How To Use Video Prospecting for Lead Generation
Video is the new tool your sales team should be using.
If you've been on LinkedIn following top sales voices in the last two years, chances are you've heard of video prospecting.
Touted as a way to personalize your sales pitch even further with your prospects, video prospecting is currently very popular in the sales community.
At least try it out and see what happens!
In this article, we'll go over what video prospecting is, why it is beneficial, and the best ways to use it.
Let's get started!
Touted as a way to personalize your sales pitch even further with your prospects, video prospecting is currently very popular in the sales community.
At least try it out and see what happens!
In this article, we'll go over what video prospecting is, why it is beneficial, and the best ways to use it.
Let's get started!
What is Video Prospecting & Why Should I Use It for Lead Generation
Video prospecting is, essentially, reaching out to your prospects with a personalized video.
At SalesPipe we like to use Loom to do this, but there are a lot of options out there. And really, Loom should only be one of several tools in your arsenal when it comes to sales. The same can be said for video prospecting itself, as it is just one of the sales channels you should use.
Video prospecting has been proven to be a game changer when it comes to lead generation.
Higher response rates and revenue are the norm when it comes to video prospecting done right, and it has the potential to greatly affect your bottom line. Anywhere from a 25% to a 56% increase in reply rate to video prospecting correlating precisely with an increase in revenue is a real story for many companies.
The reason for the success of video prospecting is that it personalizes and makes the experience tailored for your prospect. You want to say their name, so they know you must make each take different. It forces you to personalize the messaging and study your prospect more to appeal via facial expressions and vocal cues.
You become the face and voice of your company and are no longer a murky memory of someone sending them many emails. Standing out via email is possible, but hard – especially when 78% of salespeople do their prospecting via email. If you send a video somewhere in your email sequence, you are sure to place yourself a cut above the rest.
Video prospecting also forces you to be brief and clear with your pitch.
In writing, it is easy to ramble on. And even when you've cut out all the extra bits, your prospect might still consider reading through what you've written a chore. Even when sending short DMs on LinkedIn, your prospect can ignore them instead of reading them.
If you send a twenty or twenty-five-second video instead, you have made the process much more dynamic. You've made your prospect curious about what you could possibly be saying in your video that you haven't already said in writing.
At SalesPipe we like to use Loom to do this, but there are a lot of options out there. And really, Loom should only be one of several tools in your arsenal when it comes to sales. The same can be said for video prospecting itself, as it is just one of the sales channels you should use.
Video prospecting has been proven to be a game changer when it comes to lead generation.
Higher response rates and revenue are the norm when it comes to video prospecting done right, and it has the potential to greatly affect your bottom line. Anywhere from a 25% to a 56% increase in reply rate to video prospecting correlating precisely with an increase in revenue is a real story for many companies.
The reason for the success of video prospecting is that it personalizes and makes the experience tailored for your prospect. You want to say their name, so they know you must make each take different. It forces you to personalize the messaging and study your prospect more to appeal via facial expressions and vocal cues.
You become the face and voice of your company and are no longer a murky memory of someone sending them many emails. Standing out via email is possible, but hard – especially when 78% of salespeople do their prospecting via email. If you send a video somewhere in your email sequence, you are sure to place yourself a cut above the rest.
Video prospecting also forces you to be brief and clear with your pitch.
In writing, it is easy to ramble on. And even when you've cut out all the extra bits, your prospect might still consider reading through what you've written a chore. Even when sending short DMs on LinkedIn, your prospect can ignore them instead of reading them.
If you send a twenty or twenty-five-second video instead, you have made the process much more dynamic. You've made your prospect curious about what you could possibly be saying in your video that you haven't already said in writing.
How To Use Video Prospecting for Lead Generation
Take Your Time
You need to account for time when it comes to video prospecting if you truly want to generate leads from it.
Video prospecting does take more time than adding an email to a sequence, writing a quick direct message, or making a cold call. Because you are presenting your own face to the prospect in question, you want to take the time to look at the part and be approachable.
If you want to take it further, you can dress or set it up according to your target. For instance, if you're selling to law firms, having some books about the law in the background could be a nice touch.
You want to make sure that you yourself look good.
This doesn't mean you need to glam up like you're attending the Oscars!
