In the U.S., more than 5,000 convention and visitor bureaus (CVBs), destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and regional tourism associations drive the travel business. These groups don’t just promote places; they power local economies and act as primary tourism marketing engines for them.

Tourism is a multi-billion-dollar industry. For example, New York City Tourism + Conventions reported an estimated $79 billion total economic impact in 2024: more than U.S. steel output and comparable to the entire video game industry.

Today, destination marketing goes beyond ads. It’s about immersing travelers in an experience before they book. That’s why Visit Bentonville, the destination marketing organization for Bentonville, Arkansas, curates a lifestyle through cinematic visuals and authentic local voices.

A Conversation with Kalene Griffith, CEO of Visit Bentonville

In Episode Five of the Business Video Playbook, we spoke with Kalene Griffith, who has led Visit Bentonville since 2005. Under her leadership, Bentonville has evolved from a Walmart company town into a nationally recognized hub for cycling, art, food, and hospitality.

Griffith explained how video storytelling connects with travelers, elevates local businesses, and reinforces Bentonville’s vision as a lifestyle destination.

“Our job is to collaborate with everyone. We sit down with our partners and define shared goals for a video within five key pillars: cycling, arts, culinary, outdoor recreation, and medical and wellness tourism.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

To discover Griffith’s formula to grow tourism in Bentonville, watch our full interview now:

5 Tourism Video Marketing Lessons from Visit Bentonville

1. Lead with Authentic, People-First Storytelling

What makes Bentonville’s videos resonate is the people behind the experiences. Local voices like professional mountain biker Anneke Beerten, a chef sharing a dish, or an artist explaining a mural. These people and their passions create emotional connections that polished ads can’t.

2. Collaborate for a Content Engine

Instead of owning every attraction, Visit Bentonville amplifies local partners. Chefs, shop owners, and event organizers all become storytellers. This collaboration multiplies marketing impact and strengthens the local economy.

“For us, it’s driving traffic to our community. For them, it’s driving traffic to their business directly.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

3. Use Video as a Sensory Bridge

Video brings the destination to life. Viewers can see, hear, and almost feel Bentonville’s trails, art, and food. In a crowded market, cinematic imagery paired with authentic voices makes travelers want to enter the story.

“The video creates this experience where you want to feel and see.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

4. Take a Multi-Channel Approach

Visit Bentonville blends social media, web, PR, print, and digital advertising and invests in grassroots education so locals can share the story, too.

“It’s our job to ensure that our hotels, restaurants, retailers, and residents all understand the story we’re trying to tell.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

5. Build Accessibility and Inclusivity Into the Brand

With 80% of bike riders being casual participants, Visit Bentonville highlights families and first-time visitors over extreme athletes. Infrastructure like the wheelchair-accessible Razorback Greenway signals that the city is open and welcoming to all.

“We may want to experience the trails, but we’re not all going to fly through the air.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

Bentonville: A Vision Beyond Tourism

From the Kohler Mountain Bike Preserve with its trail-only coffee shop to The Ledger, the world’s first bikeable office building, Bentonville blends recreation with everyday life. Visit Bentonville’s videos show that this is more than a trip; it’s a way of life.

Bentonville proves that destination marketing is most powerful when it tells a community’s story through authentic video storytelling, collaboration, and inclusivity.

Watch the full interview with Kalene Griffith to learn how Visit Bentonville uses video to turn visitors into believers.

If you’d like a quick summary of the main points and answers to common questions about tourism and destination marketing, see the FAQ section below.

Episode 5: Growing Tourism with Storytelling with Kalene Griffith

This episode offers helpful insights and practical tools:

• Downloadable guide: Tourism Video Marketing Playbook
• Full interview transcript
• Ready-to-share FAQ for internal stakeholders

Watch The Full Interview

FAQ: Tourism & Destination Marketing with Visit Bentonville

1. What is a destination marketing company?

A destination marketing company (DMC) partners with cities, regions, or attractions to promote them as travel destinations. Unlike a traditional travel agency, a DMC focuses on branding and storytelling that inspire people to visit, stay longer, and support local businesses.

2. How does tourism destination marketing work?

Tourism destination marketing connects travelers to experiences before they arrive. It uses tools like video storytelling, social media, PR, and community partnerships to showcase a destination’s culture, attractions, and lifestyle. The goal is to spark emotional connections that lead to trips and visitor spending.

3. What services do destination marketing organizations provide?

Destination marketing organizations (DMOs) provide tourism destination marketing services such as:

• Video production and storytelling campaigns
• Digital and social media marketing
• Community collaboration and co-marketing
• Hospitality education and training
• Event promotion and PR

These services help align a community’s identity with its tourism brand.

