distribution

Study participants were asked to rank video distribution

Most Effective Channels for Video Distribution
channels on their perceived levels of effectiveness.
Video sharing sites e.g. Youtube 26% Figure 7 illustrates the responses given.
Company or brand website 22%
Video sharing sites like Youtube and Vimeo are
Email or enewsletters 21% considered the most effective channel for the
distribution of B2B videos.
Campaign landing pages 9%
Social networks e.g. Facebook 8% Company/brand websites and email/e-newsletters were
also considered to be fairly effective distribution channels.
Company or brand blogs 7%
All other response options were rated relatively low in terms
Professional networks e.g. LinkedIn 5% of effectiveness.
Microblogs e.g. Twitter 2%
As mentioned, B2B marketing videos rarely go viral, as
0% 10% 20% 30% such such, marketers should be encouraged to
consider other alternatives for distributing video
content.
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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CHANNEL USAGE & SUCCESS COMPARISON
Figure 8: Comparison of Channel Usage and Relative Channel Effectiveness

Comparison of Channel Usage & Effectiveness

Distribution Channel Usage Distribution Channel Effectiveness

Company or brand website

81%
22%
73%
Both video distribution channel usage and the perceived
Video sharing sites e.g. Youtube
26% effectiveness of each channel were compared to see if any
Email or enewsletters
66% patterns appeared. The results of this comparison are
21%
shown in Figure 8.
Social networks e.g. Facebook
49%
8%
Campaign landing pages
43% As shown in the graph, there is a clear correlation
9%
between the perceived effectiveness of each video
42%
Professional networks e.g. LinkedIn
5% distribution channel and its usage. The more a channel
Company or brand blogs
34% is perceived as effective, the more it is used by B2B
7% organizations.
Microblogs e.g. Twitter
29%
2%
0% 50% 100%

B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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RESOURCES USED FOR VIDEO MARKETING
Figure 9: Description of Resources Used for Video Marketing Campaigns

Resources Used for Video Marketing Campaigns

11%
Outsource all
or most Survey participants were asked to discuss whether the
campaigns to resources used for video marketing campaigns were in-
an agency 35% house, outsourced, or a combination of both.
Combination
of outsourced The results of this inquiry is displayed in Figure 9.
and in-house
resources 65% of B2B organizations outsource all or part of their
video marketing campaigns, gaining the specialized
Use in-house
resources only 54% skills and resources not available internally.

B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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USAGE OF VIDEO OPTIMIZATION TACTICS
Figure 10: Video Optimization Tactics Used for SEO Purposes
Usage of Video Optimization Tactics
Tagging videos with search keywords
Posting videos on your company blog
Optimizing file names with keywords
Unique URLs to video website pages
Providing code to embed videos on sites 29%
Optimizing videos for sharing sites 23%
Promoting video content with PRs 21%
Posting video transcripts online 16%
0% 20%
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118
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Survey participants were asked to choose all of the
optimization tactics that are currently being used for video
marketing. Figure 10 illustrates their responses.
58%
44% Search engines love videos. For this reason, it is no
surprise that tagging videos with search keywords was
40% the most used optimization tactic by 58% of B2B
organizations.
33%
As video becomes more popular among B2B organizations,
all activities associated with optimizing video content will be
important to the success of an organization’s overall video
marketing program.
Eventually tagging videos with search keywords will
become standard practice and we will see an upward
40% 60% shift in the importance of other video optimization
tactics.
VIDEO OPTIMIZATION TACTIC EFFECTIVENESS
Figure 11: Most Effective Video Optimization Tactics
Most Effective Video Optimization Tactics
Tagging videos with search keywords
Posting videos on your company blog
Unique URLs to video website pages 13%
Optimizing file names with keywords 13%
Providing code to embed videos on sites 10%
Promoting video content with PRs 9%
Posting video transcripts online 5%
Optimizing videos for sharing sites 5%
0% 10%
B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118
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Study participants were asked to rank video optimization
tactics on their perceived levels of effectiveness.
24% Figure 11 illustrates the responses given.
20%
The two top tactics in terms of effectiveness – tagging
videos with search keyword and posting videos on your
company blog – are not unexpected, as they are also the
most used tactics.
However, there are a couple of tactics towards the bottom
of the pack that may be missed opportunities for B2B
marketers seeking higher search rankings.
Posting video transcriptions, which may be linked to
corresponding videos, and optimizing videos for
20% 30% sharing sites, are two tactics that may seem minor,
however, they may give B2B marketers the upper hand
when it comes to SEO.
OPTIMIZATION USAGE & SUCCESS COMPARISON
Figure 12: Comparison of Optimization Tactic Usage and Relative Tactic Effectiveness

