neversettle

SDR

What's the final say on Vidyard (or any other video prospecting tool)???!!!!

I know there are other articles in here discussing Vidyard. I wanted to see if anyone that uses this tool has had any more recent success with it for outbound prospecting purposes. We purchased Vidyard a few weeks ago have been extremely underwhelmed with our results!!!

If you have had success with it, what are you doing/how are you using? What are your subject lines, etc?

If you haven't had success with it, have you found anything else more useful for outbound prospecting?

I appreciate any and all advice!!!!!

🔎 Prospecting

💌 Cold Emailing

👥 Social Selling

78 comments

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CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

I don't send videos to prospects. Weirds me out a little.

jefe

Arsonist

🍁

Definitely weird and cringe.

Tried it at a company a few years ago and it didn't even really work with educators. They'll click anything and love videos...

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Ok...that's pretty bad.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Thats really bad. We should have researched this a little more I'm realizing!

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Really?! Damn, that stinks. We were all excited about this tool and then.......nothing..........sucks!

BmajoR

Arsonist

Account Executive

Yeah because video for cold prospecting is weird and creepy

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

Agreed. You don't know me. I've never heard of you. Why are you sending me a video? Also aren't we supposed to report all links we don't know for phishing? 🤷‍♀️

justatopproducer

Politicker

VP OF SALES -US

Lololol, I want to and heard the 1st meetings being set is higher than phone calls in many cases. Also, this reminds me of the fake black jack dealer at the casino on the cheap tables. So creepy

RealPatrickBateman

Politicker

🔪Amateur Butcher🔪

Personally, dont use video for prospecting. I use video for:
- Answering specific questions from my client/vendor
- Explaining details of a product or contract that may be a bit "word-heavy"
- Check-ins with "known" contacts

I use it as a tool to let others know I am a human and I care about their question, problem, issue enough to send them a personal video.

BmajoR

Arsonist

Account Executive

This is all it should be used for.

RealPatrickBateman

Politicker

🔪Amateur Butcher🔪

I use it to answer questions from my team internally, way easier than a "5 minute" meeting that runs 25 minutes with sidetalk. Not about that life. Efficiency is KEY

ATX_Seller

Opinionated

Cat Herder

This is the way.

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

Tyler from Vidyard emails me every day. Sometimes I respond; sometimes I delete it. The only predictable thing here is that Tyler from Vidyard is going to email me again tomorrow.

UrAssIsSaaS

Arsonist

SaaS Eater

Lol amen to the Tyler from Vidyard email thread. His lack of response have me all up in my head.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Yes, literally just got another email from Tyler at Vidyard!

goose

Politicker

Sales Executive

Same. I'm starting to think he is ignoring me.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Lol, same. Damn it Tyler!

InQ5WeTrust

Arsonist

No marketing, mayo isn't an MQL

An ex-colleague of mine used it pretty successfully to sell into logistics/supply chain.

Definitely depends on your segment, but I think of it as just a different type of pattern interrupt.

Some people will like it, others won't click on it. Worth testing .

BmajoR

Arsonist

Account Executive

Video for prospecting is the new koolaid the influencers of Linkedin want you to drink. How many of them peddling video have been an AE for >5 years? A very small amount, if any. Most stopped at BDR Manager and then got into upper management and have and always will be disconnected with sales.

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I don't love this; it takes too much time to get the "Perfect" take and I never saw it increase my numbers.

Kirby

Politicker

Sales Representative

Y’all just suck ass at video prospecting. At the sales org I used to be a part of, the highest reply rate for any cold outbound sequence was 24%. I copy and pasted it, but changed the second manual email to a vidyard template and recorded videos for each person, and the reply rate went up to 33%. And I sold to finance, so don’t try to blame it on your ICP.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Kirby, I'm selling to finance, as well. What was your subject line? Any tidbits you can throw my way as to why your sequence was successful. I really appreicate it!

Kirby

Politicker

Sales Representative

Absolutely! 1. Don’t put anything about it being a video in the subject line. Just use normal, high open rate subject lines. 2. For the video, the thumbnail is the most important part. Download BigWords to your phone, or just use sticky notes, and have their name and a question on it. “Hi Jess, any need for…?” This is the most important, because a video like this proves beyond any reasonable doubt that you’re a real human being. 3. For the bump email, have it say “any feedback on my video?” — this is where I got the most replies in the whole sequence 4. Send an Inmail (if they seem active on LinkedIn) saying “Hey, did you get the video I sent the other day? [link to video] In short, I’m just trying to… [summarize video in text]”. If you want to be extra, call and leave a voicemail where you do the same thing. Ask if they got the video, and summarize what you said in it. 5. Recognize that a video doesn’t have to be watched to be effective. I had a pretty low click through rate, but plenty of responses and referrals that led to meetings.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Um, this is money. Thank you Kirby! I gotta change some stuff up pronto after reading this. I really, really appreciate it!
Can I ask you to explain the thumbnail a little more? I have been sending it as an animated GIF. Is that wrong?

