Stop Cold Calling and Try Personalized Video Prospecting

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: cold calling is dead.

But that doesn’t mean cold outreach is dead — in fact, there are more ways than ever to get creative about the way you reach out to cold prospects. Email and social media are two of the most effective ways to do it, but even then you need a strategy to ensure your message will stand out.

Enter: personalized video prospecting.

It’s exactly what it sounds like — a personalized video created for high-potential prospects. It’s not a new strategy, but it is a strategy on the rise as B2B companies seek more ways to catch the attention of prospects in a crowded competitive landscape. In 2022, sales and customer conversations rank as the #3 distribution channel for video in business (ahead of YouTube!).

In this article, we’ll discuss how you can get ahead of this emerging trend and leverage personalized video prospecting to differentiate your brand, earn higher response rates from leads, and ultimately convert more paying customers.

Quick Takeaways

• Nearly half (42%) of sales reps report that prospecting is the most challenging part of the sales process.
• Videos in sales emails earn 2-3X the CTR and response rates as those without and can increase the number of meetings booked by 500%.
• Sales and customer communications are the #3 ranked distribution channel for business videos.
• Sales prospecting videos should always be kept under two minutes.
• Sales reps can leverage video automation to balance pre-recorded content with personalized messaging.

Why should you consider personalized video prospecting?

Sales prospecting today is challenging — communication is constant, there are more channels to manage than ever before, and customer expectations are only getting higher. Prospects now have direct access to as many potential vendors or providers as they want, and once they show initial interest, they’re inundated with targeted ads and emails.

In other words: it’s not easy to stand out in the B2B world. In a recent HubSpot study, 42% of sales reps reported that prospecting was the part of the sales process they struggled with most.

Personalized video prospecting can serve as a much-needed breath of fresh air in your sales strategy, and right now most B2B prospects will be pleasantly surprised by an approach they’ve never (or rarely) seen companies take before.

Research also shows that using video in the sales process nets impressive results as it relates to prospect engagement — adding video to sales emails can increase click-through rates by 200-300%, triple response rates, and increase the number of meetings booked by a staggering 500%.

Let’s look at 7 tips for adopting and executing a personalized video prospecting strategy that works.

7 Tips for Executing Personalized Video Prospecting

Place it in your sales process

Where will your video outreach fit in with the rest of your sales prospecting activities? It could be part of your initial outreach, used in your first follow up, or maybe incorporated in an effort to spark interest from high-potential but unresponsive leads.

There isn’t really a one-size-fits-all answer in this case. It really depends on how effective your current activities are and where you think your strategy could use a boost. No matter where you think it belongs, be sure to map it out with the rest of your sales process so you can track consistent performance metrics from your effort.

Block out time to record

Video can be a lot faster than typing out emails or making phone calls, but it does require a certain level of preparation. You’ll need to know your script (more on that next) and be set up in an environment that’s quiet and well-lit. Rushed or sloppy videos (like any other kind of communication) will definitely make the wrong impression, so take time to block out the hours you’ll use for video recording throughout the week.

Write a script (sort of)

There isn’t a total consensus in the B2B world about whether or not your personalized video prospecting videos should be scripted. Some say yes — totally scripted — and others say no, it should be totally natural and conversational.

Our recommendation is to land somewhere in the middle. Write yourself an outline that notes the main ideas of your video and your must-include points. But don’t write it out word for word lest you end up reading from the script and sounding inauthentic. 

Leverage automation in your videos

Use automation to make your sales prospecting video creation more efficient and your message more consistent. For example, there may be parts of your video that can always stay the same, like your introduction or a segment where you share a slide to walk through product highlights. 

Automatically adding these segments to every video and balancing it out with personalized messaging for every prospect can save you significant time and improve the overall quality of your videos.

Keep it short and sweet

While exact numbers vary, research on video engagement generally finds that user engagement drops off significantly after 90 seconds to two minutes. The same can be assumed for sales prospecting videos. Remember, this is not a full sales pitch — it’s a quick attention grab to get your prospect engaged. Once they are, then you can jump into more detail.

Keep your video content compelling and to the point — no added fluff or dead time that may cause your prospect to hit the X.

Think creatively about format

There are a lot of ways to approach video prospecting from a format perspective. Many reps choose to keep their videos simple — just them speaking to their prospect — and there is nothing wrong with that approach. It works.

That said, you can enhance your videos by including visuals, sharing slide decks, or arranging a background that adds to the content (like displaying a company logo or setting up a whiteboard behind you to write on while you talk).

The key is not to make your format distracting — you and your message should be the main feature.

Use quality equipment

This one goes without saying, but always make sure your video quality is high. Fortunately, you don’t need fancy equipment to make a great video — an iPhone or high-res webcam will do the trick. But pay attention to appearance (your background, lighting, etc.) and audio quality so that your video makes a professional impression.

Our outbound email software and lead generation services are custom-built for startups, consultancies, marketing agencies, and other B2B organizations. Schedule a quick call with us and find out how we can help you win more clients.