4. Why does Bentonville’s story matter in tourism marketing?

Bentonville, Arkansas, transformed from a Walmart company town into a nationally recognized hub for cycling, arts, food, and hospitality. Its success shows how a shared vision plus authentic storytelling can reposition a destination and attract new types of visitors.

5. How does Visit Bentonville use video marketing?

Visit Bentonville uses cinematic visuals and authentic local voices to make travelers feel like they already belong. Videos feature chefs, artists, athletes, and business owners, creating a people-first story that builds trust and emotional connection.

“The video creates this experience where you want to feel and see.”

—Kalene Griffith

6. What role does collaboration play in destination marketing?

Collaboration is central to Visit Bentonville’s strategy. The DMO works with chefs, artists, shop owners, and event organizers to create content that benefits both the city’s brand and local businesses.

“For us, it’s driving traffic to our community. For them, it’s driving traffic to their business directly.”

—Kalene Griffith, CEO, Visit Bentonville

7. Why is authenticity important in tourism marketing?

Authenticity builds credibility. Travelers trust locals more than ads. Visit Bentonville creates insider perspectives that inspire action by spotlighting real people, like professional mountain bikers or chefs sharing a dish.

8. How do accessibility and inclusivity fit into destination marketing?

Bentonville’s videos highlight that the city is welcoming to families, first-time visitors, and casual riders, not just elite athletes. Infrastructure like the Razorback Greenway, a 40-mile wheelchair-accessible paved trail, ensures everyone feels included in the city’s tourism story.

9. What channels are most effective for destination marketing?

Visit Bentonville uses a multi-channel approach: social media, digital ads, PR, print, and grassroots education. They also train local residents and businesses to understand the story, so the whole community reinforces the brand.

10. What can other destinations learn from Bentonville’s success?

• Lead with authentic storytelling: People connect with people more than scenery.
• Collaborate with local partners: Shared goals create shared wins.
• Think multi-channel: Blend digital, PR, social, and grassroots education.
• Prioritize inclusivity: Market to casual visitors as much as experts.
• Use video as a sensory bridge: Show what makes your destination come alive.

Want to tell your destination’s story with impact?

Start your free trial of SproutVideo today and bring your community to life through video.

The post Tourism Marketing Through Video: How Destination Storytelling Drives Local Economies appeared first on SproutVideo.

We explore six real-world use cases showing how companies use login protection to secure valuable video content while delivering seamless customer experiences. 

Whether for monetization or high-level security, these insights will help protect your content and strengthen your video strategy.

Use Case One: How Professional Services Firms Empower Clients Through Secure Access to Education 

Ray Spence, a senior consultant with Decision Frameworks, knows that continued training and use of their decision-making software helps his clients throughout their careers. 

“Our training helps clients not just use the software but also think differently and solve problems in a new way.”

— Ray Spence, Senior Consultant, Decision Frameworks

Decision Frameworks bundles its annual software license with consulting and training services upon the commencement of an engagement. After a year of access, the software license becomes available for renewal. 

The B2B software industry generally sees a 90 to 95% software renewal rate, vital for sustained growth. 

In a proactive approach to maximize software renewal and provide value to their clients, Decision Frameworks looked to educational video content.

Using Secure Video Hosting for Client Support

Spence led a client support and educational initiative to create videos bundled with their software license agreement. The videos demonstrate how to use the company’s software and reinforce the value of the decision-making methodology.

“The videos are one of the tools we can use to maintain communication with our clients throughout the year.”

— Ray Spence, Senior Consultant, Decision Frameworks

Spence and team upload the videos with login protection and permission controls to manage access and reduce the risk of competitors accessing their video training and software demonstrations. Every software user gets unique login credentials to access the main tutorial videos. Their approach to security is a huge step up from generic passwords or randomized links without requiring extensive additional privacy investments. 

Reducing client friction is an essential part of Decision Frameworks’ ethos. SproutVideo’s login protection features make it easier for clients to view content without creating an account.    

“We wanted to avoid being in a situation where our clients had to register and create an account to access the videos. That’s too much of a burden.”

— Ray Spence, Senior Consultant, Decision Frameworks

Login protection for each viewer also means the Decision Frameworks consultants can view individual viewer data. This provides concise insights unavailable when multiple users log in using the same credentials. The difference is critical for personalizing calls with clients. For example, accessing individual viewer video engagement metrics helps consultants identify sticking points and tailor consulting calls. 

“This granular insight is crucial for tailoring support and improving the overall effectiveness of our training, as it allows us to see how each user interacts with the videos, including which sections they find most valuable or challenging.”

