There’s little doubt that inspirational videos are powerful content for any business. One simple scroll through any social media channel and you’ll see just how prevalent video content is. It’s consumed by almost every audience type, everywhere – including in the B2B sphere. 

A study by Salesforce found that 72% of B2B buyers are watching videos as part of the sales process. That’s a huge percentage of potential customers. 

And they work too. They generate a huge conversion uplift. HubSpot found that 59% of marketers agree that video content delivers the best ROI. 

But how do you create those inspirational sales videos? 

How do you make a video that cuts through all the noise, all that content and all those emails? How do you record a sales video that not only grabs your prospects attention, but also inspires them to act? That gets them to buy from you? 

We’ve been working with businesses big and small, all around the world, to help them create inspirational sales videos to increase conversions and drive profits. We know what works and what doesn’t. 

And we want to share our top tips for creating powerful sales videos with you. 

1)    Have something unique to talk about 

Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, you need to have something unique and inspirational to talk about. It’s not about changing the world, but you should still have a product or service that could make a difference to your prospective customers. 

Alternatively, you could try for a different take on a subject that’s important to your target audience. Perhaps you could offer a new opinion and be thought provoking, or maybe you could be a little controversial and challenging with your commentary on an industry issue? 

The point is, don’t just create a video for the sake of it. You need to have a purpose and something different to say. 

2)    Don’t focus on the selling 

The best types of sales videos – the inspirational ones that get shared over and over again – don’t concern themselves with direct selling. They know that if they grab their prospect’s attention and provide value that the selling will come naturally.  

They build supporters rather than buyers.  

So don’t focus too much on the selling. Instead think about how your inspirational sales video can share a great idea with your prospect or offer help in a new, innovative way. Your video could act as a guide for prospects, supporting them on their journey.  

3)    Aim for clear, simple production 

It’s a myth that to create a highly effective sales video you need to spend your entire marketing budget on an all-singing, all-dancing production set-up. 

A simple, to-camera piece can be equally, if not more effective. 

All you need is a quiet place to get a clear audio recording, and good lighting for a clear picture. A private room with a window to let in natural light during the day provides the perfect set-up.   

The web camera on your computer will give you a great video, you don’t have to have a big fancy camera. And software like Accordium gives you all the tools you need to quickly and easily record your own sales video. 

You might like to record on location – because different locations can offer interesting backdrops to your video, but you may find it harder to get clear audio. Some locations can be very distracting too, so you should try and keep any location shoots as relevant as possible to the content of your video (or the interests of your target audience). 

4)    Plan and structure your video

One common theme of inspirational sales videos is that they’ve all been planned out ahead of time, and all have a solid structure to help the flow and retain a viewer’s interest. 

Before you begin recording:  

• Write out a rough script of what you want to say
• Structure it to hook your prospect 
• Practice it a few times 

 You don’t want your sales video to be too scripted. If you end up just reading from a piece of paper, it will come across as wooden and unengaging. Definitely not inspirational. But if you don’t have a good idea of what you want to say, you could end up waffling and digressing and quickly lose the interest of your viewer. 

 Having a solid structure in place will also help you inspire your viewers and encourage them to move along the funnel to the buying stage. There are four key stages to focus on here: 

• Hook – You need to grab the interest of your prospect immediately – within the first five seconds. Try asking them a question which they might have asked themselves. Or say something controversial. You just need a statement that makes them pay attention. 
• Problem – Next, you’ll want to show the viewer you understand the position they’re in. Explain a problem that they’re likely to be facing and you’ll be instantly relevant. This is why you are contacting them. 
• Agitate – Now agitate that problem. Paint a picture of what their job, or their business, might look like if that problem gets worse. You’re empathising that it’s a big issue, and encouraging them that something needs to be done about it. 
• Solution – Then you can present the solution – your solution. Why they should get in touch with you. You understand their problems and you have just the thing to solve them. This is the inspiration you can provide. 
• Overcome – Finally, you might just need to anticipate any questions or objections your prospect may have, so that you can overcome them in advance. 

 5)    Believe in what you are selling

 Once you have the structure in place, you can then focus on the delivery. Practice, practice, practice, because this is where you will really connect with your audience. The most inspirational sales videos have inspiring speakers, so you need to make sure you’re confident in your delivery.

 This is all about speaking directly to your prospect and being yourself. Audiences have a sixth sense for falseness and dishonesty. They will know if you’re not being genuine. That’s why it’s vital you believe in what you are selling. You must be passionate about your product or service, because that will help you be interesting and engaging. 

 The most important thing is to be open, honest and human, as that will instantly put the viewer at ease. 

 Being personal with your sales video is often the only inspiration a prospect needs to buy from you. 

 6)    Add the finishing touches 

 Finally, when you’ve followed all the steps above, you can add these extra little touches when creating your sales video to make it truly inspirational: 

• An eye-catching thumbnail – Make sure your video really stands out in inboxes with a great thumbnail. You could try writing your prospects name on a piece of paper. 
• Powerful social proof – Most people are inspired by others success, so include testimonials or statistics that speak to what your product or service can do for those who buy. 
• A strong call to action – At the end of your video, the most important thing to include is a call to action, a line (and perhaps even a button) that tells your prospect exactly what you want them to do next. 

 Focus on these six areas and implement the tips we’ve suggested, and you’ll be well on your way to creating an inspirational sales video.

And if you want to get started recording right away, you can sign up for a free trial with Accordium here.