The Essential Guide to Video Marketing 

for SaaS brands 
 
Welcome to our ​Essential Guide to Video Marketing for SaaS Businesses​! 
 
We developed this guide for marketers looking to integrate video into their strategy for their 
SaaS business. Whether you’re new to video marketing or are experienced in running 
campaigns, this will guide you through how video can be used specifically for the SaaS 
industry and the unique objectives that come with that. 
 
There’s no doubt that ​video continues to be an essential component to any marketing 
strategy​, with ​88% of video marketers reporting that video gives them a positive ROI​. But 
no more so than for the tech industry where the product is intangible. 
 
So, what’s this guide all about? 
 
We will be covering how SaaS businesses can leverage video to reach their objectives, 
including: 
 
● What does video marketing look like in 2020? 
● Why video marketing is essential for SaaS marketing success 
● How to integrate video into your marketing strategy 
● How to make your content work harder 
 
So, don’t let us stop you. Get stuck into the guide below and if we convince you that video 
is essential for your marketing strategy, don’t hesitate to drop us a line to chat through how 
we can help take your video content to the next level. 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
Contents 
 

1.0 What does video marketing look like in 2020? 

2.0 Why video marketing is essential for SaaS marketing success

3.0 How to integrate video into your marketing strategy 

3.1 What are your video marketing goals? 

3.2 Who is your target audience? 

3.3 What is your core message? 

3.4 What types of content do you need? 

3.5 Where are you going to distribute your video content? 

3.6 How to make your content work harder 

3.7 How will you measure success? 

4​.0 Summary 
 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
1.0 What does video marketing look like in 
2020? 
 
2020 has been quite a year so far. And whilst no one can predict what a post-coronavirus 
reality will look like for businesses, one thing is certain for marketers: ​digital channels are 
more important than ever. 
 
Global Web Index found that 
over ​80% of people say they 
are consuming more content 
since the outbreak​, with TV and 
online videos being the primary 
mediums. And this will only 
increase as lockdown continues. 
With more users online and for 
longer, there is naturally more 
demand for new content, 
particularly video.  
 
 
 
Video has always been a powerful marketing tool and right now it might just be one of the 
best options available for communicating with your audience, both old and new. Even 
before the pandemic demand for video has been on the rise, with ​54%​ of consumers 
wanting to see more video content ​from a brand or business they support. Now in an 
uncertain market,​ ​video is critical for brands that want to continue to engage with 
audiences throughout this pandemic. 
 
In an online world, you are not only fighting with your competitors, but you are up against 
established media companies, streaming giants and influencers.This is why video is one of 
the most powerful tools you can utilise to cut through the noise and connect with your 
target audience.  
 
This is an unparalleled opportunity for businesses to leverage video to engage, 
communicate with and retain customers during Covid-19. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
2.0 Why video marketing is essential for SaaS 
marketing success 
 
With an abundance of SaaS companies promoting their software and services, it can be 
difficult for your message to stand out. By utilising video strategically you will have an 
advantage over competitors by helping build relationships with, educate and convert your 
audience.  

Connect with customers & build trust 

Video is an extremely effective way to breathe life into your intangible product. It can turn 
an abstract concept into something that is engaging and exciting for customers. 

Communicate your value proposition 

Software products tend to have a long list of features and benefits that can be 
overwhelming to customers if delivered in the wrong way. The right video can cover all 
those points and present them in a compelling way.

Generate brand awareness 

A huge challenge for SaaS is the impersonal nature of the product or service. Video allows 
you to create a distinct brand image and showcase it to your customers in a way that no 
other medium can do. Using platforms like social media advertising, you can put your video 
in front of your target audience, explain your value and get them to take action.

Drive lead generation 

Video is one of the single most effective ways to improve your conversion rates and drive 
leads. Video helps attract visitors attention, build trust and awareness and ultimately 
convert users. 

Educate & retain customers 

Acquiring a new customer can cost from ​5 to 25 times​ more than retaining one. Video 
content can be used to create resources, such as onboarding content or educational 
materials, that reduce churn rate, retains customers and creates brand evangelists. But 
when it comes to incorporating video in your marketing strategy, you need to consider your 
objectives​, understand your ​audience ​and create content accordingly. 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.0 How to integrate video into your marketing 
strategy 
So, you’re convinced that video is the way forward? Great! 
 
Video is an extremely effective tool for building a marketing campaign. But, to ensure it is 
successful it’s key to consider how the different styles of video can be used depending on 
the different audience and objectives.  
 