— Ray Spence, Senior Consultant, Decision Frameworks

Use Case Two: How Media Companies Enable Secure and Flexible Video Sharing

How do media companies, filmmakers, and producers securely share pre-release content for review with various stakeholders? 

One solution comes from Dutch documentary and commercial filmmaker Manfred Poppenk. He uses login protection to protect and share his pre-release video content with select stakeholders, such as directors, producers, and sponsors. His workflow demands quick, secure, and easy access to content to ensure an efficient editing process.

Protecting and Managing the Distribution of Pre-Release Content

Poppenk’s primary workflow is to set up login protection with unique passwords for each stakeholder and share a link so they can see only their assigned videos. This feature is crucial because it lets him control who can access the video. He also applies additional security controls depending on the scenario. For example, he may enable downloads for some clients and disable them for others. 

“With login protection, I can allow many people to view the same video with multiple permissions.”

— Manfred Poppenk, Filmmaker

Poppenk created a branded video website with a login screen, email capture forms, and easy access to his videos. The back end, visible only to him, ensures simple video organization, access controls, analytics, and management.

Using video analytics, Poppenk tracks viewer engagement, including which sections are rewatched, how much of the video is viewed, and how often it’s played. These insights help him optimize content and monitor for unauthorized activity. The insights also help Poppenk cut 30% off the time it takes to finish the editorial review.

“I can see how many times a certain bit of the video has been rewatched, suggesting that section has an issue. Or, if a client stops watching once the credits start rolling, I can point out that they missed a funny blooper. So there will be no surprises for the client, which saves me time later on.”

— Manfred Poppenk, Filmmaker

Use Case Three: How Financial Services Simplify Executive-Level Pre-Sales with Video 

Simplicity Keystone offers an executive benefit solution, particularly retirement planning, for highly compensated executives within nonprofit organizations (e.g., hospitals and credit unions). 

Simplicity Keystone financial advisors present their benefits program to executives during open enrollment events. Before presenting, they run campaigns to distribute video material designed to pre-educate the executives on complex financial solutions. Then, after the presentation, they hold one-on-one meetings with interested executives. 

The challenge is making it easy for executives to consume the pre-meeting video content. It’s a challenge worth solving because executives who understand Keystone’s unique benefits are more likely to elect their packages during one-on-one meetings with an advisor.  

Another challenge is to protect highly confidential video content from unauthorized access. 

“Our biggest concern is that our content and concept might end up in the hands of a competitor. We can’t guarantee someone won’t do that, so our best protection is to keep key pieces of our IP login protected. Our process is to create credentials for potential clients via a unique email and password.”  

— Michael Falkenstein, Partner, Simplicity Group

An Efficient and Secure Video Production and Distribution Workflow

Simplicity Keystone produces short, modular videos to communicate solutions and pre-educate executives. The videos typically total around 12 minutes across multiple segments and help advisors avoid repeatedly having the same discussions, freeing time for personalized discussion.

“If we can avoid engaging in repetitive presentations by simply putting it into a video, it frees up our advisors and sales staff to focus on the things we do really well.” 

— Michael Falkenstein, Partner, Simplicity Group

Keystone customizes a video landing page for clients, tagging and organizing videos for easy navigation. They enhance security with login protection, IP tracking, and view count limits.

Simplicity Keystone sends marketing emails during open enrollment to encourage one-on-one meetings with advisors. Those who schedule receive pre-education video access 48 hours before the meeting. Advisors meet individually with attendees after presenting at enrollment events, using video engagement data to tailor discussions. For example, repeated views of certain sections indicate areas of interest or confusion. Analytics also helps detect unauthorized activity.

“We’ve seen a 15-20% improvement in close rates by sharing the pre-meeting video content with executives.” 

— Michael Falkenstein, Partner, Simplicity Group

Use Case Four: Continuing Education and Certification in the Building Industry

Commercial and residential building codes protect people and property from structural instability, fire risk, and other dangerous conditions. Building codes are constantly changing and developing to account for new materials, construction techniques, technology, and climate change. Bob Shaw, a consulting engineer, started Steel Structures in 1990 to provide consulting and training to professional inspectors within the steel building industry.

His clients often include inspectors who travel to a job site. Many of them require continuing education to renew their certifications in steel construction. His classes focus on the best technical practices and code requirements for steel construction work.   

“In the early days, I traveled extensively, carrying carousels and slide projectors for seminars at various hotels, hoping for attendee turnout. Over time, as technology evolved, I transitioned to using digital projectors and a laptop, but found the travel exhausting.”