But maybe leave behind the PJs and bed hair for just a minute once a week during your remote work. I know, I love working in my PJs too, but having an excuse to dress up and creatively think of how to connect with your prospect is also a fun challenge.
And then you have to film yourself, and ensure you have enough time to film several versions.
Video prospecting does take more time than adding an email to a sequence, writing a quick direct message, or making a cold call. Because you are presenting your own face to the prospect in question, you want to take the time to look at the part and be approachable.
If you want to take it further, you can dress or set it up according to your target. For instance, if you're selling to law firms, having some books about the law in the background could be a nice touch.
You want to make sure that you yourself look good.
This doesn't mean you need to glam up like you're attending the Oscars!
But maybe leave behind the PJs and bed hair for just a minute once a week during your remote work. I know, I love working in my PJs too, but having an excuse to dress up and creatively think of how to connect with your prospect is also a fun challenge.
And then you have to film yourself, and ensure you have enough time to film several versions.
Don't Try To Be Perfect - Being Yourself Is Better
Take your time with your script, but don't over-obsess getting everything perfect.
So yes, film multiple versions, but there is no need to be constantly unhappy and searching for the perfect take.
You want to form a connection with your prospect, and vulnerability is great for that. So don't send something super sloppy, but don't worry about creating the perfect video.
Being yourself and talking about why your product or service is right for your prospect at this particular time should be enough. And if it is not, that is not the right prospect for you.
So yes, film multiple versions, but there is no need to be constantly unhappy and searching for the perfect take.
You want to form a connection with your prospect, and vulnerability is great for that. So don't send something super sloppy, but don't worry about creating the perfect video.
Being yourself and talking about why your product or service is right for your prospect at this particular time should be enough. And if it is not, that is not the right prospect for you.
Target Your Audience
Just as when you target your audience for your ideal customer profile, you want to target to who you are sending videos.
In our experience, video prospecting can be a good conversation starter at the beginning of a cadence, this is true. We are not recommending you do not start with a video, just maybe do not do it all the time.
Adding a video later on in a sequence as a follow-up, once you know the prospect has interacted with your email or responded, can be a great way to keep the conversation going if they've already shown interest.
A great combination could be sending a cold email, visiting their LinkedIn profile, and once you see they've opened the email also sending them a connection request. Once they accept, then the first message could be a video. They might not have even associated your profile with the email, but you know you can reference it.
And also, do not send video prospecting to anyone that does not seem like they will be receptive. If you are working with an audience that is part of a more static industry, perhaps accounting, they might not be as receptive to receiving a video as someone in marketing. But, the reality is, you will not know until you try.
In our experience, video prospecting can be a good conversation starter at the beginning of a cadence, this is true. We are not recommending you do not start with a video, just maybe do not do it all the time.
Adding a video later on in a sequence as a follow-up, once you know the prospect has interacted with your email or responded, can be a great way to keep the conversation going if they've already shown interest.
A great combination could be sending a cold email, visiting their LinkedIn profile, and once you see they've opened the email also sending them a connection request. Once they accept, then the first message could be a video. They might not have even associated your profile with the email, but you know you can reference it.
And also, do not send video prospecting to anyone that does not seem like they will be receptive. If you are working with an audience that is part of a more static industry, perhaps accounting, they might not be as receptive to receiving a video as someone in marketing. But, the reality is, you will not know until you try.
Choose The Best Channel
To send prospecting videos to your audience, you have two options: email or LinkedIn.
You can send it, as suggested above, in combination with an email sent previously in your cadence as a message on LinkedIn. You can also send it directly on LinkedIn without necessarily adding them to an email cadence. And you can also send it as a follow-up email to anyone that has opened your first email.
The possibilities are endless, and they truly depend on what you know about your prospect.
Certain industries and generations might be more comfortable with email, and so sending it in response to an email might be the best way to get their attention. On the other hand, other industries might keep email information very safeguarded, but spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, so this would be a better bet.
Before you start making your video, you want to make sure that the prospect would be an excellent match for your product or service, and that you know how to get that video to them. It'd be awful if you make a great video that they never receive.
Some kind of response, whether that is the number of email opens or a connection request acceptance, should always be required before you start preparing for a video.
