These days, B2B is an entirely different beast — all thanks to people (like you) who’ve made the web their playground.

The little guys are on a more even playing field with the big boys – so now it’s the companies that nimbly hitch themselves to the right technological bandwagons that pull ahead.

There are two things to remember here, though: not every social networking device or web 2.0 gimmick is going to be effective (particularly if you employ them all at once), and, more importantly, it’s not just enough to get on board with these digital technologies — to be persuasive, they have to be done right.

right

Think about how many websites there are out there, all trying to communicate a message to their audiences. A few really good, a lot really bad, and even more mired in mediocrity (which is almost worse). To stand out, and thereby persuade, you need a tool for your site that will:

  • Attract attention
  • Generate interest
  • Stimulate desire
  • Create an experience
  • Be memorable
  • Prompt action

 

The one that arguably gives you the best chance of delivering this kind of message is web video. It provides infinitely more dimensions of scope to capture and convince; but again, it has to be done right. An amateur DIY effort is going to come across as shoddy and credibility-crushing; if it isn’t relevant, you’re wasting your visitors’ time; if it’s boring, all you’ve done is provide a cure for insomnia.

A good web video will resonate with the viewer; provide some sort of new perspective, deliver both logical and emotional benefits, be concise and easily digestible, and utilise video’s visual potential. Someone who’s got it right is Gary Vaynerchuck of winelibrarytv.com, whose unconventional and energetic commentaries on wine attract over 80,000 viewers a day and have transformed Wine Library from a $4 million dollar business to a $45 million one over the course offive years.

Making your website a tool of persuasion

YouTube is being utilised by more and more businesses to go viral with content often deemed too risqué for television. It’s currently the 3rd most popular site on the web and new clips can catch alight and spread like fire.

One brand that has leveraged the power of youtube, which also happens to be one of the most popular search engines among their customer base, is French Connection. They’ve broken new ground with the very first (we think) YouTube store, their “youtique”, found at youtube.com/user/frenchconnection. Some of the clips are hosted by a celebrity stylist, solving wardrobe dilemmas, others are quirky and random. It’s genius in its simplicity, with direct links from each clip to purchase the featured items. They have quite simply created a new way to shop.

There are lots of digital tools that enable some kind of interaction with your audience, but web video is a great way to go viral and the best vehicle to sweep everything you want to say into a meaningful and compelling marketing message that’s going to convert visitors into customers.