Whitepaper marketing is 2x more effective with video

Is whitepaper marketing old-fashioned?

"Would you still fill out your email address when you get nothing more than a simple 4-page brochure?"

Play Video2:11

And while we're at it.

Remember the epitome of patience?

Drawing a fish on the wall and waiting for it to swim away.

The counterpart is today's reality.

What is the height of impatience?

"Watching 60 one-minute clips because a one-hour movie is too long"

• An emoji in response
• Using abbreviations
• Watching videos in an accelerated manner

According to research, the main factors affecting our reduced attention span are increased use of social media.

The so-called technology "push" has turned us into dopamine machines - we want to receive the reward for time invested as quickly as possible.

Nowadays we have so much information to consume and instinctively too little time.

It has become abundantly clear that our brains are looking for a way to protect us from information overload.

"Whitepaper marketing has its value, but content is not read until it is reptilian brain gives its approval and that's why video content marketing can help"

Just seeing a face makes it personal (without personalizing the video itself).

• Written content is harder to personalize than video.
• Written content does not stand out immediately; you have to read it first.
• Our brain processes videos 60,000 times faster than written content.
• Too much emphasis on SEO writing detracts from the pleasure of reading.
• The absence of images contributes to "boredom.

The benefits of video

These days, video is the king of your marketing mix.

From YouTube to Facebook to LinkedIn to Instagram to TikTok. Much of the consumer is shifting from text to video content because the impact is greater.

"In fact, 86% of consumers want to see more video content marketing from companies" (Wyzowl)

Transform whitepaper marketing

Marketers provide the sales team with brochures and white papers to share with customers.

But the effectiveness and impact of these marketing materials are limited.

A video content marketing knowledge base can be a great way to increase effectiveness and engagement.

See video below for more information (starting at 02:25).

Trailers for better whitepaper marketing

White papers are the most informative parts of the content strategy.

But those same white papers are often difficult to digest because of their long length and dry information. A video trailer has so much value because in the worst case scenario - when only the video is viewed - the impact is often greater than a download that is not read.

Add videos in white papers:

Embrace diversity and dynamism in presenting information by integrating video clips into a white paper. This approach transforms a traditional, text-heavy document into an immersive, multimedia experience. By embedding short, engaging videos in an interactive, clickable PDF, the reader is not only informed, but also visually engaged. This makes the white paper more engaging and significantly increases its usability for your target audience.

This strategy encourages deeper engagement with the content because it allows viewers to visualize and process the information in a way that goes beyond traditional text. Additionally, having the flexibility to choose which videos to watch increases interaction with the white paper.

We put this philosophy into practice by increasingly transforming a white paper into a longpage blog, enriched with numerous video materials. This not only encourages more interaction, but also lowers the barrier to consuming white paper content. Thus, complex information becomes more accessible and appealing to a wide audience, leading to more effective dissemination and understanding of the content.

Whitepaper marketing was born from the idea that it was a way to share knowledge in exchange for a prospect's contact information. Today, however, so much information is available ungated that it is crucial to understand whether you are actually sharing unique content that warrants an email address.

Step 1: Blueprint of white papers:

Step 2: Upgrade with video

Add a video trailer to the landing page of the white paper. This serves as an engaging summary and grabs the attention of the potential reader. In the whitepaper itself, integrate videos that support or deepen the text. These visual elements increase engagement and make the content more accessible.

Upgrade whitepapers that have value by adding a video trailer on the whitepaper landing page. In addition, add videos in the whitepaper.

"Video whitepapers with a trailer increase conversion by 200% because the personal element creates more trust."

Conclusion:

In today's world of short attention spans, the effectiveness of the written word is significantly diminished in the awareness phase.

It is important to make it immediately clear to the potential reader what to expect from this white paper. A good way to make this possible is to make video trailers part of the whitepaper landing page. This actually ensures that the reader understands in advance what the white paper can deliver and it forces the content creator to deliver on promises.

In addition, whitepaper marketing can increase in value if videos are also added in the whitepaper. This can easily be done by adding links the pdf. Moreover, engagement is much more measurable for the content creator and acts as a motivator to continuously improve whitepapers.

The white paper is asking for an upgrade rather than a replacement, but make sure the value you're asking for from the reader is good enough to require an email address or other contact information in return.

In addition, offer the white paper ungated to better measure whether the white paper has value.

Think average read time or other kpi's that justify the value of offering them gated as well.

Want to learn more about content transformation? Then check out our video marketing playbook.