Kirby

Politicker

Sales Representative

A gif is the right way to go. How I do the thumbnail is: Have it be a gif, and hold something in my hand (a sticky note with their name on it, for example — or the same thing but using an app on your phone with big and bold text) that shows the video was made just for them. What we’re trying to avoid is having them think that I send the same video to every prospect. You can hold the sticky note up super close to the webcam as you begin your video, and then pull it away and wave. Or you can just hold it up kinda near your head and wave. Either way works. And then, since some people don’t like clicking on images or gifs, have the Vidyard URL directly below the video in your smallest font. Hope that helps!

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

This absolutely helps! I really appreciate it! Thank you:)

thewhyguy

Politicker

Bi-curious SDR

What are your thoughts about clicking the prospects profile picture on LinkedIn and having that pop up in the GIF?
Clearly they would know it's just for them if they see their own face.

MyAnonymousName

Opinionated

Sales Leader

I have been at 4 orgs that went hard on Vidyard - for top of funnel prospecting I am convinced it is only useful for selling Vidyard to VP's of Sales who cannot figure out why their outbound sucks.

a - links from unknown domains are probably going in spam

b - the bare minimum phishing training tells you not to click on links from unknown people.

However I have found it useful for middle of funnel engagement. Thanks like talking through a more technical question that does not necessitate a call, maybe walk through a relative use-case or piece of content if you want to stay top of mind between calls, or my favorite is to record a proposal walkthrough before sending over to avoid all the standard questions.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

That ship sailed in mid 2020

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

LMAO, I'm beginning to see that!

NoSuperhero

Politicker

BDR LEAD

Weird, I've been trying to up my video game because everybody keeps saying that's the next big thing to get good at. On podcasts and everywhere on linkedin lol

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

vids are a nein unless you're smoking hot. then i'll watch it

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

That was my original excuse. I spent too much money on looking this good to not do video.

But you can always add a picture to your signature and it has the same effect with 38485959 times less effort

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

no. intranets scrub them or worse block the email. all my emails are plain text. deliverability is through the roof.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Orly. Well they can always Google me I guess? 🤷‍♀️

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

it just says your a tab

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

*you’re (on my shit list)

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

That’s ok. Life sucks. Every thing is depressing. There is no hope. I hate the world we live in. Just gotta keep going till we die, lie to our kids that we’re doing okay and tell them everything’s fine. Being on another list is part of the deal.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

That’s……. So sad @GrizzleMcThornBody

One human can only do so much. If it’s anything at all, it’s better than not even trying in the first place

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

we wake up, trudge forward, go to sleep. this is life.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Surely there is more? A beautiful sunrise in a quiet moment? A good laugh with friends and loved ones after a hard day? An exhilarating thrill from doing something challenging and succeeding?

I refuse to believe that we are nothing more than base instinct.

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

Life is void of purpose.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

First - fuck whoever it was that downvoted you.

Second - you okay homeslice? You’re making me worried.

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

yeah. my orientation with life is what gives me hope. i know its shit, it keeps me going. preciate you though.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

LMAO, I'm semi-hot. Will you still watch?

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

yes, either gender works too.

neversettle

Politicker

SDR

Love it! What your email? Lol

hh456

Celebrated Contributor

sales

gonna need the burner

privateryan

Politicker

Director of Sales

We do use vidyard in my business but it is essentially only for "technical" question answer(s) or, as @RealPatrickBateman said anything that is a bit "word heavy" - dont try it in prospecting only because when we did, it has a VERY low open rate (sub 3%!!)

MCP

Valued Contributor

Sales Director

This is sales, not OnlyFans. It’s the modern day version of walking into a large office building and “popping in” to random businesses because you were in the building for another meeting (no you weren’t). It’s novel, like the virus that drove sales for it. You can sell virtually without the videos, people have been doing it for decades. Skip the gimmicks, invest in tools that help you focus on targets who actually want to hear from you.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

So drop offs actually work.

Not sure why you’re hating on it so hard. Maybe it’s different for your industry, but showing up with coffee has a pretty high success rate for me 🤷‍♀️

JECU

Opinionated

Account Manager / Co-Founder

Are you in office equipment sales, Incognito?

