Overcoming the Challenges of Recording Video for Sales and Marketing (HubSpot Blog)

Whether you are a new or experienced sales professional, you may be experiencing some of the challenges of recording video. These challenges can be especially stark if you don’t yet see the power of creating video. You may have heard about video sales and marketing and how it can supercharge your business. At the same time, if you haven’t created a sales video or have struggled to do so, it can be even more difficult to start creating video content in the future. 

If you are in this camp, there’s no need to worry. In this episode of the Rev Show, Rob and I discussed the top five video marketing challenges that today’s sales professionals and marketers face. Specifically, I am going to talk about these challenges in the form of objections. These five objections may seem insurmountable at the moment, but as you will see, there are ways that they can be overcome. 

At the end of this article, you will have some great ideas on how to overcome these challenges. From converting that A-list prospect to attracting more prospects into your sales funnels, you can rely on the tips in this article to defeat those challenges and achieve your sales and business goals. 

Let’s get into it. 

Addressing Some Common Themes

This topic hits the sweet spot for me. I have been on many podcasts and have interviewed many people on this topic alone. Through the process of doing this, I have discovered so many challenges and objections to creating video content. I even wrote a book about it (called Click Record, which you can find here). 

Ultimately, this video was an honor for Rob and me. Our partners at HubSpot actually asked us to contribute to one of their blog posts. HubSpot specifically reached out to have us identify the five biggest video marketing challenges. HubSpot is an incredibly useful platform. It has created value for so many types of users and businesses. Yet simultaneously, there may be some HubSpot users (and non-HubSpot users) that are struggling to get started with sales videos. The challenges and objections that I’ll discuss below may be intimidating, but they can be overcome with hard work, dedication, and a change of mindset. We have done it ourselves at Dubb and we have seen countless numbers of our users do the same. 

But enough about me. Let’s get into the five major challenges and objections that people have to recording video. 

Objection #1: I Don’t Have Time to Create Video Content

I wanted to start this discussion by talking about an extremely common challenge. At its core, the idea is that you don’t have enough time to click the record button and do what you need to do. 

At Dubb, we often argue that sales leaders should not be predominantly basing their sales work on SMS messages or text emails. We say this because of the upfront time that is involved. If you want to construct a compelling email pitch, for instance, you need to sit down, write your message, choose a compelling subject line, and complete other tasks. All of this takes a significant amount of time. Instead of writing out that really long email, what you can do is pull out your smartphone and record a video. You can avoid spell check and all of the other nuances that come with writing a lengthy email. Rather, you can save time by clicking record and being yourself on camera. 

Even further, by relying on text-based communication, you are foregoing many of the benefits that video has to offer. You can read more about it on our blog, but video is one of the best ways of communicating with your clients. For instance, by leveraging video, your viewer gets to actually see you speak. They get to hear the tone of your voice and watch your body language—even if they are doing so subconsciously. Video, in the end, can be a game changing tool that can help you build strong, long-term relationships with any type of audience. 

When you click the record button, you can either use a teleprompter for the script. This is a great way to record video content if you want to be more polished in your delivery. On the other hand, you can also record video content in clips. In practice, this means that you can click record, say what you want to say, stop, and then continue on with the process. It doesn’t take that long once you say what you want to say. 

If you really think about it, video is the most efficient way to do this. So if you are thinking about lack of time, think about the situation in terms of execution. Once you have planned what it is that you want to say on video, it doesn’t take that long to capture. With just the click of a button, you can overcome this challenge and create an excellent piece of content that your viewers will love. 

Objection #2: We’re Already Doing Things That Can Be Repurposed for Video

This challenge may be more common than you think. People that articulate this objection may already be on Zoom. They may already be creating social media videos and may be meeting with their friends and teams on video. 

With that said, the missed opportunity is the fact that these individuals are not recording those videos. What you can do is record those videos and then repurpose them for social media. Here, we are talking about mining and re-mining content. Repurposing content is so valuable because you are already doing the underlying action. You are already holding that Zoom meeting with your team or are speaking with a satisfied customer over another synchronous video tool. Instead of letting that content go to waste forever, however, what you can do is save it for future use. To put it another way, the content that you are already creating can continue to sell for you months (or even years) down the road. 