Before you start any marketing, there are a few things you need to determine: 
 
➔ What is your goal? 
➔ Who is your target audience? 
➔ What is your core message? 
➔ What types of content do you need? 
➔ Where are you going to distribute your video content? 
 
So, let’s explore why these are so important to consider when shaping your video 
marketing strategy. 

3.1 What are your video marketing goals? 

One of the most common reasons marketing efforts flop is that businesses haven’t set out 
clear goals and objectives. What are you trying to achieve with this strategy? What does 
success look like? To ensure your video gets the results you want, you must set out the 
end goal, such as: 
 
➔ Build brand awareness 
➔ Drive lead generation 
➔ Increase sales  
➔ Reduce churn rates 
 
The videos you produce or commission will differ dramatically depending on what your goal 
is. So it is vital to outline them clearly before you start. 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.2 Who is your target audience? 
Who you are trying to talk to will determine the content you create, the language and tone 
used, and where you will promote it. You need to develop a user persona by asking these 
questions:  
 
Who are you trying to reach? 
You are looking to summarise persona’s 
perspective when it comes to choosing and 
using your product. For example: 
 
● What are their demographics (e.g. age, 
gender, location)? 
● What industry do they work in? 
● What is their job title? 
 
What are they trying to achieve? 
This will help you establish how your product 
fits into your customers lives. 
 
● Why are they buying/using it? 
● What problems are they trying to solve? 
 
What is stopping them from achieving their goals? 
You need to understand what is stopping your target audience from buying your product or 
from continuing to to use it. What challenges are they coming up against? 
 
If you haven’t already, develop a ​persona​ (or a few if relevant) of who you are trying to sell 
to, what interests them, what drives them, and what they’re likely to respond to. Use this to 
develop and shape your video content. The more detail the better! 
 

3.3 What is your core message? 

No you know your goals and your target audience, it is time to consider what your core 
message is. 
 
It can be tempting to cram as much information as possible into your video, but this will 
dilute your message and make your video less effective. The best videos usually take a 
single, clear message​ and deliver it well. If you’re tempted to communicate too much in 
one video, try cutting it into multiple pieces of content, each with a one message. 
 
Now you need to distil the action you want your audience to take into a core message that 
will encourage them to do it. Think about it this way: if viewers only took one thing away 
from your video, what would you want it to be? 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.4 What types of content do you need? 
 
Now that you have established your goals and who you are targeting, it is important to 
develop a content plan to ensure all the content you produce links back to those business 
goals.  
 
There are two types of content you need to consider and plan around when creating your 
video plan.  
 
Primary customer journey 
 
First are the core videos that are going to support your ​primary customer journey​ to engage 
your audience and build efficiency in your marketing. For this you will need to look at where 
there are gaps in your buyer's journey that could be made more effective with video, where 
there are gaps on your website where video content could help you tell a better story or 
increase conversion rates, and what videos your sales team need. Once you’ve looked at 
these you can develop a plan for what you will need to produce to support that customer 
journey.  
 
Campaigns 
 
Secondly is the ​campaigns​ that video may need to support, such as product launches or 
press releases. A lot of the time you can’t plan ahead for these, but you can create a set of 
guidelines for what types of video you are going to use for certain campaigns. This gives 
you the flexibility to produce content that fits your overall strategy when you need it. 
 
For the purpose of this guide we will put the different types of content in the context of the 
buyers funnel, from ​awareness​, to ​consideration​, to ​decision​, to ​retention​. Depending on 
where they are in the journey, will depend what type of content you create to guide them 
towards becoming a customer. 
 
 

 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.41 Awareness stage 

Videos at the awareness stage typically work best on social media as it allows you to get 
your brand in front of your target audience.

Social media video adverts 

What are social media video adverts? 

Social media videos are often mistaken for simply promoting a product or service. The aim 
of social media marketing should be to connect your product or service with your prospects 
using values and stories. These videos could also be cut downs of your explainer videos 
(see below). 

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

Social media adverts are a great way of getting your brand in front of your target market to 
raise awareness of your service, explain your value, and even convince potential customers 
to take the action you want. 
 
Example of a social media video for Quartix 
 
The client 
Quartix is an online real time vehicle tracking system for commercial fleets. 
 
The project 
Skeleton were commissioned to create a social media video advert for Quartix to promote 
their SaaS product to their target audience.  
 
Click here to watch the video 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
 
 

3.42 Consideration stage 

Videos at the consideration stage typically sit best on your website. Prospects at this stage 
of the journey usually want to know more about your software and what they would be 
buying into.  