You can send it, as suggested above, in combination with an email sent previously in your cadence as a message on LinkedIn. You can also send it directly on LinkedIn without necessarily adding them to an email cadence. And you can also send it as a follow-up email to anyone that has opened your first email.
The possibilities are endless, and they truly depend on what you know about your prospect.
Certain industries and generations might be more comfortable with email, and so sending it in response to an email might be the best way to get their attention. On the other hand, other industries might keep email information very safeguarded, but spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, so this would be a better bet.
Before you start making your video, you want to make sure that the prospect would be an excellent match for your product or service, and that you know how to get that video to them. It'd be awful if you make a great video that they never receive.
Some kind of response, whether that is the number of email opens or a connection request acceptance, should always be required before you start preparing for a video.
Why External SDRs Are Good For Video Prospecting
If you are curious but not yet sold on the idea of video prospecting, we have the solution.
Outsource and hire external SDRs to do a test run.
It has been proven that outsourced SDRs are a cost-effective way to increase revenue. But they are also a great way to try out new ideas.
Unlike your sales team within the company, external SDRs working for companies specializing in inside sales outsourcing services dedicate themselves wholly to selling for you.
They are not given additional tasks that take up time, nor do they have to limit themselves in their approaches to sales. They are 100% focused on selling for you and finding the best ways to sell for you. And once one way runs out, they are already looking for another option.
When it comes to video prospecting, an outsourced SDR is the way to go.
You can test out the service, different approaches, or even specifically new audiences or messaging, product alternatives, or new products through them. You would receive valuable, instant feedback you can apply to either your product or sales tactics and pivot your own sales team if you feel like the timing is right.
With external SDRs, the time spent creating videos for your prospects becomes outsourced, and the companies the SDRs work for would also be providing them with the best tech stack in the market to make the video prospecting work. And they can also consult within their company for the best ways to go about it, even comparing with other team members and asking for examples.
At SalesPipe, we share all of our team's triumphs for all of our clients and analyze our mistakes as well.
Our team knows they can ask any time they need to about the best ways to do video or audio prospecting, or for tips to prospect on LinkedIn. We provide informational content and anecdotal support based on our experiences so that everyone on the team can do the same thing, in their own personal style.
Outsource and hire external SDRs to do a test run.
It has been proven that outsourced SDRs are a cost-effective way to increase revenue. But they are also a great way to try out new ideas.
Unlike your sales team within the company, external SDRs working for companies specializing in inside sales outsourcing services dedicate themselves wholly to selling for you.
They are not given additional tasks that take up time, nor do they have to limit themselves in their approaches to sales. They are 100% focused on selling for you and finding the best ways to sell for you. And once one way runs out, they are already looking for another option.
When it comes to video prospecting, an outsourced SDR is the way to go.
You can test out the service, different approaches, or even specifically new audiences or messaging, product alternatives, or new products through them. You would receive valuable, instant feedback you can apply to either your product or sales tactics and pivot your own sales team if you feel like the timing is right.
With external SDRs, the time spent creating videos for your prospects becomes outsourced, and the companies the SDRs work for would also be providing them with the best tech stack in the market to make the video prospecting work. And they can also consult within their company for the best ways to go about it, even comparing with other team members and asking for examples.
At SalesPipe, we share all of our team's triumphs for all of our clients and analyze our mistakes as well.
Our team knows they can ask any time they need to about the best ways to do video or audio prospecting, or for tips to prospect on LinkedIn. We provide informational content and anecdotal support based on our experiences so that everyone on the team can do the same thing, in their own personal style.
Conclusion
Video prospecting is the future of sales, and it is here to stay. With the majority of decision-makers being millennials, it is a no-brainer to include more digital savvy sales tactics in your arsenal. And video is a great opportunity to make a genuine connection with a prospect.
External, outsourced SDRs are a great way to test out video prospecting if you are not sold just yet. They have the freedom to try different things, and the time to dedicate to putting together absolutely amazing videos for your prospects.
Want to learn more about how external SDRs can benefit your business?
Get in touch!
External, outsourced SDRs are a great way to test out video prospecting if you are not sold just yet. They have the freedom to try different things, and the time to dedicate to putting together absolutely amazing videos for your prospects.
Want to learn more about how external SDRs can benefit your business?
Get in touch!
Post by Flor Fustinoni.