When it comes to explaining complex technical, finance, or B2B concepts, videos are the second-best marketing tool – in-person and face-to-face are naturally more effective. However, to communicate at scale, especially during a pandemic, videos are a much-needed part of an effective content marketing plan.
While the thought of producing longer videos can paralyse marketers – it can certainly be costly and time-consuming – the great thing about video content is it lasts longer, gets higher click-throughs, and it’s more versatile. Video content can also be used across all stages of the buyer’s journey and benefit internal and external audiences.
When it comes to writing scripts for B2B, tech or finance video, or even scripts for webinars, the inconvenient truth is what looks good in print, usually doesn’t work on screen. Video is a whole different ball game. Here’s how we prevent your viewers from turning off the video and ensure they still remember your message three days later:
9.99 times out of 10, the person watching your video doesn’t have the same love for your company that you do. They may have just stumbled upon your video as they’re tired from reading, or maybe their boss asked them to attend the webinar. That’s why we never assume that the audience watching are interested. Instead, it’s our job to make them interested.
Aimless script writing that tries to squeeze too many messages and worst still, in no particular order, is never memorable. The introduction always has to draw you in, the middle needs to follow some sort of logical flow, and the ending needs to bring it all together and inspire the next step. It’s a 3-step recipe that should never be forgotten but often is – especially with online webinars.
Most B2B marketing videos rely on voice-overs which can rule out a large potential audience. There’s a lot of people out there who prefer video content but might not always be able to watch with sound. That’s where videos with animated text can help. But just because there’s no voice-over doesn’t mean you don’t need a scriptwriter. Word choice becomes even more important in animated text videos.
Nowadays, most content should be written conversationally, but nowhere is that more important than video. If you try to wow your audience with big words, you’ll lose them. Scriptwriting requires writing how we talk. That means, ‘buy’ not ‘purchase’, ‘free’, not ‘complimentary’, ‘we’re’ not ‘we are’ and ‘use’ not utilise. The more we keep it conversational, the more approachable the content becomes and the easier it is to listen to.
A video rarely gets watched to the end, let alone with the viewer’s full attention. That’s why we avoid burying the most important information at the end of the video. We also prefer not to pack everything about your product or company into one short video. If there’s a lot to say then a series of videos often works better, OR, there’s nothing wrong with leaving the viewer wanting to know more. That’s how we can inspire the viewer to take the next step and get in contact with you.
Many B2B, tech, and finance companies brush off the thought of humour and wit. While there might be some legitimate concerns, it’s important to remember that you are talking to humans. It doesn’t matter how old or experienced your audience is. Everyone appreciates the chance to smile – especially in the middle of a pandemic. That doesn’t necessarily mean full-blown comedy, but small and appropriate doses of humour in your video script can make a big difference to engagement and recall.
Coming from a copywriting agency, it’s probably strange to see us say this, but it’s true. When it comes to videos, it’s not all about the words. Video is equally about sounds and visual, often more so. When we work with one of our preferred video production agencies, we’ll be able to work with the creative director and omit words that can be better shown visually, and vice versa.
Among the many new things B2B, tech, and finance marketers have experienced in 2020, the rise of webinars and online events is arguably the most significant. Without the need for a camera crew, it’s as easy as ever to find a willing participant, a smartphone or laptop, and an internet connection, and run an online event.
But, what started out as a great way to attract leads has turned into an onslaught of carbon-copy webinars. To win the attention of your audience, who can now walk away from the event as easy as ever, marketers need to raise the bar. Our B2B, tech, and finance copywriters can help achieve this by transferring your enthusiasm onto the screen in a receptive way.
As virtual meetings and events seem likely to remain a key part of B2B marketing and sales strategies, finding a way to keep the conversation going post-event is also important. We recommend engaging our content writers to follow up with some bite-size written content, including eDM’s and social media posts in order to get the maximum benefit from your online webinar.
We’ve been hired by tech companies to write scripts for product videos, including explainer videos with animated text and promotional videos as well as corporate videos. We’ve also written training videos for government agencies, keynotes, emcee scripts and recorded interviews, for online webinars for multinational B2B corporations.
We don’t have an in-house video production team, but we’ve worked with several video production agencies, and we can recommend an agency based on your project needs. Alternatively, we are happy to work with your own appointed video production agency on the scriptwriting.
Script writing for B2B, tech, and finance videos starts from $500 SGD but is highly dependent on the length of the video and the specific task at hand. Please share with us more information on your scriptwriting needs, and we’ll happily provide a quote.
For short promotional videos, a minimum 3 days turnaround is required. Depending on our schedule, extra time may be required. Naturally longer explainer videos and corporate videos will require more time to write as more information will need to be gathered, researched, and considered. Keynotes, emcee scripts and recorded interviews take longer again due to the number of stakeholders involved and the longer length of the script – accuracy of the script is critical in these situations.
Most of the time the script is written first, however at times we have worked with agencies who have existing video footage, and they want to include a script and voice over after the fact. Despite the script being written first though, it is often adapted and tweaked once the storyboard is created as sometimes the script can be better displayed visually and therefore shortened.
