B2B Video Doesn’t Have to Suck, With Guest David Spark

FIR B2BPaul Gillin and Allan Schoenberg host the FIR B2B podcast. In this episode:

News & Trends

B2B companies are making creative use of video in a manner that takes its cues from B2C marketing. Arrow Electronics is using video to depict its business through the eyes of a five-year-old and create a bigger picture context of its business. Philips is rebranding with video that emphasizes innovation. While “innovation” is an overused term, we like the way this video speaks to a higher purpose. In addition to having brand value, this approach is also an excellent way to boost employee morale.

Shel Holtz pointed us to an Ad Age column, that argues that the distinction between business and consumer marketing is irrelevant. We’ve always argued that B2B and B2C marketing play to very different buyer needs and motivations, but we have to admit that we like the point the author makes. In a world of expanding sources of influence, appealing to consumer preferences is increasingly necessary for building brand.

Buyer motivations are also the focus of a slide presentation by the UK-based marketing firm Earnest that explores Behavioral Economics in B2B Marketing. Earnest makes the case that even big B2B decisions are heavily influenced by gut-level instincts. If your marketing speaks only to specs and features, you’re missing out on the bigger picture.

Special Guest: David Spark

David Spark took an unconventional route to content marketing. He spent more than a dozen years working as a touring standup comedian, a San Francisco tour guide and as a comedy writer for The Second City in Chicago before moving into technology journalism and ultimately custom content. His Spark Media Solutions is a brand journalism and media consulting firm that specializes in B2B video. In our interview he talks about how run-of-the-mill video interviews can be enriched with offbeat questions, the most common mistakes B2B marketers make with video and some of the best examples of B2B video he’s seen recently. He also discusses an innovative approach to combining video and still images in a recent project for Riverbed.

David shares some of his most successful techniques on his blog. Entries include 20 Great Ideas for Your Next Corporate Video, 5 Video Strategies that Are Totally Worth the Effort, 5 Interview Questions That Always Return Great Answers and 4 Examples of Corporate Videos Done Right.

He’s also the author of the terrific ebook, Hazardous to Your Social Media Health - 50 Previously Condoned Behaviors We No Longer Recommend. Follow him on Twitter at @dspark.

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About Your Hosts

Paul GillinPaul Gillin is a veteran technology journalist and a thought leader in new media. Since 2005, he has advised marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. He is the author or co-author of five books, including Social Marketing to the Business Customer (2011), the first book devoted entirely to B2B social media marketing. He is also a social media trainer and coach at Profitecture, a training firm for B2B companies and their channel partners.

Allan SchoenbergAllan Schoenberg is based in London and responsible for managing the international media relations, issues management and brand communications for CME Group, the world’s leading and most diverse financial marketplace. He was instrumental in launching the company’s social media activity in 2007 and continues to lead its social strategy and online community engagement. He has more than 20 years of experience in B2B communications, including his work for Accenture, Edelman Worldwide and Fleishman Hillard.

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FIR B2B is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications,serving communicators worldwide for 35 years. Information: www.ragan.com.

Posted by Paul Gillin on 04/16 at 12:00 PM

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