Video prospecting: What it is and how to do it right

In a world crowded with cold phone calls and text-centric sales outreach, video prospecting effectively connects with, engages, and closes target accounts.

41% of companies are already using prospecting videos in their prospecting emails, with a whopping 81% saying video has a direct — and positive — impact on sales.

This makes sense as personalized videos help you get prospects’ attention and tailor your outbound messages to each account. Video is also a great way to educate prospective customers about your product in an easy-to-understand and memorable way.

Read on to learn more about video prospecting best practices in sales, including the ROI it brings in, steps for creating your first prospecting video, and which tools to use to succeed.

What is video prospecting?

Video prospecting is when sales reps use video as an outreach channel to connect with potential buyers.

You can use videos in any part of the sales process — be it introducing yourself to potential customers, nurturing leads, following up with interested accounts, or sharing product demos.

Plus, you can leverage prospecting videos for any sales channels, including email, social media channels like LinkedIn outreach, and sales engagement platforms like Gong.

Why should you use videos for sales prospecting?

Creating short videos for sales prospecting is an effective way to gain your target prospect’s attention — especially in the text-heavy world of sales outreach.

Research by SalesLoft confirms the effectiveness of using video prospecting for sales professionals:

• Sales teams that use video for email outreach see a 16% increase in their open rates
• Video-featuring sales emails see a 26% increase in replies
• Emails containing sales videos show a 4x higher click-through rate than emails without them

Most of all, video outreach is more personal than text-based cold outreach, helping you gain prospects’ trust faster.

Not to mention, sales video prospecting is also an interesting way to nurture and educate target users about your product by demonstrating how it works to them. Since you’re educating buyers by showing — not merely telling — they’re more likely to understand your software and retain your message.

Combined, all of this helps you build rapport quickly, giving you a chance to close more deals.

When to use video prospecting

Video prospecting is for everyone — whether you’re a marketer building links or looking to drive inbound traffic or a B2B sales rep sending cold outreach emails to potential customers.

In fact, all the experts we talked to agree, with DocuSign’s Market Development Rep, Rhonda Alexander, going on to say: “Honestly, [I] think any type of prospecting/marketing could use video because it’s so humanizing. And if you can make it fun/entertaining, that’s key in my opinion.”

Video prospecting can be used when:

• Prospecting one-to-many
• Introducing yourself to a potential customer or prospect follow-up
• Sharing company, product, or feature updates
• Walking prospective buyers through personalized product demos
• Getting in touch with an account that wasn’t ready to buy before
• Reconnecting with an old user when they join a new target account
• Reaching out to a product evangelist for a referral or to introduce you to a new account

The best part? You can also leverage video prospecting as part of your account-based marketing strategy. For example, the marketing team can create videos to communicate the key points of a new guide. And the sales team can use video to answer a specific feature-related question that a target account has.

How to make a sales prospecting video in 4 steps

Winning at sales with video boils down to understanding your target audience well, creating short and engaging videos, and analyzing performance to drive better results.

Here are the steps you should take to get started:

Step 1: Research your target account

Kick things off by taking the time to understand your target viewer’s pain points and how ready they are to buy from you.

B2B prospecting tools help at this stage because they can identify who is searching for a tool like yours and what their organizational structure looks like.

Tools like UserGems can also identify warm paths into target accounts by tracking customer job changes. This allows you to see which of your past (and possibly, happy) customers have switched to a new role and may be willing to introduce you to their new team.

These folks may even hold a leadership role themselves. According to our research,  new executives spend 70% of their budget in the first 100 days. You can convert them faster by reaching out to them in time using a personalized video message.

Step 2: Work out your video specifics

After you figure out who your target viewer is, make some decisions about the video you want to create. While this will change depending on a variety of factors such as your budget, tools, and your prospect’s attention span, there are a handful of questions you can ask yourself to create a roadmap, such as:

• What type of video will it be?

The type of video you make depends on what your goal is. For example, you could create a webcam-based video (great for introducing yourself) or a screen-recorded video (perfect for walking viewers through how your tool works).

You can also create pre-recorded videos to answer questions prospects frequently ask. Or a playlist or curation of videos that you can share by recording a personal intro for target accounts.

• What sales funnel stage will you send it in?

Decide when you’ll send the video to better tailor its message. For example, will you send the video early in the sales cycle to introduce yourself, or will you create a personalized demo video?

• How will you personalize the video?

Your research should inform the angle your video takes. Avoid sending boring, cookie-cutter prospecting videos.

If anything, don’t be afraid to be creative. Leah Zissimopulos Fraser, senior ADR at UserGems, shares, “I’m experimenting with making the videos fun — anything that can be used as a pattern interrupt to get people’s attention and make them laugh.”

DocuSign’s Alexander agrees. “Make it quirky. People are getting the same polite, professional business emails and even videos all day long. And don't forget to be yourself. That is what I’ve learned goes further than sticking to the so-called ‘tried and true’ rules for any game.”

