Ever felt like your B2B videos are just… meh?
Like there is something missing?
You’re not alone.
Despite investing time and money, many B2B companies struggle to create video content that engages their audience.
While YouTubers seem to consistently rack up millions of views, B2B videos often fall flat.
It’s frustrating to pour hard work into creating a video only to watch it languish online.
So, what’s the secret? What do YouTubers know that B2B creators are missing?
Let’s find out what are the strategies that make YouTubers successful and see how B2B creators can apply them in their youtube video marketing.
YouTubers secrets for B2B creators
Who hasn’t binged on YouTube videos in their late-night scrolling sessions?
Back in 2010, many YouTubers were far from polished, with grainy images and subpar audio.
But as time went on, they adapted, they got better, and became more professional.
So you see, YouTubers have had years to understand the platform and their audience.
They’ve evolved with the platform, unlike many B2B companies that suddenly decide, “Let’s do YouTube and bring in those leads!”
Before we dive into the YouTuber tips, here’s a quick disclaimer.
Don’t feel pressured to implement every strategy at once. Take time to experiment, do A/B testing, and find out what works for your brand. And don’t forget, focus on the no 1 rule of youtube video marketing – MAKE STUFF WORTH WATCHING!
1. Obsess over retention
YouTubers are obsessed with retention and you as a B2B creator should be too.
Audience retention is an important metric for YouTubers because it directly measures how well a video maintains viewer interest over time.
It’s defined as the percentage of a video that viewers watch, with higher retention indicating that more people are staying engaged for longer periods.
You can measure retention through metrics like average view duration and the percentage of the video watched, both of which show insights into where viewers might be losing interest or dropping off.
Also, besides all the information they tell you about your viewers, high retention rates are valuable because YouTube’s algorithm favors content that keeps viewers engaged.
Videos with strong retention are more likely to be promoted through recommendations and search results, boosting their reach and visibility.
This makes audience retention a key focus for YouTubers who aim to grow their channels and reach a broader audience.
2. Hook in the first 10 seconds
No matter what type of video you’re creating, the first few seconds are super important. Can’t stress this enough, but the first 10 seconds will make or break your video.
People have low attention spans, even lower than a goldfish, so if they don’t see something interesting right away, they’ll move on to other videos.
That’s why you need to grab the audience’s attention right from the start and make it stick throughout the whole video.
You can start with a strong hook that piques viewers’ curiosity or interest. It could be a question, a statement, a quote, a joke, or even a visual element.
After you can tease the rest of the video so the audience will be intrigued to see what will happen.
Mr. Beast uses this technique in most of his viral videos like this one where he created a bunker and locked up two people for 100 days for a chance to win $500,000.
If you hooked your audience in the first seconds, good for you, but the job’s not done.
To keep them engaged for the entire video you have to include different techniques.
Such attention grabbing techniques are:
- Open curiosity loops: Keep your audience on the edge of their seats by asking questions early in the video and revealing the answers later.
- Pattern interruptions: Break up the monotony of your video with visual elements, sound effects, on-screen graphics, or dynamic camera angles.
- Pop-up text: Use engaging pop-up text to highlight key points and grab viewers’ attention.
- Collaborate with experts: Bring in other industry professionals to share their knowledge and perspectives.
- Show, don’t tell: Use visuals and storytelling to bring your content to life.
- Add movement: Keep viewers engaged with dynamic camera movements and creative editing effects.
Many YouTubers like Mrwhosetheboss, CaseyNeistat, Colin and Samir, Airrack, or Nathalie Lynn tested these techniques and found that’s working best for captivating their audience.
Want to play a fun game?
Pick a YouTube video from your favorite creator or the creators above and try to identify what attention techniques they’re using. It’s a great way to understand how they capture attention and how you can apply this in your youtube video marketing.
3. Deliver on the clickbait
Clickbait is a common tactic used by online content creators to attract viewers.
It involves using exaggerated or misleading headlines to make people click on a link or video.
But why do people still fall for clickbait?
The answer lies in our human psychology. We are naturally curious and crave instant gratification and clickbait headlines are designed to evoke strong emotions and tap into these desires.
One of the biggest issues of clickbait is that it often over promises and underdelivers.
However, there are YouTubers who have mastered the art of clickbait.
They can effectively tease the content of their videos, making viewers eager to watch while still delivering on their promises.
Such an example is David Dobrik who makes daily vlogs with pranks and challenges and often includes words like “craziest thing ever”, “you won’t believe what happened”.
In this video below called “We cannot believe this happened” he offered people playstations, money, $100K checks, and cars.
The title makes you curious to see what happened and it doesn’t disappoint. You see all the happy people and that surprised look on their faces – it makes you want to watch the whole video.
If you want to use clickbait in your B2B YouTube video strategy, you can highlight pain points or pose provoking questions that will stimulate curiosity and keep viewers engaged.
But anyway, keep in mind that the secret to a successful clickbait is honesty.
