In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses constantly seek new ways to generate leads and sales. One effective way to do this is to use video books. Video books are physical books that contain a video that can be played when the book is opened. This makes video books a unique way to deliver information to potential customers.
Today, selling digitally is key, but what about optimizing in-person selling? That is a question Omar M. Kheteeb, the podcast host of “The State of MedTech,” asked guest Brian Duffy, Director of Surgical Marketing and Procedure Development at Olympus Corporation of the Americas.
In this interview, Brian discusses how he uses video books to generate leads and sales for his company. He has been getting phenomenal results with video books, and they covered this topic in the podcast below. And we must say we love how Brian uses video books/video brochures in his field. So, let’s dive into his points and highlight how Brian uses the devices in his work.
Brian talks about video books though we generally use the term “video brochures“. Video books/brochures are important marketing tools quickly gaining popularity. It is a physical softcover or hardcover brochure that contains a video that can be played when the book is opened.
Brian, in his role at Olympus, uses video brochures in several different ways:
Cold outreach
Brian sends video books to potential customers he does not know. He includes a personalized message in the video book introducing himself and his company.
Following up after meetings
Brian sends video books to potential customers after he has met with them. He includes a summary of the meeting in the video book and asks the customer if they have any questions.
Rekindling relationships
Brian sends video books to potential customers who he has not spoken in a while. He includes a reminder of their previous interaction and asks if they would like to schedule a meeting.
Networking
Brian gives video books to potential customers at trade shows. He includes a brief introduction to his company and asks the customer to contact him if they are interested in learning more.
Gain Access
One of the biggest challenges in sales and marketing is gaining access to potential customers. As Brian notes:
As Brian mentions, video books can help you overcome this challenge by making it easy to deliver your message to busy decision-makers often hidden behind a firewall of personal assistants or other personnel.
When you send a video book to a potential customer, they are more likely to be opened than an email or a PDF. And once they open it, they watch Brian directly talking to the surgeon or decision maker with personalized messages Brian records.
Video books can help you build relationships with potential customers. When you send a video book, you invite the potential customer to get to know you better. This can help you build trust and rapport, which is essential for closing deals.
It [a recorded video] doesn’t always get to the end user. I am then challenged by access issue. So I racked my brain; how do I circumnavigate this barrier so I can tell my story and educate? Because I believe what I’m selling and what I’m representing in the marketplace has value, it is proprietary information that my user could benefit from if I could tell my story.
The power of video works. We all know this. I’m not here to talk about that, but a video book is how I take a video, record it, personalize it, loaded onto a tangible, physical asset, and then deliver it to again busy executive, the surgeon, or the physician we all want to talk to who has no time to meet with anyone.
And that’s something that I explored, and it’s been a huge differentiator.
Differentiate
In today’s crowded marketplace, differentiating yourself from your competitors is more important than ever. Video books can help you do this by providing a unique and engaging way to deliver your message.
You are not just sending a static piece of content when you use video books. You are sending a dynamic and interactive experience. This can help you stand out from the competition and capture the attention of potential customers.
In some instances, Brian uses video books to leave a message shortly after a meeting. He is taking advantage of the ease of the upload process and records, uploads, and delivers his video book to the recipient in a few minutes. This, of course, has a big advantage over other traditional ways to contact his potential client.
So what I’ve done is I stopped myself on the tracks, and before I leave the facility before I leave the physician’s office, I will find a corner, you know, a Starbucks, and I will record a video, upload it right there and then go back to the physician or the executive office and say,
“Hey, this is for Dr. Khateeb. Could you put this on his desk?”
And now, I have a tangible asset that is personalized, summarizes what we’ve just discussed, has branding and a marketing messaging that I hope resonates with them, and maybe it sits on his desk for two or three days. Then I follow up again a week later.
Persuade
Video books can also be used to persuade potential customers to take action. You can tell your story, explain your product or service, and answer potential objections using video books. This can help you convince potential customers to buy from you.
In addition, video books can be used to create a sense of urgency. When you send a video book, you can include a call to action that encourages potential customers to take action immediately. This can help you close deals faster.
And during her presentation, she made a couple of key points. I summarized key points, uploaded it, and then at the conference, I found her again. I said, Hey, you know, I really enjoyed your talk. Here’s what I heard. When you’re ready, I’d love to talk to you again. She called me for her cell phone that night. I’m driving back from the conference, and she actually called me. She’s like; I like your book. That was great, but I’ve never gotten anything like that before. So I was like, Wow, this is pretty cool. Like, this is working.
Network
Brian gives video books to potential customers at trade shows. He includes a brief introduction to his company and asks the customer to contact him if they are interested in learning more. In a typical trade show, companies spend money on promotional products that may or may not bring value. With video books, an attendee leaves with a message, introduction, or sale pitch with a much greater potential for action than a printed brochure or a keychain. In that sense, Brian is decreasing the cost per meeting that many companies track.
We got to be a trade show coming up next week and we’re going to be using these left and right because we fantastic. I think for most companies, what they need to do is calculate their cost per meeting, you know, and I would imagine for most MedTech companies, their cost per meeting is probably high, likely above $500.
This has really made a huge difference for me because I don’t think anybody else is out there doing it in our industry.
How to Use Video Books
If you are interested in using video books, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. First, you need to make sure that your video book is high quality, like the one you can get from theVideoCards.
Second, you need to make sure that your video book is relevant to your target audience. The video should provide value to potential customers and help them solve a problem.
Brian explains that video books have been very effective for him in generating leads and sales. He says that the video books help him to stand out from the competition and to connect with potential customers on a personal level.
We think Brian’s approach to using video books is very creative and effective. He uses a unique medium to deliver his message in an effective and informative way. Also, Brian’s point about personalization is very important. When using video books to reach out to potential customers, it is important to personalize your message as much as possible. This will help you to connect with your audience on a more personal level, establish relationships, and make them more likely to respond to your message.