An example is helpful here. Let’s say that you are holding a team meeting on Zoom. What you can do is take that meeting and repurpose the video in a different way. For instance, you can create a video talking about a new update for your product or service. As part of that video, you can choose to include a short (or long) clip from that meeting. That clip will add some extra personality to your video and help you empathize with the viewer. Instead of the viewer seeing your company as this monolith, he or she will start to notice that your company is a group of people that is passionate about a particular problem. 

Once again, the key is that video is incredibly efficient. Whether you use a desktop recorder or a mobile app, today’s technology makes it easy to record any type of video content that you want. Especially with Dubb, we talk about creating easy-to-use technology. When you incorporate Dubb’s technology with HubSpot’s CRM technology, for instance, you will discover that you can efficiently deliver your message. 

But back to a larger point: when I hear people say that they don’t have enough time to create video, what I interpret is that those people do not prioritize video. It isn’t important to them because they haven’t yet seen the value of video. 

When we hear that challenge, we say the following. If you have a piece of video content on social media, for instance, you have effectively cloned yourself. You have taken yourself, made another version of it, and you have put it out into the world. It is either evergreen (like on YouTube) or ephemeral (like on social media). Wherever you post it, the amazing thing is that your target audience can now go find the cloned version of yourself. They can engage with your content and feel like they know you. You are creating a parasocial relationship 24/7/365. 

What does this all mean? Instead of saying that you have a lack of time to create video content, say, “I must create video content because I want to be more efficient with my time.” It is a subtle distinction, but it is an important one. Everyone has time to clone—including you.

Objection #3: I Struggle to Create an Effective Video Strategy

If you are brand new to video sales and marketing, this objection can seem all too real. There are so many different tools and resources out there. Moreover, you can create so many different types of videos for different types of audiences. The opportunities are limitless.

The key with constructing an effective video strategy is leveraging asynchronous video content. As you likely know, asynchronous video content is on-demand video content. Unlike Zoom (where you and another person are speaking at the same time), you are not speaking with your counterpart in real-time with asynchronous videos. Instead, you record a piece of video content and then the viewer watches it on his or her own time. Ultimately, the world is moving toward asynchronous video content. We are moving away from cold calls and toward video communication on our own time. So I’d argue that any type of effective video strategy is going to incorporate asynchronous video content in some way. 

Considering this, you need to start with the basics. When you make your first video, ask yourself what you are trying to do? If it is a prospect that you are just meeting, you obviously want him or her to watch your video. But more than that, you probably want to ask him or her some insightful questions. This can be things like that prospect’s current strategy, what they are trying to accomplish, and some of the challenges that they are currently facing in their work. Then, at the end of the video, you will want to include some sort of call to action (CTA) that can lead your prospect down your sales funnel (at Dubb, we like to call it a “trust funnel”). That CTA can be everything from a specific case study to booking a future phone call with you. 

Effectiveness is understanding quick efficiency with your prospecting video. It’s about understanding that you are following data (for instance, how much of your video the prospect watched). It’s also about understanding how to follow up, whether that is through another piece of video content or a personalized phone call. You can even consider leveraging a newsletter. After sending a prospect a set of videos, you can invite him or her to check out a newsletter that continuously gives updates about your product, service, and/or company. 

The whole deal of creating an effective video strategy is identifying the end goal. With that end goal in mind, you can re-engineer the process so that it ends up working toward that objective. So when you are thinking about your video strategy, think about the types of actions that you are trying to get. What do you ultimately want people to do? How can you engage and delight your audience? Importantly, how can you convert that audience into paying customers? 

Identifying your target audience before creating a piece of video content is time well spent. Really get to know your audience. Ask yourself: where do they hang out? Is it a consumer or B2B type of audience? Meet them where they are, whether they like to hang out on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, or somewhere else. 

Also, think about your messaging. What is it that you want to say? What is the value proposition that you have? Rather than being too salesy, you want to be educational, entertaining, and authentic. 

Then, rinse and repeat. Consistency is key here. Even if you create an awesome video for one particular prospect, you need to continue creating excellent content for the rest of your prospects. It takes discipline, but if you can stick with it, you will be extremely satisfied with the results. Remember that perfection is the enemy of practice. You must put yourself out there, get the data, understand what is and isn’t working, make the necessary iterations, and stay consistent. It is amazing where you will end up. After one month, your engagement can be through the roof. 

