How Do Sales and Marketing Use Video Differently?
If You Want to Know the Difference Between Sales and Marketing, Just Look at How They Use Video.
I recently produced a video for Kleber and Associates, an Atlanta advertising and PR agency, about getting sales and marketing to work together. If you’re interested, you can see the video I did for them here.
It got me thinking about sales and marketing, and the differences between the two.
Make no mistake, sales and marketing people both have the same goal in mind—to sell stuff. But they seem to go about it in completely different ways.
Marketing Is About Products
Marketing people focus on the product—what are its consumer benefits, who is most likely to be interested in it, and how can you reach those people.
Their goal is to build a brand, raise awareness, and generate interest.
So in terms of video, marketers post product demos, testimonials, paid ads, and social media. It’s all about content marketing and nurturing leads.
Sales Is About People
Sales, on the other hand, is about relationships. Talking to people. Interacting with customers. Offering to answer questions, or take prospects out for a test drive.
They want to look customers in the eye and close the sale.
How Sales People Use Video
Sales people use video as an extension of their sales pitch. Yet another way to connect with customers.
It’s like the Alec Baldwin character in “Glengarry Glenn Ross.” Always Be Closing.
So when Marketing creates a video and sends it to the Sales team, do they actually use it?
Well, according to that Kleber and Associates video (and the Content Marketing Institute) sales teams use those marketing materials about 25% of the time.
That’s the difference between sales and marketing.
One-on-One Videos
One of the fastest growing trends in video this year is one-on-one, or personalized videos. That’s where sales people send a video to a specific prospect.
They even include their name, as in “Hey Steve, check out this video I did just for you.”
So the sales person literally cranks out dozens of videos for different prospects.
Imagine getting an email that says there’s a video just for you. The poster frame might be a sales guy with your name written on a white board.
Would you open that email? I would. And it turns out a lot of other people would, too.
According to Vidyard, those videos increase open rates over 500%.
So who’s to say there’s a right way and a wrong way to use video? Should it be well produced and edited with music and fancy graphics, or should it be simple and authentic—your basic iPhone recording?
I guess that depends on whether you’re in sales or marketing.
About the Author:
Harry Hayes is the owner and executive producer at Content Puppy Productions, a corporate video production agency based in Charlotte. Before starting Content Puppy, he spent 20+ years as an advertising writer and creative director.