• How long will the video be?

Ideally, short video emails are winners as they help you retain viewers’ attention. Fraser recommends keeping them to 90 seconds or under. In fact, over 60% of viewers will continue to watch your sales video until the end if it’s less than 60 seconds.

Step 3: Create a video script

A video script outlines what you’ll say in the video and the order in which you’ll say it.

On the surface, it may seem like more work on your plate, especially compared to winging it. But a script reduces retakes, perfects your wording, and conveys your message persuasively.

Plan out the following in your script:

• Video structure

What will you say first, second, and last? A good structure to follow includes an intro, the purpose of the video or the value proposition, a call-to-action, and closes with a thank-you message.

• Video hook

Decide how you’ll start. Your hook must be compelling to encourage the viewer to continue watching.

Mike Manzi, the founder of Official Sales, suggests, “For the best videos, have a great hook like ‘No one's talking about this,’ ‘You probably care about (something funny), but,’ or ‘I hope I’m not the first person to say this to you’ and always, always, always leave your name and company to the end.”

• Video thumbnail ideas

Consider your video’s cover image carefully since it will show in your outreach message. It’s important to make it inviting to encourage prospects to click through and watch your video.

“Get creative with the thumbnail that gets included in your email,” recommends Alex McNett, Senior ADR at UserGems. “Make sure it’s a GIF, and make people want to see what will follow next.”

Step 4: Record, send and analyze the results

Once you’ve planned everything out, start recording. Make sure to shoot your video in a well-lit room with a clutter-free background.

Close all windows to reduce external noise, and use a carpeted room with curtains to reduce echo if you can.

Last but not least, analyze your videos’ metrics. See which ones are getting the best responses and identify factors contributing to their success so you can create more audience-resonating prospecting videos.

Tools that make video prospecting easy

While video prospecting may seem like a lot of work, the right tools make it easy. Here are some of the ones we recommend to ease automation, target the right prospects, and track performance.

Video recording software

When it comes to recording your prospecting videos, there are a handful of tools you can choose from, such as:

• Vidyard. Vidyard is a video tool specifically for sales and marketing teams. It lets you record and edit videos as well as analyze their performance.
• Vimeo Screen Recorder. Vimeo Screen Recorder is a free chrome extension that lets you shoot and edit unlimited screen-recorded videos with or without including your webcam. It also shows you who has viewed your video.
• Loom. Loom is an easy-to-use tool that lets you create up to 25 five-minute-long screen-recorded videos for free using a browser extension.

All three tools offer plenty of integrations to easily incorporate the video recorder you choose into your sales tech stack.

Video editing software

Once you’ve recorded your video, edit it using your screen recorder tool or a specialized tool like VEED to access advanced editing features.

VEED lets you trim videos you create, add captions, and include overlays (graphics showing your company logo and CTA messages).

You can also use a DIY design tool such as Canva (our preferred tool here at UserGems) to create thumbnails for your videos.

Pipeline generation tools

Pipeline generation tools identify the right prospects for you to create videos for.

UserGems, for example, tracks key accounts and contacts for job changes. When a customer changes their job, you get a notification, letting you add them as a warm lead at a new account in your sales pipeline.

Odds are these are happy ex-customers who are likely open to giving you a referral or recommendation. Creating a video to connect with them is a surefire way to receive a positive response.

Sales intelligence tools

Finally, you need sales intelligence tools to unearth insider info about prospects. This will help you identify who to target at a new account and understand their pain points so you can personalize your prospecting videos.

This software also tells you who’s searching for a tool like yours so you can reach out to ready-to-convert prospects before your competitors do.

Some of the best video prospecting examples

Creating your first prospecting video can be challenging. Even if you’ve done your research and chosen the best screen recorder, you may not know how to get started. Take a look at these examples of awesome sales videos to get some inspiration and up your reply rates.

1. A prospecting video with a super personalized approach

UserGems’ Leah Zissimopulos Fraser created this prospecting video for a potential customer to introduce them to UserGems. It starts with a strong hook, empathizes with the account’s struggle, and positions the sales prospecting tool as the solution that could help the viewer.

2. A short and sweet prospecting video

UserGems’ Alex McNett shared this video, noting that many prospects watched it in full thanks to its short length. As with other prospecting video examples, this one also starts with a compelling hook. And it quickly and naturally positions UserGems as a solution to the prospects’ problem.

Warm up your outreach with a prospecting video

In a nutshell, the best video prospecting strategies focus on using videos to build rapport with potential customers and gain their trust.

You can record prospecting videos for any stage of the sales funnel — be it introducing yourself or sharing a discount code to close the deal.

Be sure to research your target viewers well and spend time planning the video, including its hook, CTA, and thumbnail.

And don’t forget to use the right tools to create results-driving sales videos. Start today by choosing a video recording tool that integrates with your current tech stack and using software like UserGems to track key contacts and accounts to connect with. Book a free demo today to get started.