— Bob Shaw, Jr., PE, President of the Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc.

A Pivot to Online Video Training for Continuing Education and Certification

Shaw shifted to live online training to reduce time on the road and eventually moved to recorded content. That’s when he discovered SproutVideo’s secure hosting platform to protect his video content. He began offering recorded sessions online, the same style and content as a live seminar.

“Our videos give the feeling of a live performance with storytelling and technical knowledge sharing.”

— Bob Shaw, Jr., PE, President of the Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc.

Shaw hosts his fee-based classes with SproutVideo and archives them for easy customer access. Shaw manages the course selection and online ordering through the Steel Structures website. When a student registers for an online order, Shaw matches the registration email with a unique video login password for secure access. The password applies to each seminar purchased. Students receive a confirmation email with the password credentials and a link to the courses hosted on SproutVideo. 

“We’ve provided around 17,000 hours of training since beginning our online seminars. All of that without leaving the office or incurring travel or meeting room expenses. Just the cost of SproutVideo.”

— Bob Shaw, Jr., PE, President of the Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc.

Students must earn a 70% score or better to pass. When a student does not pass, Shaw leverages individual user video analytics to validate if a student has watched all of the videos or rewatches particular sections of a video. Steel Structures issues a certificate of completion only when they have passed the exam.   

“For students that struggle, we can check to see if they watched the videos or attempted taking the exam without viewing all of the training materials. We can also check to see if a student gets stuck on a specific question.”

— Bob Shaw, Jr., PE, President of the Steel Structures Technology Center, Inc.

Use Case 5: How a Research Institute Scales Its Global Reach Through Protected Video Content

Before COVID, Schothorst Feed Research (SFR), a specialized research institute in the Netherlands, conducted in-person client training. Their customers historically paid for this training content as part of their consultancy hours agreement. With restricted travel during the pandemic, streaming webinars became a primary way to deliver knowledge and consultancy, which SFR clients use throughout the year. 

“A big advantage of the COVID period was realizing that we could reach the world now instead of only our Dutch customers.”

— Karin van de Belt, L&D Product Manager, SFR

Today, FSR records weekly webinars and invites clients to register. Twenty to thirty unique companies attend each session. The sessions are archived, and over 500 videos are now available for private viewing. 

SFR customers receive a set number of consultancy hours each year. With video, SFR can provide industry knowledge in formats beyond direct consultancy. For example, one consultancy hour is applied to a one-hour video webinar. 

Clients appreciate the convenience and replayability video offers. They also value the ability to apply unused consultancy hours to engaging with video webinars. 

Securely Scaling Video Content Engagement 

SFR considered using YouTube to host and share its video content, but protecting it from unauthorized views was essential. According to Karin van de Belt, a Product Manager in Learning & Development for SFR, YouTube’s private video-sharing option was insufficient to restrict access.

“YouTube is nice if you want to share things with the whole world and collect likes from people. But that was not our purpose.”

— Karin van de Belt, L&D Product Manager, SFR

To protect their proprietary video content from unauthorized access, they share their webinars securely using login protection and restrict the number of views to prevent widespread distribution. 

“Since our content is part of our consultancy model, protecting the videos ensures that only paying customers can view them. We’ve found that it’s essential to protect the content behind a login.”

— Karin van de Belt, L&D Product Manager, SFR

SFR improved efficiency and reduced costs by replacing in-person training with recorded webinars, eliminating travel and repeated sessions. The video program also expanded its market, allowing secure, gated video content to reach customers globally.

“The return on investment for building our video training content has been quick and significant. Our main benefit has been increased customer satisfaction due to our online services. The percentage of used consultancy hours has increased from 75% to 93%.”

— Karin van de Belt, L&D Product Manager, SFR

Use Case Six: How a Private Equity Firm Shares Highly Confidential Financials with Investors

One of SproutVideo’s customers, a private equity (PE) firm, records its annual general meeting with investors. Their goal is to archive and share the private meeting for investors unable to attend. Like most financial institutions, it operates within a regulated environment. As such, it has a fiduciary responsibility and must comply with regulations, including how to store and share sensitive financial video data. 

If confidential financials are leaked, a company has much to lose. These losses include customer trust, confidential IP and proprietary business strategies, and competitive advantage. 

“When confidential financial information is disseminated to unintended recipients, it slips from our control, potentially leading to negligence. We have a fiduciary duty to protect financials included in our private video content.” 

— Customer, IT Manager, PE Firm

Our customer, the IT Manager for the PE firm, wears many hats, but his primary focus is to implement secure, reliable, and accessible technology solutions, with an increasing emphasis on security. He also establishes minimum security standards and best practices to share with portfolio companies. 

