4 Tried-and-True Tips for Using Video in Sales Prospecting

I don’t have to tell you that video is a necessity; I’m sure you’ve already gathered that.

What I can tell you from first-hand experience is there is no combination more powerful than video and your sales team.

Using video in every stage in the sales process is important, but it's most essential during your "connect" phase. This is when you reach out to people who have requested more information, or prospects who are possible good fits. 

If prospecting is your responsibility, you should be welcoming video with open arms.

Our team, and those we coach, have found it not only makes every interaction more meaningful but also makes closing more efficient.

With that said, below I'll share four ways you can more effectively use video in your sales prospecting.

But wait, why do you need video?

Why does video make a difference when it comes to prospecting?

Well, overall, video makes your introductions more human. It allows someone to see your mannerisms, hear your voice, and feel like they've "met" you without ever actually doing so.

Sure, the person you're talking to knows you're a human on the other end of the phone line or email too, but seeing someone over video can be as powerful as meeting someone in person.

This also sets the expectation of video in the sales process right off the bat and sets us up to establish trust with the prospect much quicker.

Tips for using video in sales prospecting

1. Make use of a sales video tool

You likely have a video tool on your computer and of course your phone has a camera, but we've found it's helpful to utilize a tool built for sales. 

There are quite a few out there, like Wistia or Biteable, but our personal favorite is Vidyard.

Through Vidyard, you're able to record directly in your browser, share your screen, and drop a video thumbnail right into emails or LinkedIn,

Vidyard makes recording and sharing video even easier than typing out an email. (And what salesperson doesn't like efficiency, am I right?)

You can also use the Vidyard dashboard to track analytics like how much of a video people are watching, and how many people are clicking through to your meeting link. Another awesome feature of Vidyard is the notification you get when someone watches a video.

Note: The free version of Vidyard caps the number of views you can track at 15, but this should be enough for most sales interactions. 

All-in-all, you want a video tool that is going to make it easy for you to send videos and track your efforts so you can continue to improve your video outreach.

2. Walk through the value you can bring

In his HubSpot Pipeline Generation Bootcamp,  Dan Tyre focuses on how to best utilize video to get a prospect's attention and get a connect call scheduled.

It's important that your first video interaction doesn't come across too salesy, so Dan suggests you show the prospect the unique value you can bring to them. This initial video should be where you provide some advice and quick wins for the prospect — based on the pain point they might be facing.

Doing this shows the expertise and value that you bring to the table so you can begin building a relationship with them. 

Using marketing agencies as an example, Dan suggests doing a video screen share of the prospect's website and pointing out a couple of areas for improvement, and some quick wins they can implement.

From there, let them know about your company and why you are in the position to give them that advice. 

GIF from an example with my IMPACT teammate, Mike

Another example is to pull up the prospect's LinkedIn.

You have a limited amount of time to keep your lead's attention. With this approach, they'll see you have their page pulled up in the video thumbnail and be intrigued to watch and figure out why. 

GIF from an example with me

It's best if you can showcase your value in a minute or less. (Yes, it is doable.) Just keep your video to the point and avoid filler words and fluff. 

Another way we coach clients to make their videos stand out is finding something you have in common, or something you can mention, to show you took the time to learn a little bit about them. 

For example, if you went to the same college or speak the same languages. 

Lastly, do not forget to give them a call-to-action (CTA) in your video.

You want to make it easy for them to take action — like book a meeting on your calendar directly. With Vidyard, Wistia, and other tools, you can include a CTA to ensure you make it a seamless next step.

3. Incorporate a whiteboard 

As you could see in the LinkedIn example above, one way to really ensure someone watches your video is to make sure the thumbnail stands out. 

To accomplish this, we recommend incorporating a whiteboard.

This shows prospects you're not sending out a mass video to a list of contacts, but that you actually took the time to record a video just for them. 

On your whiteboard, try to always put the prospect's name. That way they know right away the video was recorded specifically for them.

You may also want to include a pain point, which shows them you know what they are facing and you're probably about to talk about it in the video.

How do I fit all of that into a small whiteboard space? I'd recommend getting a two-sided whiteboard so that you can flip between the two messages.

This is perfect when you create a GIF with your video thumbnail so right away your lead can see both messages.  

4. Include 'video' in your message subject line 

If someone sees a video in an email they are very likely to watch it.

In fact, an initial email with a video can see a click-through increase of up to 96%, but of course, you need to get them into that email in the first place.  

Getting people to open emails today is a science, but there's an easy formula to follow: Always include [video] somewhere in the subject line. Simple as that.

On average, including the word “video” in the subject line increased open rates from 7% to 13% on average according to SwitchVideo. Sometimes people just need to know there's something to watch and they will!

Bonus tip: Don't limit this to just email

Being in sales, I'm sure you are no stranger to using social media to prospect, especially LinkedIn.

We've found that, if you aren't able to connect through email, sending a request to someone on LinkedIn and including the video you recorded in the message is a great way to get noticed. 

Think about the number of messages you get on LinkedIn — can you count the number of video messages you've received on both hands? Probably not.

This tip will help you stand out significantly from the competition and bring even more meaning to the connection you're making. 

Video is the secret to more successful sales prospecting

Video can seem daunting at first, but it is probably one of the easiest things you can do to drive more business.

The great thing is you won't have to come up with new material to record many of these videos. You know from your sales conversations what people find valuable, common pain points, and ways you can help.

What will take a little work is figuring out how to capture it all in a short video and personalizing it to resonate with the prospect at hand.

Long term, it will save you time from the mundane task of writing sales emails, but it will also be the thing that makes you stand out from your competition.

These easy tips once implemented will have you on your way to effectively incorporating video in your prospecting and connect calls.