Explainer videos 
Explainer videos and animations are a powerful way to communicate your brand’s value 
proposition to your target audience. They are short videos that explain your product or 
service quickly and succinctly. Hence the name. 

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

A huge challenge for SaaS marketers is turning dry, technical content into a product that is 
engaging and interesting. Explainer videos are an effective way of helping audiences 
understand abstract concepts and buy into the product.  
 
Example of an explainer video for Olo 
 
The client 
Olo is an on-demand interface for the restaurant industry, powering digital ordering and 
delivery for over 300 restaurants brands across 55,000 locations. 
 
The project 
Skeleton was commissioned to create a series of explainer videos for Olo aimed at their 
prospective customers (restaurants), to help them learn about Olo and it’s product offering. 
 
Click here to watch the video

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
 

Customer testimonial videos 

 
Customer testimonial videos (also known as, customer success stories) are a piece of 
persuasive content you can use to illustrate the value of your product or service. They 
typically show your customers talking about your brand and the experience of working with 
your company. 

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

They offer huge benefits to SaaS businesses, from motivating your prospects to convert or 
go into the next stage of the buyer journey, to endorsing your brand and building trust in 
your product or service.  
 
According to ​Brightlocal​, 73% of customers trust a business more after reading positive 
reviews. Testimonials humanise your work and allow prospects to get an unbiased opinion 
of your service. When properly executed they can showcase the value of your business and 
help convert customers. 
 
Example of a testimonial video for Box 
The client  
Box is a world famous content management, workflow and collaboration tool, that is used 
by enterprise level clients to manage, secure, share and govern content for internal and 
external purposes. 
 
The project 
Skeleton was commissioned to create a customer success story about Eurostar, and 
communicate the transformation that the Box product offering has had to their business.  
 
Click here to watch the video 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
 

3.43 Decision stage 

At the decision stage, prospects will have either got in touch with your business or interacted
with it in some form to get more information about your product. This is where longer form
video content, such as product demos, come in.

Product demo videos 

Product demos are videos that showcase how the product actually works and its key
features. This is typically done on the native platform to contextualise it for viewers and
should be bespoke and targeted for each viewer.

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

A great demo can make or break a deal. It can help demonstrate how your product solves 
their problem or attain a goal. It can help reinforce the value you provide. And it can help 
build relationships with prospects, by showing you have listened to what they want. But 
ultimately, it will help you close the deal. 

Example of a product demo video for Bill.com 

The client  
Bill.com is an intelligent business payments platform that brings new payment capabilities 
to businesses worldwide. 
 
The project 
Skeleton was commissioned to create a product demonstration video for Bill.com aimed at 
prospective customers, teaching them the key features of the platform. 
 
Click here to watch the video 

 
James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 
www.skeletonproductions.com
3.44 Retention stage 

Educational videos 
 
Educational videos can be anything from in-depth tutorials, to on-boarding videos to quick 
FAQ videos about your service. They help give potential customers more insight into how 
you can help solve their problem and can answer any concerns or questions they have.  

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

Customers who are educated on how to use the product or service effectively are more 
likely to have success with it. This ensures your customers have a rewarding experience 
when using the product and will encourage repeat business and reduce churn-rate.  
 
Example of an educational video for Universal Music 
 
The client  
Universal Music is an American global music company operating in more than 60 countries 
worldwide. 
 
The project 
Skeleton was commissioned to create a suite of tutorial content about Universal’s new 
royalty free music platform and service, to onboard the website’s new users. 
  
Click here to watch the video 

 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
Thought leadership videos 
 
Thought leadership content such as events can be used as another form of educational 
content, to provide value to your customers and improve churn-rate. Video can be used to 
promote events, cover the events, or provide a recap or follow-up content.  

Why are they good for marketing SaaS brands? 

Video can be used for event promotion or to recap the event and drive users to landing 
pages for lead generation. You can also re-use the event video recordings as evergreen 
educational content to make your content work harder and maximise your investment. For 
long-form educational content webinars or live streams are great formats, using platforms 
such as ​Skeleton LIVE​.  
 

Example of an event video for Box 

The client 
Box is a world famous content management, workflow and collaboration tool, that is used 
by enterprise level clients to manage, secure, share and govern content for internal and 
external purposes. 
 
The project 
Each year, Box holds an event called Box World Tour attended by 1000s of its customers. 
The event features a series of educational seminars which Skeleton filmed. 
 