Implementing Access Management to Protect Video Content

The PE firm needed to restrict access to its recorded annual general meetings and limit authorized viewers’ ability to share access credentials. To that end, they enabled access management features in their SproutVideo security settings, including: 

• Login protection
• Limitations on the number of views per login
• Viewing date range settings. 

This level of security helps the PE firm ensure that only authorized viewers can access the videos, protecting their sensitive financial data.

Although only used in one-off situations, the PE firm uses viewer analytics to track and confirm authorized video content access and detect potential violations.  

“With login protection, we provide a username and password, and only the person with that credential can log in and access the video. We could then limit access by a stated view count and date range. So if they hadn’t watched the video within a certain time, it would expire, and they’d have to request additional access.” 

— Customer, IT Manager, PE Firm

Conclusion

We hope you found value in these six use cases for video login protection. Businesses across industries, from tech startups to financial firms, easily protect video content by leveraging the video security solutions discussed. 

The study also offers tips for using video management tools to organize, present, share, and analyze video content in a secure, branded environment—from webinars to media projects.

Businesses can optimize their content strategy and stakeholder interactions by tracking key engagement metrics such as repeated views, sections viewed, and downloads. Continuous access monitoring further enhances control and security, ensuring only authorized viewers have access.

To learn more about video security, creating custom video websites, and viewer engagement insights, try SproutVideo for a free 30-day trial. No credit card is required, and there are no strings attached. 

The post 6 Ways to Protect and Share Video Content with Confidence appeared first on SproutVideo.

Yet simply adding product videos to your website and social media accounts doesn’t necessarily make them effective.

Video marketing, especially for B2B products and services, requires a strategy with clear goals, a winning customer experience, and contextual market understanding. 

The right B2B strategy will leverage video content for lead capture, relationship building, customer support, and sales. 

In this complete guide, we’ll walk through every step — researching, planning, budgeting, and executing — of an effective B2B video marketing strategy, with examples for brainstorming. 

What Is B2B Video Marketing?

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing sells products and services to other businesses and organizations. B2B video marketing is a marketing strategy that uses video throughout the customer journey to inform, educate, and assist current and prospective customers. 

B2B marketing focuses on the pain points, desires, and solutions needed for businesses and organizations. These marketing strategies balance the needs of the business and the wants of the decision-maker. 

A formal approach may feel natural, but B2B sales still hinge on building connections. Instead of old-school salesmanship, foster authentic relationships through knowledge sharing and genuine care. This is why video is why it is becoming standard across industries. It is highly effective at establishing trust with the viewer.

Why Use Video for B2B Marketing?

A potential customer can absorb much more information from a 15-second video than in 15 seconds of reading text. But the benefits of video marketing go beyond information retention.

• 59% of B2B decision-makers prefer video over text when learning about a product.
• 92% of video marketers cite a good return on investment (ROI) for video content.
• 70% of B2B marketers say videos convert better than other types of content.
• 4.8% is the average conversion rate for websites with video (compared to 2.9% without).
• 70% of B2B researchers and buyers watch videos during their path to purchase.
• 60% increase in response rates when using video for sales outreach.

How to Create a B2B Video Marketing Strategy

1. Create Clear Marketing Goals

A marketing strategy is a cohesive approach with a theory of success. Assuming it is successful, what are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will indicate its success?

Every KPI should be measurable, specific, and include a deadline. Here are some general examples:

• Increase trial conversions from 5% to 8% by Q4 2024. 
• Secure two new enterprise memberships a month.
• Reduce customer churn 2% month-over-month by end of year.
• Achieve a 10% increase in organic traffic year-over-year.
• Generate a minimum of 100 activations per month by Q3 end. 

The strategy you develop will determine how you approach achieving these goals. But knowing what you intend to accomplish ahead of time will make it easier to create an effective strategy, ensure it’s working, and pivot as needed. 

How to Use Video

Internal communication is important for success. Most marketing strategies will involve multiple teams within a company. Using video to communicate goals and outline the strategy is an efficient way to ensure everyone is on the same page and contributing their ideas throughout the planning process.

2. Refine Your Brand & Voice

Branding with a consistent tone produces a sense of trust and reliability. A clearly defined brand will make it easier for prospective customers to remember your business and visualize the unique and innovative ways in which your business solves problems.

Ahrefs is a standout example. From its bold color scheme and unique graphics to the blocky font and educational content, its branding choices align with the target audience. This allows it to feel both personable and professional while setting the company apart from its competitors.

