You’ve just made a fantastic and creative B2B video ad. Your agency or production partner sent over the final video files. Hooray! Project complete!

Not so fast. Your video ad project has only completed the first milestone. Once you have your B2B video ad in hand, it’s time to distribute and make sure your prospects see it.

If this all seems like a lot of work, that’s because it is. There isn’t a lot of serendipity on the internet anymore. Most of what you see on YouTube and social media has been carefully placed and optimized for you to see. 

Remember that most B2B video ads are aimed at prospects, not current customers. If your prospects aren’t already following your social channels, then you need to find ways to get out in front of them beyond sharing on social media. These five steps will help you get your spot in front of more people.

Step 1: Make a strategy

Yes, I know this is always step 1 in these guides. But it’s there for a reason. All the subsequent steps depend on you having a plan for where this video is going and what you want it to do.

Creating the planning and distribution strategy can begin long before you have the final spot, but it’s never too late to start.

A basic B2B video distribution strategy should include:

• Goals for the video ad
• KPIs and metrics to track success
• Distribution channels
• A calendar or timeline

For more, here’s a detailed guide to creating a B2B video marketing strategy.

Step 2: Get caption files and write detailed video descriptions

At the very least, no video ad should be posted anywhere online without closed caption files. It’s essential for accessibility, with a bonus for people who like to watch videos without the sound on. We like Rev.com for high-quality captions.

Then write a custom description for each platform you plan to share the video on. Avoid using the same description or caption across the board. The best practices for a YouTube description are not the same as for a LinkedIn caption or an Instagram Reel. 

To write your descriptions and captions, start with a document or spreadsheet. List each channel that you plan to post the video to. (Each channel should already have been identified in your strategy step.) If you plan to use both paid and organic social channels, note those separately. Write each caption or description in the document, including relevant account tags, links, and hashtags.

Step 3: Set a launch date

Set a launch date and make a plan for when and how to release the spot. Have all your descriptions and social posts written and ready to go before that date. Try to drop across all your accounts around the same time (a social scheduling platform makes this easy).

If this is a big campaign, notify your employees of the launch date and plan. Encourage them to like and share the video on social media to encourage organic reach. You can provide suggested wording for posts to make it easy, but allowing each person to write their own post with their own personality works best.

The day before your launch date, take a moment to evaluate the mood on social media. In the past 24-48 hours, have there been any major events that are dominating the discourse on social media? Are people in the correct mindset to view, like, and share your video? If not, consider delaying your launch for a few days or a week if you can. 

Step 4: Consider earned outlets and influencers

Does your organization have relationships with any industry rags or influencers? Consider sharing your video with them on launch day and asking them to share with their followers.

If you don’t have an established relationship, use the spot as an opportunity to introduce yourself and your brand. Maybe they’ll share it and maybe they won’t, but it never hurts to get more views. Keep in mind that a like or a comment from someone with a large following can get your spot shown in their followers’ feeds even if they don’t share it. That can boost your organic reach. 

Step 5: Sponsor your post

How do you get people to watch a video ad? You pay to get it in front of them. These days, a video marketing budget without money dedicated to paid advertising is missing a critical component. Even if you have a dedicated social following, you need to get your spots in front of new audiences. 

At the end of the day, paid advertising is necessary for most companies to cut through the noise and get their message in front of prospects.