Click here to watch the video 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.5 Where are you going to distribute your video content? 

It can be tempting to post your video everywhere, but different content is suited for different 
platforms. Where you share your content will be determined by who you are targeting and 
what the purpose of your video is. Which is why developing the previous steps is so 
important to shaping the rest of your campaign.  

 
How people consume content on each platform varies greatly. Users on your website, for 
example, may be more willing to watch longer form content. Whereas users on social media 
are looking for shorter content that entertains them. You will also need to consider where 
your audience will go to consume your video content. This will not only be guided by your 
product/service, but also by the type of video. For example, your audience are most likely 
going to look for educational videos on your product on your website or your YouTube 
channel. 
 
Take the time to consider where you will be sharing your video and how you can optimise it 
for each platform.  
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.6 How to make your content work harder 

In these uncertain times with leads (and sales) hard fought, it is more important than ever to 
make your content work harder. And by that we mean making the most of your investment 
into video by making sure your marketing is working as effectively as possible.  
 
So, how do you make your content work harder? 
 

1. Optimise your website 

 
If you are hosting a video on your website, it is best practice to do a video audit to assess 
how that content is performing. This will help you establish: 
 
● What ​titles ​are drawing users in 
● What ​types of content ​work best at each stage of the buying process 
● Whether your video ​thumbnail image​ is working and showing the value the content 
provides 
● Whether your video is ​positioned​ in the right location on your site to maximise 
views  
 

2. Optimise your social media 

 
When it comes to video on social media, there are a number of things you should be 
analysing and optimising across platforms. 
 

Play rate 
This will help you understand if your content is valuable or not.This may be down to your: 
video title, description or thumbnail image (not on LinkedIn). 
 

Audience engagement 
This is what you should be striving for on social media as it is what the channels use to 
measure how good your content is and how much exposure it will get as a result 
 
Some stats you should measure: 
● Audience retention - how much of the video are people watching? (40% is good!) 
● Likes, shares and comments 
● Total watch time 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
Discovery 
There are a number of things you can do to maximise your reach and ensure your content 
gets in front of your audience. 
 
● Hashtags 
 
On Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn these are a key way your content can be discovered 
and actually expands your potential audience. Ensuring you are using them effectively is 
key! Consider relevancy, what your competitors are using, what your audience are using, 
and avoid being spammy. 
 
● SEO keywords & playlists 
 
These play a role particularly when it comes to YouTube and ensuring that your content 
ranks above your competitors 
 

3. Hub and spoke model 

 
At Skeleton our “best practice” when producing 
content for clients is to produce variations with 
a view to draw audiences back to the “hub” 
content. 
 
For example, if we are creating video content 
for someone's website we would recommend 
creating bite size pieces of content which have 
been specifically designed for different 
channels to draw people back to that hub 
content.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
3.7 How will you measure success? 

To know whether your video marketing campaign worked and to recognise the return on 
investment (ROI) generated, you need to use key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure 
success. These KPIs should be centred around what your goals were for the campaign and 
should be measured with those in mind.  

 
Some metrics you should be measuring are: 
 
➔ Engagement 
➔ Rate of play 
➔ View count 
➔ Audience retention 
➔ Click-through-rate 
➔ Conversion rate 
 
These measurements will help you see what went well, what didn’t and what could be 
improved for next time. You can learn from this and use it to help your campaigns grow and 
develop. But ultimately, you should be using this analysis to determine whether your 
campaign was successful and drove ROI.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com
4.0 Summary 
As you can see, there’s a lot to consider when coming up with an approach for video 
content marketing for the SaaS industry. But by doing this, you’ll be heading into your next 
video campaign with a clear picture on how to leverage video effectively for your marketing 
strategy.  
 
This guide should have given you an understanding of: 
 
➔ What the video marketing landscape looks like in 2020 
➔ Why video marketing is essential for a successful SaaS marketing campaign 
➔ How to properly integrate video into your marketing strategy 
➔ How different types of video can be utilised for different SaaS objectives 
➔ How to make your content work harder to make the most of your investment 
into video 
 
 
And don’t forget - we’re on hand to help with any questions you have. Just drop our Video 
Strategy Director, James, an email on: ​james.bryant@skeletonproductions.com 
 
Or if you need help developing your video marketing strategy or are interested in producing 
a video for your SaaS business, you can ​get a quote here​.

James Bryant​ - Video Strategy Director ​+44 7786 435 033 

www.skeletonproductions.com