Objection #4: I Have an Inadequate Budget to Create Video Content

Money constrains our activity in all areas of life. After all, you may have an awesome idea for something that you want to bring into the world, yet if you don’t have the resources to move forward, that idea will just remain an idea.

The wonderful thing about technology today, however, is that there’s a vast variety of it. This makes technology cheaper than it used to be. That makes this challenge possible to overcome.

At Dubb, we focus more on leading with value. When we created the technology powering Dubb, we thought about the easiest way that people could use our technology to get value without breaking the bank. As I was recording this episode of the Rev Show, I was surrounded by six cell phones. It is truly unbelievable how much technology is within today’s smartphones. Rob and I didn’t use an external microphone when recording this episode, yet the sound quality was good enough for our needs.

The key here? Use the technology that you already have. Chances are that your phone is going to do the trick. Many people think that they need the latest phone or the newest technology. The reality is that most viewers these days are watching videos on their smartphones. That means that your fancy lens or fancy camera isn’t going to do much.

That said, good lighting is important. When we record the Rev Show, we have a ring light that acts as a front light source. We also have a natural light source. In terms of sound, we try our best to avoid having any background sounds. If you can, try to record in an area where there isn’t constant noise throughout your videos. 

Just remember in this discussion of challenges regarding money and budgets: authenticity is so much more important than the type of technology that you have. There is this relationship where the more production value you have, the less authentic the video potentially looks. On the flip side, if you have more authenticity in your videos, you likely have less production value. What this means is that the process is significantly easier for you. All you need to do is grab your phone, speak from the heart, and make your audience smile and laugh. 

Ultimately, there’s no need to stress about budgets. If you are going to worry about something, however, make sure that your sound quality is good. You may have bad lighting, but your audience can probably still take something away from your video. If you have bad sound, however, it makes it much tougher for your audience to build a connection with you. Make sure you are clear when you are speaking. Other than that, use the technology you have to deliver the most authentic message possible. I’m sure you will be satisfied with the results. 

The last takeaway here is that you don’t need all of these expensive tools. We are living in a world where simplicity is king. Use the tools that you have, focus on creating the best message possible, and hit the record button. By doing this, you can overcome this challenge and get closer to your goals. 

Objection #5: I Just Have General Problems with the Video Creation Process

This challenge is a little more granular than the other challenges listed above. Specifically, this objection is about producing the video (both in pre and post-production), actually filming the video content, editing videos, and more. Individuals using this objection tend to think they are on the non-technical side. They may be intimidated by the steps required to produce a good piece of video content, and because of this, they may feel the need to move on and try something else. 

At Dubb, we have discovered that one of the tools that adds immense value here is a storyboard. Every time that we have an episode of the Rev Show, we map the episode out into eight different topics or chapters. This has become extremely beneficial for us. Now, when we are going to make a particular point, we aren’t speaking completely off of the cuff. We have a plan and some pre-production to make our videos as crisp as they can be. 

For instance, I can ask questions like, “What is this method? What are the benefits of this method? Why should you use it?” It may seem like I am naturally bringing these questions (and answers) up, but they are part of an overarching plan that I developed before hitting the record button. While there is some upfront work, it makes your video content that much better. Moreover, it makes it less stressful or anxiety-inducing to record your videos. 

So consider doing some pre-production and planning by leveraging this storyboard method. At the same time, don’t forget that with this challenge, it all comes back to storytelling. Your videos aren’t about the lighting, cameras, or technology. You can have one camera or three cameras. At the end of the day, if the messaging is not good, it doesn’t matter how much technology you have. 

Just think: the filming and editing portions are the technical parts of creating video content. As long as you have the creative part of what your message is, that’s half the battle. Once you are settled on the creative aspect and the value that you are bringing to your audience, remember that the technology is there to be your friend. 

One of the things that we prioritize at Dubb is simplicity. For instance, we make the editing and effects processes extremely simple. In terms of time, it is essentially seamless. You can shoot your video and edit it on the fly. In the old days, we used to record a video, upload it onto a drive, find an SD card, send it to an editor, have the editor take a first cut of the draft, review and send it back to the editor, and on and on. Weeks (or even months) later, we would have a final cut. But by then, you may have changed your hair or even your message. Ultimately, your continuity has been destroyed. That video would sometimes end up in the trash can, wasting significant cash and hours of labor. 

