Video Outreach 101

Publish Date

June 30, 2024

Author

Dan Brockwell

So you’re wondering how to stand out from all the emails, calls and LinkedIn messages being sent by other sales reps.

And you might’ve thought “Hey, what if we create a video for the prospect?”

On the one hand, it can be quite time-consuming to create, and it requires a larger time investment from the prospect to consume.

But when done well, it can be a powerful way to cut through the noise, illustrate value and build deeper trust with a prospect.

Here’s a breakdown of factors to consider in what role video could play in your sales motion:

When to use it in the prospect journey?

Across sales teams we’ve worked with, there are 3 main use cases we’ve typically seen for video in the sales process:

1. Cold outreach
2. Post-conversation messages
3. Revival messages

For cold outreach, video is usually reserved for your Tier 1 or ‘ideal customers’ rather than creating one for every single customer, given the time involved. In particular, it’s more common when selling to enterprise given the higher upside of investing more time in outreach.

The goal is to create a more personalised, engaging outreach approach that shows you’ve taken the time to understand and have helped similar companies tackle similar problems. You may wish to open sequences with video to get early wins, or you may only wish to invest in video when someone hasn’t responded to earlier messages to be mindful of efficiency.

For post-conversation messages after a cold call or discovery call, video can be a great way to recap key talking points + clarify next steps in a way that feels more personal.

For revival messages when a prospect has been ghosting you after initial conversations, video can be a powerful way to bring it back to the human fundamentals. When people see you’ve taken the personal time and effort to record something, they feel guiltier about continuing to ignore you.

Where should you send the video?

Typically, when sending sales videos, most folks will either go through email or LinkedIn.

We’d lean towards LinkedIn for the following reasons:

• A video preview automatically pops up, whereas with email, it just shows a link (and email CTR is a challenge in of itself)
• The video doesn’t get blocked or flagged by spam filters

If you do want to insert a video in an email, we recommend taking a screenshot that links through to the video, so the visual pops up in the email.

What tools should you use to record the vido?

The most two popular tools we see sales teams using for video outreach are Loom and Vidyard:

Advantages of Loom

1. Ease of Use: Loom is known for its simplicity and user-friendly interface, making it easy to create and share videos quickly.
2. Quick Recording: Allows for rapid recording and sharing of videos, which is great for time-sensitive communication.
3. Free Tier: Offers a generous free plan which includes essential features, making it accessible for individuals and small teams.

Advantages of Vidyard

1. Advanced Analytics: Provides detailed analytics on video performance, including who watched, how long they watched, and engagement metrics.
2. Personalisation: Offers robust personalisation features, allowing for customised video landing pages and personalised video messages.
3. CRM Integration: Strong integrations with CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot, enhancing sales workflows.
4. Sales-Specific Features: Specific tools designed for sales teams, such as video call-to-action buttons and email notifications when a video is viewed.

We recommend starting with Loom if you need a simple, quick, and cost-effective solution for creating and sharing videos, and if you don't require advanced analytics or extensive customisation.

If video ends up being a major part of your outreach strategy, then you can consider investing in VidYard for deeper analytics and customisation.

Specifically for LinkedIn, there’s also a native video feature in DMs that has the benefit of coming across more casual, although you trade off the tracking benefits + being able to send this across multiple platforms.

Tips for effective sales videos

Here are a few tips we’ve seen from more effective sales videos:

• Screensharing information about the prospect (either their website or LinkedIn)
• Screensharing information about a prospect you’ve helped
• Use a dedicated microphone & camera, & record in a clean well-lit room
• Explain why you’ve decided to reach out to them specifically and bring in an element of research
• Choose a video thumbnail that shows some personalisation (could be a whiteboard with their name or screenshare of their website)
• Focus on a tailored benefit, not features, and tie these to business impact
• Include some social proof of similar businesses you’ve worked with

An example template:

• Who You Are: Say your name and company
• Why You’re Reaching Out To Them: Share something you noticed from their website or LinkedIn + a common problem insight you’ve had when working with similar companies.
• What’s In It For Them: Show some social proof of similar customers you’ve worked with and how your product has delivered benefits for them.
• CTA: Can ask them an additional qualifying question about their current system, or ask how your proposition resonates with their current experience.

VidYard has a bunch of free templates to check out as inspiration. Here’s how they recommend structuring a cold outreach video.

A final note

At the end of the day, sales is about playing to your strengths and video isn’t for everyone! If you’re someone who feels confident in front of the camera and leans into a more energetic style of delivery, then video is great for creating a human, personalised touch. If you find calls or emails are working well for you and you thrive with those formats, you don’t have to force-fit video into your sequence.