Unless your business is new, your brand and voice are likely established. Evaluate all of your marketing channels and your website. 

Implement a consistent brand and voice across channels as part of your B2B video marketing strategy. Consider the tone, colors, fonts, images, and user experience you present. 

How to Use Video

A consistent brand and tone of voice can be brought into your video content as well. Bring the same energy and perspective, and use the same graphics, fonts, and colors in your videos as the rest of your marketing content. With SproutVideo, you can also customize the video player itself for a branded, distraction-free customer experience.

3. Identify Target Market & Audience

An essential aspect of creating a successful B2B marketing strategy is understanding your company’s market position and its relation to the competition. 

Review your sales data. What kinds of businesses move through your customer journey and make a purchase? What companies become return customers or long-term subscribers? 

Identify the businesses you want to target. Consider,

• Business Size (small, medium, enterprise)
• Industry (Healthcare, Education, etc.)
• Number of Employees
• Revenue
• Location (by region or specific country)

Next, who are the people within those businesses that you are targeting? Identify the departments within the company that your product serves — marketing, human resources, executives, product development — the list goes on and on. 

Develop a specific persona for the person who works at this company. Consider,

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Job Title
• Beliefs and Perspective
• Education Level
• Pain Points
• Consistent Routines
• Industry Idiosyncrasies 

Use this information to develop customer avatars. These buyer profiles will make it easier to map a successful customer journey and gain potential leads. 

Every business attracts outliers with similar needs and interests. But your core business marketing should be positioned for your ideal persona. Take notice of the audience segments that convert at the highest rates and investigate. 

Example: A social media management platform might target small business owners in North America who are women aged 20-35 that feel burned out and frustrated with social media. Alternatively, a semiconductor manufacturer might target Senior Product Managers in Asia over 45 who are hesitant to change and require executive approval. 

How to Use Video

Customer profiles are an essential part of any business strategy. But it can be challenging to personalize content for a group. Consider asking customers to share video testimonials or host video interviews in exchange for exclusive discounts or benefits. Identify individuals who fit your audience segments and ask yourself if they would personally benefit from your content.

4. Analyze the Competition

Next, review your company and assess your competitors to determine where your business fits, and how it should be positioned, within the market.

Start by researching direct rivals: businesses that are similar in size and target the same industry. Make a list of these competitors, as well as companies that are smaller and larger.

From your list, select three to five companies that cater to the same target market and audience as your own. Review their branding, customer journey, and product features. Become a potential customer to learn more about how your competitors convert browsers into buyers. 

Example: SproutVideo is a video hosting platform. While there are many video hosting companies, the list of competitors with platforms built for enterprises and priced for small businesses is short. We serve this niche. 

How to Use Video

Knowing where your business fits into the market will allow you to create a winning strategy that sets your company above the rest. Depending on the industry, competitors may be underutilizing videos or creating lackluster content. Consider how you can use video to outdo the competition by making each step of the customer journey easier to engage with and enjoy. 

5. Build a Market-Specific Strategy

Think of your strategy as the thesis statement of your organization. What is the outcome your business wants to achieve? What approach would make your competition irrelevant? 

1. Outline Brand Vision

Develop a clear vision of what your business intends to accomplish. Answer these two questions for your B2B marketing strategy: 

• Why are we in this market (and not another one)?
• How are we going to be the best in this market?

Look at how your company solves customer pain points in a superior way. Or pinpoint the ways your business innovates in your market to create new demand. 

2. Identify Unique Value Proposition

Reflect on your company mission statement and the transformation your product or service creates for customers. Having researched your close competitors, are you filling a gap in the market or innovating on the current standard? This is your unique value proposition. 

If you’ve ever wondered why there are so many companies solving the same problem, take a closer look at their unique value propositions. You will see significant differences in the audiences those businesses serve and the core features they promote.

Example: Mailchimp focuses on helping small businesses grow email newsletters. The company was one of the first to allow new business owners to freely use the platform’s core functions until a certain number of subscribers is reached. This continues to be one of Mailchimp’s main strategies, even as its audience and offerings have expanded. 

3. Compose Your Strategy 

Share your vision of success in its realized form. For some businesses, the overall business mission will naturally guide the marketing strategy. Consider all of the steps you have completed and the information you have gathered so far. 

Write down your strategy and include:

• Your vision for the business
• Any issues the strategy needs to address
• The projected result of a successful strategy 

Your strategy might be a sentence or a few paragraphs; keep it succinct. Your marketing strategy postulates success: what must happen for this to be true?

Combine your brand vision, innovative approach in your market, and the intended result.

