Video Prospecting Guide: Tips and Best Practices for Closing More Deals in 2023

Video is the future of sales and marketing. Over the years, more and more businesses have started using video content as part of their digital marketing strategy. As a matter of fact, 86% of marketing professionals use video as a marketing tool. Furthermore, 78% of these marketers con that videos have directly increased their sales, while 86% also say that videos have increased traffic to their website.

Post-pandemic, many salespeople are looking for better ways to prospect effectively and build more successful customer relationships – which is where video prospecting strategy comes in. The idea of video prospecting is based on using videos in sales outreach to nurture clients, build rapport with clients and improve sales.

Video prospecting offers sales teams a quick, easy, and effective way to do sales outreach without overwhelming their sales team. However, as easy as it sounds, video prospecting requires hard work and a series of processes to get it right. To help you do a good job, we have compiled all you should know about video prospecting, from its benefits to steps to create one, tips, and best practices that sales professionals can use to close more deals.

Table of Content

• What is Video Prospecting?
• Why Does Video Prospecting Work?
• What are the Benefits of Video Prospecting?
• When Should You Use Video Prospecting?
• How to Create a Prospecting Video That Closes More Deals
• 10 Best Practices for Video Prospecting
• 5 Video Prospecting Tools

What is Video Prospecting?

Video prospecting uses personalized videos in sales outreach to reach out to leads and nurture them through the sales funnel. It involves creating short, customized videos that address your prospects’ specific pain points and needs to build a relationship, establish trust, and ultimately close a deal.

Most salespeople use video prospecting alone or combine it with other outreach methods, such as emailing or calling. It is a simple method that can yield powerful results and put you way over your competition when it concerns capturing the attention of potential customers. However, you must understand that using video in a sales sequence is another outreach channel and is not meant to be used alone.

Keep in mind that you can use it throughout a campaign, be it during the first touchpoint or final step in the nurture sequence. You can send videos to cold leads, warm leads, and even your ex-customers using email, LinkedIn, sales platforms like Vidyard or Gorg, and even text messages. Importantly, video prospecting saves time, streamlines the sales process, and is memorable, easy to use, and highly engaging for buyers.

Why Does Video Prospecting Work?

Due to the high number of sales emails sent, they don’t necessarily spark joy. With their busy schedules and the high number of emails many of these professionals receive daily, it is not surprising that they sometimes don’t open the emails, not to imagine responding to them.

Irrespective of this, emails remain one of the top tactics for sales prospecting, and outreach emails are 40 times more effective for getting more sales than Facebook and Twitter combined. The reality of present sales outreach is that many success-driven sales reps don’t abandon emails. Instead, they develop super-effective ways to capture their prospect’s attention, stand out from their competitors and share their product or service values.

One of the effective ways salespeople are increasing the success rates of their emails is by using videos. Generally, videos are a powerful tool used to market and sell prospects, especially for B2B customers. According to the Video Marketing report, 80% of respondents revealed that videos convinced them to buy an app or SaaS product. In comparison, 87% of marketers who used video saw a positive ROI.

Additionally, below are more statistics that confirm the effectiveness of videos in sales prospecting:

1. Sales teams that use video get a 16% increase in open rates.
2. 43.8% of sales teams use videos in their prospecting strategy.
3. Closed deals involve using webcams 41% more often than lost deals.
4. Sales teams that use video see a 26% increase in replies.
5. Emails with video have 4x the click-through rate of emails without them.
6. 92% of video marketers in 2023 say video gives them a good ROI.
7. 93% of marketers say they’ve landed a new customer thanks to a video on social media.
8. 96% of consumers watch videos to learn about a particular product and service.
9. 82% of the global internet traffic came from video streaming and downloads
10. 91% of consumers want to see more online video content from brands.

What are the Benefits of Video Prospecting?

Video prospecting is a highly effective outreach tactic that uses videos to promote a product or service and helps you build better rapport with prospects to increase the chances of closing more deals. Video prospecting can help your business in the following ways:

1. Drive more sales

Sales prospecting videos can help you increase sales revenue by 190% and encourage more sales conversations. In fact, a study by Salesloft found that reply rates increased by 26%using videos.

2. Showcase value

Sales videos help you showcase your product or service offerings, features, and benefits and explain how they can help them achieve their goals. More than other marketing content, videos can easily and effectively demonstrate your business value better in a way that encourages your prospect to make a purchase.

3. Increase customer engagement

Using videos in your sales outreach can help you get better traction than text content. In fact, a report by Omnipanel found that prospecting videos increased open rates by 68%while click rates increased by 35%.

4. Stay ahead of your competition

According to a study by Frehsworks, 7 in 10 prospects use videos to make decisions; however, most sales teams don’t use videos when prospecting. Video outreach allows you to stand out and get your brand ahead of your competitors.

5. Add human feeling to communication

Email outreach can sometimes feel inhuman and impersonal. However, since they are usually sent to many clients, video content features your face and contains unique messages that drive higher engagement than text-only emails. In addition, since video messages have better chances of ensuring your prospects grasp what you are trying to say, they encourage prospects to respond to your emails.

When Should You Use Video Prospecting?

Video prospecting is a powerful cold outreach strategy that many sales management teams and reps use to maximize results. Sales professionals can use videos at various points in their sales funnel and track their effectiveness by measuring metrics such the conversion, reply, and engagement rates.

However, when and where should you use your videos or substitute them for in-person conversation? That’s a real question that many sales professionals struggle with. This section will outline the various situations where and when you can use videos in your sales pipeline.