Comparison of Tactic Usage & Effectiveness

Video Optimization Tactic Usage Video Optimization Tactic Effectiveness

Similar to video distribution channels, both video

58%
Tagging videos with search keywords
24% optimization tactic usage and the perceived effectiveness of
44% each tactic were compared to see if any patterns appeared.
Posting videos on your company blog
20% The results of this comparison are show in Figure 12.
Optimizing file names with keywords
40%
13%
33% There is clear correlation between the perceived
Unique URLs to video website pages
13% effectiveness of each video optimization tactic and its
Providing code to embed videos on sites
29% usage. The more a tactic is perceived as effective, the
10%
23%
more it is used by B2B organizations.
Optimizing videos for sharing sites
5%
Promoting video content with PRs
21% For example, tagging videos with search keywords is
9%
both the most used and most effective tactic for SEO
Posting video transcripts online
16%
5% purposes.
0% 20% 40% 60%

B2B Video Marketing Benchmark Survey, Demand Metric and Ascend2, June 2014, n=118

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ABOUT VIDYARD
Vidyard is a video marketing and analytics platform focused on showing clients exactly how viewers interact with their videos. This
means customers can continuously improve their marketing strategy based on measurable results.

Along with hosting video content, Vidyard reveals who’s watching your videos, and for how long with detailed viewer analytics and
engagement data you can push directly into your MAP and CRM.

For more information, visit www.vidyard.com.

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ABOUT DEMAND METRIC & ASCEND2
About Demand Metric
Demand Metric is a global marketing research & advisory firm serving a membership community of over 40,000 marketing
professionals, CEOs, and business owners with advisory services, 100+ research & benchmark reports, 20+ consulting
methodologies, 50+ training e-workshops & courses, and a library of 500+ practical tools and templates.

Using Demand Metric resources, members complete projects faster and with greater confidence, boosting respect for the
marketing team and making it easier to justify needed resources. Our 1,200+ corporate clients range from start-ups to consulting
firms to members of the Global 1000.

To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit: www.demandmetric.com.

About Ascend2
Ascend2 is a market research firm with over 50,000 research subscribers and survey panelists comprised of sales & marketing
professionals. Each month they field new research studies and generate reports that typically include 12 to 18 pages of charts and
analytical commentary.

Demand Metric partners with Ascend2 to leverage their panel of research survey panelists and develop additional benchmark
reports for community members. Learn more about Ascend2 at www.Ascend2.com.

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APPENDIX – SURVEY BACKGROUND
Surveys are conducted online from a panel of more than 50,000 Ascend2 research subscribers, representing US and
international marketing and sales decision-makers and practitioners in a range of contact roles, company types, sizes and
geographic regions.

The questionnaire used incorporates standardized research practices across all studies while maintaining a proven 3-minute
survey format. Survey findings are examined in a quantitative context by experienced analysts and reported objectively.

The Demand Metric and Ascend2 2014 Video Marketing Benchmark Report was administered online in March 2014. During this
period, 398 responses were collected that were qualified and complete enough for inclusion in the analysis.

Summarized below is the basic categorization data collected about respondents to enable filtering and analysis of the data:

Primary Role of Respondent: Employee Size:

 Owner or Officer (45%)  More than 1000 (13%)

 Marketing or Sales Management (36%)  101 to 1000 (17%)
 Marketing or Sales Staff (9%)  10 to 100 (33%)
 Other (10%)  Fewer than 10 (37%)

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 Benchmark Report

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