Example: Ghost is an all-in-one CMS platform that offers a minimalist website, email marketing software, and payment processor, which collects 0% in fees. Its open-source software allows developers to unleash their creativity and businesses to customize the framework. Fully bootstrapped, Ghost is a reliable platform built for longevity. It is the solution of choice for modern enterprises that value content marketing.

How to Use Video

Your brand strategy should inspire you and your employees to bring your company mission to life. Use video to show appreciation for employees and to generate excitement and motivation for upcoming events, projects, and strategy shifts. 

6. Outline Channels & Technology

With the information you have now and your strategy in hand, determine if there are any gaps. Start by listing your marketing channels. Common channels include:

• Website or landing pages
• Newsletter
• Blog
• Social media 
• Paid advertising 
• Webinars
• Demo or Trials
• Opt-in Offers (White Papers, Case Studies, etc)
• Knowledge Base

Perhaps you thought social media was covered; however, after reviewing the market and your competition, you’ve learned that your audience is more likely on TikTok than Facebook. Alternatively, maybe you’ve been paying for advertising but haven’t developed a marketing funnel to attract organic leads and nurture potential customers. 

Additionally, consider how you will distribute your content. Each stage of your sales funnel (discussed in the next section) will require its own distribution plan. As you map your customer journey, determine how and where you will reach people with your content. 

Example: An explainer video might be shared on your website, uploaded to YouTube for paid advertising, and shared across social media. This is your distribution plan for the awareness stage of your sales funnel. Educational videos, on the other hand, might be shared exclusively on your video help site and embedded in your email newsletter for the conversion stage. 

How to Use Video

As you outline your marketing channels, take note of how many videos you are currently using to market your products and services. Consider the videos on your website, social media pages, paid advertising, onboarding process, and more. Review your analytics. Are there any obvious areas where a video would improve engagement or conversion? Start to outline how you might use video to improve your customer experience. 

7. Map Your Customer’s Journey

In most cases, B2C businesses create awareness of their product, potential customers consider it, the company stokes their desire or nurtures the relationship, then a purchase is made. The buyer may need customer support and will hopefully become a return customer, but the funnel is complete. 

The B2B customer journey is different. The research and comparison phase of the B2B journey is crucial, often due to higher prices or more complex offerings. 

The Standard B2C Customer Journey

The Standard B2B Customer Journey

Furthermore, there is an additional stage in B2B marketing that we’re calling Post-Sales Service. This is the company’s user experience from purchase through utilization. 

B2B solutions are rarely one-off purchases. For this reason, companies offer robust customer support, including product customization, onboarding assistance, and exclusive content.

Map Your Customer Journey

For each customer persona you have created, how does that audience segment move through your sales funnel? Look broadly at how people move through each phase of your customer journey. Learn why and how they:

• Discover your business
• Engage to learn more
• Gain trust in your services
• Choose to make a purchase
• Continue to subscribe or buy again

If your analytical data provides an incomplete picture, solicit feedback from current customers in exchange for bonus offerings or discounts. This information is vital to implementing effective marketing tactics that resonate with your ideal audience. 

How to Use Video

Using videos in your sales funnel allows you to collect significant data with analytics. This information can be used to improve your customer’s experience. For example, heat mapping shows what portions of your videos are being watched, re-watched, or skipped. With individual tracking, you can tag a viewer to track how many minutes and what videos they’ve watched. 

8. Plan Your Video-Led Customer Experience 

With all the information you have gathered, plan how you will reach potential customers at each stage of your sales funnel. Here are some examples of content you might create at each stage.

• Awareness: Blog posts, educational videos, social media
• Research & competition: White papers, case studies, comparison guides
• Conversion: Demos, trials, testimonials
• Post-Sales Service: Exclusive video content, email newsletter, success stories
• Loyalty & Retention: Feedback surveys, community groups, loyalty programs

At every stage, use video content to improve the user experience. Creating videos takes time and work — whether producing them in-house, hiring freelancers, or employing a production company. Make a list of content to be produced and prioritize implementation as outlined below.

1. Start with the Basics (Website, Social)

Produce videos that target the awareness stage of the buyer’s journey and set the tone for your brand. An explainer video, for example, showcases the transformation your product or service creates. It can be shared on social media and featured on your website and landing pages. 

2. Guide the Buyer’s Journey 

Evaluate your sales funnel and marketing automation. Create videos that will improve your customer experience. Add video to your email nurturing sequence, create a series of onboarding how-tos, or animate a stellar customer testimonial. Engage, inform, and motivate your audience at every stage of the customer journey. 