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

😂

JECU

Opinionated

Account Manager / Co-Founder

I was thinking that or insurance/shipping/office products. Still have folks come by in person selling those services. I hand it to those folks as I struggle/struggled with that.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Construction insurance/Surety ☺️

cw95

Politicker

Sales Development Lead

My boss keeps trying to get us to do this but I always remind him of the vidyard emails he gets and how he hates them.

NotanSDR

Good Citizen

Account Executive

Haven't logged into Vidyard at my current company since like the first few weeks out of onboarding. Only did so bc I was Vidyard got auto-dropped into my account list. Knowing that no one in the world loves their company as much as Vidyard loves Vidyard, sending my prospects there a video made sense. Got a meeting out of it, but havent logged back in since that self-degrading day

ChrisSellsHisSoul

Fire Starter

Owner

I'm a big fan of video for just about any stage of the pipeline.

It only feels weird if you're not used to doing it. Cold calling is weird and invasive too, but we do it because it works!

My last company sold into universities and those people are HOUNDED by every vendor under the sun.

I started doing short videos and got tons of demos from prospects who had been ignoring me for years. Once you have the stamina to record/send 25+ vids in an afternoon, you'll see results.

RedLightning

Politicker

Mid-Market AE

Thanks for sharing! Universities are a big chunk of our prospects and I've never sold that space before - I'll give it a shot @ChrisSellsHisSoul

ChrisSellsHisSoul

Fire Starter

Owner

I enjoy selling to academics! The tend to be less-business focused, but if you capture their imagination with an interesting idea they instantly become very engaged.

RedLightning

Politicker

Mid-Market AE

I'd be selling to their marketing/PR/communications teams so it may be a bit different

Executioner

Politicker

Business Dev.

I tried the free version for a few runs, and so far have a great 0% hit rate. It's sold as the cure but I think its even weird for prospecting. where I have used it "successfully" is where a lead I was talking to couldn't meet, so I did a video presentation of their proposal, and they liked that. TBH it still hasn't sold so won't overpromise there.

Diablo

Politicker

Sr. AE

Many advocate video to be a good way of reaching out but I never send one. I find it weird.

AverageBDR

Valued Contributor

BDR

I succesfully use video daily for cold prospects. My videos get 50%+ response rate. Vidyard links do not end in spam usually. They come with a thumbnail, so it doesn't look like a fishy link.

It's a great way of standing out among the tens of boring emails prospects get daily anyway.

Blackwargreymon

Politicker

MDR

I don't send videos to prospects. Weirds me out a little.

Nairobi

Politicker

I've actually started testing it out last week, so I can give you the results of my experimentation in a few months. So far, I send out 23 videos and got one reply back.

desperado

Politicker

Head of Sales

I tried it in 2018 and it worked well, but I stopped in early 2019 after too many getting caught in spam filters.

KingShopper

Politicker

JF Negócios Online

I don't send videos to prospects. I find it a little strange.

NotanSDR

Good Citizen

Account Executive

I try not to think about Vidyard as much as possible. I have seen wayyy too many cringey sellers on my LinkedIn feed who literally on a daily basis made it a point to send "at least 5-10 vids". I think I do personally blame Vidyard for the temporary LinkedIn burnout I had.

IMO...Vidyard doesn't move the needle really unless you're a good looking girl lol. I don't think any Boomer in a leadership/decision making role wants my mug coming out of the blue via email video to sell him.

lifeof_d

Account Executive

just use loom.

LordBusiness

Politicker

Chief Revenue Officer

I’m a big fan of Video for proposal delivery and follow up, but I’m just not sold on video in prospecting. Its really hard to do well and when it’s done poorly i feel like it comes across as desperate

thalassophile888

Opinionated

Enterprise Solutions Engineer

It works depending on the tech you’re selling (dev tools, APIs). Loom works too. I create videos for my AEs once initial contact has been made.

DatSaaS

Executive

Sales Executive

I like to send videos between a discovery call and presentation to put a face to my voice. Makes me human and decreases no shows. Favorite subject line for prospecting is “FYI”

userdungeon

Opinionated

Director

It helps to keep your audience / target persona in mind. A marketer might have a very different reaction than an engineer.

I'm not sure I agree with everything here, but a security leader at Gusto had some interesting thoughts and called out video approaches:

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jtomasello_security-solution-vendors-you-need-to-realize-activity-6823956778443694080-ebwA

Blu

Opinionated

Business Development Representative

I find it weird when people send me a video with my profile picture blown up and their face talking on top of me

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neversettle

What's the final say on Vidyard (or any other video prospecting tool)???!!!!

78 comments

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