1. First contact with potential customers to kickstart your relationship.
2. To reconnect with your prospects that might have gone cold.
3. To share particularly complicated news or information.
4. Create an easy-to-understand demo.
5. To communicate the key points of a new piece of marketing content.
6. Connect or reconnect with an account to leverage recent news, like a product launch or update.

How to Create a Prospecting Video That Closes More Deals

Creating a prospecting video that can close more deals requires a strategic approach and attention to detail. Here are some steps to follow:

1. Identify your target audience

Determine who your video is intended for and what their pain points or challenges are. This will help you tailor your messaging to their specific needs.

2. Craft a compelling message

Your video message should communicate the value proposition of your product or service and how it can solve the problems your target audience is facing. Keep your message concise and to the point.

3. Create an engaging video

Use high-quality visuals, animations, and sound effects to create an engaging video that grabs your viewer’s attention. Use a script that speaks directly to your target audience, and consider using customer testimonials to add social proof.

4. Add a strong call-to-action

Ensure to include a clear call-to-action at the end of the video that encourages viewers to take the next step, such as scheduling a meeting or signing up for a free trial.

5. Optimize for distribution

Once your video is complete, optimize it for distribution by ensuring it is the appropriate length for the platform on which you plan to share it. You may also want to add captions or subtitles to make your video more accessible to a wider audience.

6. Track your results

Finally, track the performance of your video using analytics tools to determine how many views, engagements, and conversions it generates. Use this data to refine your approach and create even more effective prospecting videos in the future.

10 Best Practices for Video Prospecting

Here are ten video prospecting best practices to follow when using video for your sales prospecting efforts:

1. Personalize your video script

Tailor your video script to the person you are targeting, including mentioning their name and addressing their specific needs and pain points.

2. Keep it short and sweet

Keep your prospecting videos short, ideally under 2 minutes, to ensure they hold the viewer’s attention.

3. Grab attention in the first few seconds

Your video recording is as important as your important sales calls. Hence, you must use an attention-grabbing opener to capture the viewer’s attention immediately.

4. Focus on benefits, not features

Instead of just listing the features of your product or service, focus on the benefits it can provide your prospect.

5. Include a clear call-to-action

Include a clear and specific call-to-action at the end of your video, such as scheduling a meeting or demo.

6. Use a professional tone

While your video should be engaging and personable, maintain a professional tone throughout.

7. Use visuals to illustrate your message

Use high-quality, compelling visuals, such as screenshots or animations, to help illustrate your message and make it more engaging.

8. Show enthusiasm

Show enthusiasm for your product or service in the prospecting videos and convey your passion for what you are offering.

9. Use customer testimonials

Including customer testimonials in your video can help add social proof and build trust with your prospect.

10. Practice before recording

Practice your script and delivery before recording your prospecting videos to ensure your message is clear and concise.

5 Video Prospecting Tools

Here are five video prospecting tools that can help you create effective videos for prospecting:

1. Vidyard

Vidyard is a video hosting and analytics platform that allows you to create, host, and share personalized videos for sales and marketing. It offers a range of tools for customizing and personalizing your videos, as well as detailed analytics to track viewer engagement and performance.

2. Loom

Loom is a simple screen and webcam recording tool that allows you to create short videos to share with prospects. It integrates with various tools, including Gmail and LinkedIn, to simplify sharing your videos with prospects.

3. Hippo Video

Hippo Video is a platform that allows you to create, edit, and share personalized videos for sales and marketing. It offers a range of tools for adding annotations, captions, and CTAs to your videos, as well as detailed analytics to track viewer engagement.

4. BombBomb

BombBomb is a video messaging platform that allows you to create and send personalized videos for sales and marketing. It offers a range of tools for customizing and personalizing your videos, as well as detailed analytics to track viewer engagement and performance.

5. Vidello

Vidello is a video hosting and marketing platform that allows you to create, host, and share personalized videos for sales and marketing. It offers a range of tools for customizing and personalizing your videos, as well as detailed analytics to track viewer engagement and performance.

It also includes various marketing automation features, such as email and social media integrations, to help you streamline your prospecting efforts.

Ready To Start Using Video Prospecting To Close More Deals?

Video prospecting uses personalized messages to engage and move prospects through the sales funnel. It allows sales professionals to stand out, differentiate themselves from competitors, and establish a more personal connection with prospects, increasing their chances of success.

It can be used at any stage of the sales process, from initial outreach to follow-up and closing. To increase your success rates, personalize your video scripts, keep it short and sweet, focus on benefits, not features, include a clear call-to-action, and, importantly, use customer testimonials.

Consider using video prospecting tools like Vidyard, Loom, Vidello, etc., to help you create more personalized, engaging videos that connect with your prospects and move them through the sales funnel, ultimately leading to more closed deals.

Video Prospecting FAQs

1. What equipment do I need for video prospecting?

You can use various equipment for video prospecting, including a webcam or smartphone camera, a microphone, and video editing software. While high-end equipment can improve the quality of your videos, it is not necessary for basic video prospecting.

2. What types of videos should I create for video prospecting?

You should create personalized videos for your prospects to address their pain points and needs. This could include videos introducing yourself or your company, product demonstrations, customer testimonials, or videos offering solutions to particular problems.

3. How long should my video be for video prospecting?

Your video should be short and to the point, typically no longer than 2 minutes. The goal is to capture your prospect’s attention quickly and deliver your message concisely.

4. What should I add to my video for video prospecting?

Your video should focus on the benefits of your product or service rather than just listing features. You should also address your prospect’s specific pain points and needs and include a clear call to action.

5. How should I follow up after sending a video prospecting email?

You should follow up with a personalized email or phone call that references the video and offers to answer any questions or provide additional information. You can also use the video as a conversation starter to further build the relationship with your prospect.