3. Add Educational Content

Educational videos explain topics related to your product or industry. They cover a broad subject concisely or answer a specific question in detail. These videos generate new leads and build trust. They add value to potential customers without asking for anything in return. This content is also useful when building an audience on social media as a business.

4. Consider Support & Retention

There are multiple ways video can be used for customer support and retention. Start by creating videos for your most frequently asked support questions. This knowledge base will allow users to self-service, freeing resources up in your business for high-profile customers. 

Things to Consider

Each stage of your customer journey will have different video content and a different means of distribution. For example, how-to videos for trial customers should be privately hosted and embedded within an email or webpage. But a corporate advertisement will be publicly shared across social media. Keep this in mind when outlining your plan of action.  

9. Set Video Production & Marketing Budget

Return to your goals from step one and estimate the cost of each. Project an expected ROI using past campaign data to estimate your expected cost per new lead or conversion. 

If your goal is 100 conversions and past data reveals that each conversion costs $200 to acquire, you can estimate a marketing budget of $20,000 to complete the goal. 

[Conversions] X [Cost Per Conversion] = [Marketing Budget]

To estimate your projected ROI, multiply the number of conversions (100) by your sales price. This will provide you with the projected revenue. 

[Conversions] X [Sales Price] = [Projected Revenue]

Subtract your marketing budget ($20,000) from the projected revenue to get your ROI.

[Projected Revenue] – [Marketing Budget] = [Projected ROI] 

Track your actual ROI over time. Use analytics and marketing automation software to continuously gather data on your marketing campaigns and assess conversion data. 

Before setting a video production budget, consider the other costs associated with your marketing plan. This will ensure you don’t over- or under-spend on video content. 

Things to Consider

Save money in the long term by producing evergreen videos — meaning the content will continue to be accurate and relevant for years. This will allow you to generate higher returns on your investment as well. Consider video longevity when adding humor and style; ensure the choices will allow your videos to remain modern and relevant. 

10. Take Action & Schedule Implementation 

Time to implement your B2B video marketing strategy! Formally compose a plan of action, use work management tools to stay on track, and collaborate with internal team members. 

If time and budget are concerns, implement your B2B video marketing plan in stages starting with the highest-impact content. Talk to your customers, get their feedback, and focus on creating a customer experience that consistently converts.

Things to Consider

Utilize the vault of knowledge we’ve compiled here at SproutVideo to make every stage of the process smoother. Check out these essential planning documents for video production, how to hire videography freelancers, and maximize your video ROI with these tips. 

Examples of B2B Marketing Videos

Hubspot Master Class

Hubspot hosts marketing master classes to educate and inspire. In this master class, Buzzfeed video producer Daysha V. Edewi shares her approach to crafting viral content. 

Snowflake Advertisement

This ad is a perfect example of exaggerating a common pain point for laughs: the only way to end the feuding department’s prank war is to use Snowflake for cloud data management. 

Workday Explainer

Combining animated graphics with a live-action host, this video skillfully presents the key benefits of Workday’s human capital management (HCM) system in under three minutes.

SAP Behind-the-Scenes

During Take Your Child to Work Day, SAP interviewed employees’ kids about what their parents do. The result is a fun peek into the lives of the people who keep SAP running day-to-day.

Volvo Trucks Advertisement

Prepare to lift your jaw off the floor. Volvo Trucks wanted to showcase the stability and precision of its Dynamic Steering, so it enlisted the help of action star Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Ahrefs Educational Content

Educational videos help businesses fully understand and utilize your product or service. This is a great example of an educational video that gets right to the point and solves a problem. 

Zendesk Advertisement

This light-hearted ad likens the relationship of an older married couple to that between a business and its customers. It also manages to explain the value of Zendesk in one minute.

Quick Tips for Your B2B Video Marketing Strategy

• Pick The Right Video: Align your content with your goals. The secret ingredient for success is to speak to your target persona.
• Think Outside The Box: Your video is an opportunity to differentiate yourself from potential competitors. Creativity creates engagement.
• Be Mindful of Customer Time: Make a series if you have a lot to share. Each segment can highlight your business and go into more depth about philosophies or products.
• Curate Supporting Content: Buyers don’t make big decisions or large purchases based on one persuasive video. Create a spectrum of content for your audience.
• Let Your Customers Do The Talking: Client testimonials are seen as more credible and more authentic than any traditional pitch. They also demonstrate real results.
• Encourage Video Sharing: An engaging, creative video is primed for sharing, through social media and old-school word-of-mouth. Also, include a call to action.
• Don’t Fret Over Production Quality: A polished video doesn’t have to make a huge impact on your wallet. These free resources will help you make professional videos.

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