When you are using Dubb, the idea is to connect with your ideal client profile as quickly as possible. You undoubtedly have a beautiful message that can add significant value to your clients’ lives. You can subsequently get that message directly to your prospects and clients as quickly as possible. Editing through the Dubb mobile is a breeze and you can quickly distribute your videos immediately after the editing process. 

In the end, the editing process doesn’t need to be complicated. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Think about pre-planning by writing a script or bullet points of the topics that you want to mention. Embrace storyboards and then record your videos. Easily edit your video content through Dubb, publish them, and iterate on the feedback that you are getting. 

I want to end on one final point here. One of the sub-objections that we get within this larger objection is, “When I create videos, I don’t know what to say.” They may want to leverage everything that video sales and marketing have to offer, but they struggle to come up with content ideas. 

One good way to combat this challenge is to create a content calendar. It’s a systematic way of creating value added content for your viewers. At Dubb, we have found that in our daily meetings, we sit in a room and think about a topic that we think would add value to our viewers’ lives. Then, we have a box of different areas that we want to focus on. They’re like little chapters of a video. Our videos end up being between ten and twelve minutes long and we use an Asana board to keep track of everything. Whether you use Asana, HubSpot, Basecamp, or something else, stay organized throughout this process.  

Side note: if you are sending videos to prospects, we recommend that your videos are one minute or less. Because you are dealing with less real estate, think about using bullet points to plan your video. Start with an outline and make sure you are including the most important points in your bullets. Think about the main question you want to ask and the point you want to bring up that you noticed about their business. Don’t forget: when you are reaching out to someone, it is about them. It is not about you. You are the viewer’s guide and you are helping them get to the place that they want to go. Listen to what they want to hear and help lead them to their goals. Simply keeping this in mind throughout the video creation and editing process will 10x all of your work. 

So remember: if you are struggling to come up with content ideas, recognize that the content is right in front of you. If you can’t identify those ideas, you aren’t looking hard enough. You can easily pull up your prospect’s social media profiles, where you can quickly determine what they do, the background of their company, and other identifying details that you can use as content. 

Both success and challenges leave a trail. Those trails need to be mined when we are connecting with our clients and talking with our prospects. Keep an eye out for what people are interested in and what they need. If you consistently do this, you will have more content ideas than you’ll ever need for your content calendar. In the end, the content calendar is about the problems that people are facing in their lives and how you can help others achieve their goals. 

Just to wrap this objection up: don’t hesitate to make mistakes. Mistakes are an important part of the process. For instance, you will have a thesis on the topics your audience wants to hear. However, once you do so, you may discover that you need to go in a different direction. There is absolutely no problem with that. In fact, without making that mistake, you may not have discovered that important insight in the first place. While you have to selectively accept feedback, don’t ignore it when you are creating your video content. Take actionable feedback and, once again, focus on creating the most value for your viewers. 

Get Started and Accomplish Your Goals

At Dubb, we love talking about these topics—including the challenges and objections to making pieces of video content. We were honored to share these common sales challenges with the HubSpot community. 

These top five video marketing challenges can be stark. Especially if you are creating video content for the first time, you may have found yourself nodding when I discussed these five challenges. However, objections don’t need to be permanent. Even if you are feeling these fears right now, that doesn’t mean that you will feel them in the future. By understanding these challenges and implementing some of the countermeasures that we discussed, you will be in an excellent place to achieve your sales goals. 

Finally, if you would like to integrate Dubb into HubSpot, consider going to the HubSpot marketplace. When you do, go ahead and search for Dubb. From there, you can install the integration (it just takes a few seconds). You can also get the Dubb Chrome Extension by clicking here. This will actually let you add videos to your email campaigns, one-to-one emails on HubSpot, and all of your automated workflows within HubSpot. Once you install the Dubb Chrome Extension, you can reload your HubSpot instance to see a tiny Dubb icon. By clicking on that, you can record a video from your webcam, import a video from the Dubb mobile app, upload a more produced video, and more. 

As always, I invite you to contact Dubb if you have any questions or comments about these challenges and objections. You can do so by clicking here. Our entire team looks forward to hearing from you!