If you can deliver on the promises made in your headline, clickbait can be a powerful tool for attracting viewers.
4. Create thumbnails that connect
Alright, let’s talk about thumbnails. In our many years of producing video for clients as an agency, we realised that thumbnails are most of the time an afterthought for B2B companies.
For YouTubers on the other hand, thumnails are itterated on multiple times. Some larger YouTubers even have their own thumnail team.
B2B companies need to pay more attention to thumnails.
Thumbnails should compel people to click on the video.
On a X thread, Jay Alto said that creators make the mistake of focusing too much on the design rather than the psychology behind their thumbnails.
So when creating thumbnails, people should prioritize capturing why your video is worth’s viewers’ time and what it is about.
That’s because, as Jay Alto says “The potential viewer knows nothing about your video and builds your thumbnail accordingly”.
A master at raising it in a thumbnail and script is Ryan Trahan.
He made a video that should have been a hit like most of his.
The thumbnail looked great, the editing was on point, and video retention was high. But the video just wasn’t getting any clicks.
Ryan was stumped until he saw the thumbnail in dark mode on his phone.
By simply switching the background from dark to bright green, he saved the video.
The problem is, many YouTubers create thumbnails on large 4K monitors, focusing on big, bright elements.
So thumbnails should be simple, high-contrast, and visually striking to make sure they stand out and grab attention, even on smaller screens.
5. Go audience first
YouTubers who actively listen to audience feedback and understand their interests, refine their content strategy and produce videos that are more relevant and engaging for their viewers.
When content resonates with the audience, they are more likely to watch, like, comment, and share it.
This increased engagement signals to YouTube’s algorithm that the content is valuable, leading to higher visibility and reach. AKA youtube video marketing done right.
As a B2B creator you should choose topics that attract your desired audience and focus on one of the three types of content: helpful, entertaining, inspirational, or a combination of these.
Ali Abdaal, for example, creates informational videos on productivity and making YouTube content because his audience wants to learn more about these subjects.
If you want to see how your videos are performing and get a better understanding of who your audience is you should use YouTube Analytics.
You can find information on what formats, channels and videos your viewers watch and when they’re active on YouTube.
Then, you can use this information to plan your next batch of content, brainstorm new ideas and even identify potential collaborations.
6. Respect the platform
While YouTube offers short-form content, its core audience is primarily seeking long-form videos.
This is a big difference compared to platforms primarily focused on short-form content, where users can quickly like a video and swipe away without even looking at who created it.
YouTube commands higher attention spans.
Users come prepared to invest time in a one-hour podcast or a lengthy video. It’s more like a commitment.
That’s why YouTube creators strive for “likes, shares, and subscriptions” to appear in their viewers’ top recommendations unlike Instagram Reels, where followers can easily get lost in the recommended videos of other creators.
So it’s important to adapt your content to the specific platform’s guidelines and user expectations.
7. Give free value
If you consistently provide value to your audience, there’s a strong likelihood that they will want to reciprocate.
People instinctively feel this desire to contribute when they receive something of worth.
Take a look at YouTubers such as Graham Stephan who offers personal finance advice or Ali Abdaal who talks about productivity and career.
They offer their knowledge without expecting anything in return except for a like and subscribe.
Viewers can sense your intentions.
They are smarter than ever and they won’t fall for sales tactics.
If they perceive that your primary intention is to sell, they will likely see through it and avoid your content.
Respect your audience and their time.
Provide them with as much value as possible, and then don’t hesitate to ask for something in return like “Subscribe to our newsletter, if you found this video series helpful”.
But emphasize that if they subscribe they will only receive more valuable content.
8. No need for daily presence
The workload of a YouTube video is much greater than on other video platforms.
While you can quickly film and post content on TikTok, YouTube has higher expectations.
Using a phone camera might have been acceptable in 2010, but now the quality of the image, sound, setting, editing, and background noise matter.
Ideally you should aim for a new video each week, but don’t sacrifice quality for quantity.
If your resources only allow for monthly uploads, that’s perfectly fine.
The key is to find a consistent schedule that allows you to produce high-quality content reliably.
Some YouTubers like Oversimplified, who create educational animated videos, only post a few videos per year due to the amount of work it takes to make his videos.
Despite the lower frequency, their videos attract millions of views due to their high production quality and informative content.
So, it strongly depends on what type of content you want to create and the resources that go into it.
Get ready to apply these tips in your YouTube video strategy
Don’t be afraid to try out some of these strategies used by famous YouTubers.
See what resonates with your audience and aligns with your brand’s identity.
Also keep in mind that it took MrBeast five years to find virality through consistency, dedication, and patience.
So don’t expect immediate results. Building a strong YouTube presence takes time and effort.
Stay committed to your goals, and be patient as your channel grows.
Pay attention to key YouTube metrics like views, subscribers, engagement rates, and watch time because data will help you identify areas for improvement and help you grow more.
