Decades ago, sales were about chatting face-to-face, reading expressions, and shaking hands to seal the deal. Then the shift went to phone calls and emails, which sped up the process but also made it harder to build genuine connections.
As competition grew, standing out to close deals became a bigger challenge. Video prospecting offers a modern way to bring back the personal touch, capture the attention, and leave an impression that leads to conversions.
Research shows that video emails can double open rates, boosting them from 40% to 80%. Moreover, 88% of businesses report that video helps build prospects’ confidence in their offerings.
If you’re new to this, here’s a quick step-by-step guide.
The Process of Video Prospecting in Sales
1. Research your target customers
Video prospecting focuses on creating a 1:1 connection. During the discovery phase, conduct extensive customer research in meetings with your sales team, marketers, business consultants, and other stakeholders in your team structure.
Discuss important details about your prospects, like:
- What are their demographics (age, gender, location)?
- What factors influence their buying decisions?
- What solutions have they used before?
You can even dig deeper into your research by reading online reviews, studying your competitors’ customers, and learning about industry trends on social media.
Remember, your target customer might already be familiar with your offerings. Recognizing how much they know about you will set the stage for crafting a message that feels relevant and personalized.
2. Work out your video specifics
With a clear understanding of your target customer, map out the specifics of your video approach. Tailor your content to various points in the sales journey and define actionable goals for each video.
Here’s an example:
- If you’re contacting a new prospect, a 30-60-second introduction video works best.
- Spark interest with a timely reference, such as a recent product update or industry trend.
- The video must be concise, yet informative to showcase your expertise and build trustworthiness.
- To reinforce your message, share testimonials or case studies from similar customers.
Choose the best video style for each scenario—screen recordings, webcam, or selfie style—and set personalization parameters.
You don’t want to use technical jargon when speaking to a prospect unfamiliar with your industry or repeat the same outdated details about your service to someone you’ve already engaged with.
Consider aligning your video content with tone, style, and specific phrasing that resonates with each customer segment.
3. Write an engaging video script
You must be strategic in your outreach emails. Using the insights you gathered in the first two steps, draft a compelling video script.
Begin with a warm, personalized greeting. Mention their name, company, or a relevant detail—like a recent achievement—to show you’ve taken the time to get to know them.
Next, address a specific pain point relevant to their industry, demonstrating you understand what’s on their mind. This opens the door to introducing your product or service as ‘the’ solution, focusing on the most relevant key benefit.
Bring a relatable example of someone you’ve helped, whether a customer with a similar issue or an impressive statistic that adds credibility.
Conclude the video with a clear, friendly CTA. Invite the prospect to book a meeting, use a free trial or reply to your email. Read the script out a couple of times to improve coherence and readability and time it out.
Chris Masanto, the CEO of PetLab Co., said:
“When we launched our outreach campaign for the USA, our initial sales video scripts fell short of connecting with the core concerns of our prospects. To address this, we crafted concise, purpose-driven scripts that directly addressed these pain points—highlighting our commitment to reliable stock fulfillment and robust educational resources tailored for retailers. This shift made our messaging resonate more effectively, turning video outreach into a powerful tool that boosted engagement and secured more deals.”
4. Record and edit your video
Creating a clear, professional video shows prospects that you value their time and take your outreach seriously. So, start by setting up your recording space with a distraction-free background.
You should also:
- Get natural light in the room; if not, get a ring light.
- Use a clip-on microphone when you’re speaking.
Want to train your sales team to be more confident and prepared for this activity? An online training software can help guide them through video best practices, familiarize them with tools, and provide tips for creating impactful, resonating videos.
It’s also essential to practice your speech before recording and be mindful of pronunciation, body language, and eye contact. After filming, edit the content for clarity and remove awkward pauses.
Research shows that shorter is almost always better for prospecting videos. Maintain a time limit of 30-60 seconds. Experiment with stock visuals, animations, and sound effects if budget permits. Ensure the video’s look and feel are in sync with your brand.
5. Write a strong supporting email with a CTA
Regardless of how good your video is, you still need to complement it with a well-written email. Writing an engaging subject line is important. It sets the tone for your email and can make the difference in whether your prospect clicks to learn more.
Emails with custom subject lines using the recipient’s name have an average open rate of 43.41%—you can try that, too.
In the body, introduce yourself in a sentence or two and then get down to the primary business, guiding them to watch your video and the key takeaways for doing so. Tie it up with a CTA to inspire clicks, such as:
- See How It’s Done. Click to Watch!
- Make Your Next Move – Watch This Video!
- Take the Next Step Towards [Outcome/Goal]!
Keep the email length short, as you’re already sending more information in the form of a video.
Add a catchy thumbnail to pique the prospect’s interest—you can use a screenshot of an exciting part of your offering or a GIF of yourself smiling and waving at the camera. Resize it within the email to make it pop.
6. Send the video and track its views
As with any outreach strategy, you must monitor your video’s performance and gauge its effectiveness.
Track metrics such as:
- CTR on the video link
- Percentage of the video watched
- Completion rate (how many watched it till the end)
- Sections that were skipped or replayed
These will give you important insights into what matches different customer segments’ interests and pain points.
For instance, certain prospects only watch the beginning of the video, indicating the need for a stronger hook or more concise messaging.
Alternatively, if they’re replaying specific sections, it could mean those areas resonate strongly, and you might want to emphasize similar points in the future.
Close More Deals
There’s no doubt that prospecting videos are easier to consume, more entertaining, and more personable than a simple text email. They help you make your target customer feel seen and heard.
You can customize your pitch and demonstrate how committed you are to addressing their needs—giving them a name and a face to trust.
About the Author
Taher Batterywala is an SEO and Growth Content Marketer at Ranking Bell. With over 7 years of B2B marketing experience and a diversified skill set, he helps craft winning strategies and execute end-to-end campaigns for B2B and SaaS companies to achieve scalable organic growth. Outside of work, he enjoys watching movies, photography, and dabbling in design. You can find him on LinkedIn and X.
