Dreamforce Interview with Tyler Lessard, VP, Marketing, Vidyard

What is the most exciting aspect of leading the thought-train in Video Marketing technology?

For many businesses, the adoption of video isn’t just about achieving incremental gains. It’s about transforming how they communicate with customers, how they tell their brand story, and how they deliver truly personalized experiences that matter. It’s so exciting to be involved in a market that is having such a significant impact on today’s businesses and fundamentally changing how they engage their audiences.

What’s the biggest attraction for you at Dreamforce 2018?

The pace of change in marketing, sales and customer experience technology continues to accelerate, and Dreamforce is the perfect place to soak it all in and gain a better understanding of the macro trends in the market. I’m looking forward to the major keynotes and a slew of announcements that accompany them to ensure I’m staying one step ahead of the market.

Who are you keen to meet and huddle at the event? Which sections at the event would you be keen to attend?

I always look to connect with the Salesforce team themselves to see what’s new and to absorb best-in-class examples from their leading clients. I also look forward to getting lost in the exhibit hall amongst the sea of partners and vendors where your imagination can run wild.

What makes Instagram videos a viable marketplace for brands? How do you look at this avenue for B2B growth?

It’s all about finding your audiences where they are, with the types of experiences they want to engage with. Instagram video is all about that! Today it’s primarily a channel for B2C and commerce brands to connect with consumers and stimulate demand, but there is absolutely a burgeoning opportunity for B2B brands. But for B2B, it won’t be about driving in-channel transaction, it will be all about audience engagement, storytelling, and maintaining brand relevance with your target markets.

Do you think there is a lot that needs to be done on integrating Video technologies with customer intelligence and analytics? 

For most businesses, there is a huge gap between their video content and their analytics platforms. Most lack the ability to connect engagement time with downstream conversions and are left with relying on view counts as a measure of impact. Brands need to adopt modern tools to help them tie video engagement to downstream transactions to truly understand which pieces of content are genuinely driving purchase intent.

What advice would you give to CMOs looking to invest in video tools now?

Don’t get trapped into thinking video is an island unto itself, or that it’s only for brand or social. Video has a growing role to play across all channels and programs, offering a better way to tell your story, educate buyers, generate demand and build greater trust with audiences. But equally important is the fact that video does not need to be expensive or complicated. A great script can make an incredible video whether it’s filmed in a high-end studio or on the iPhone in your pocket.

What message do you have for your fellow CMOs in the industry when it comes to working with Intent Data for video personalization?

Intent data can be a powerful input to personalize any piece of marketing! When it comes to video, this can manifest itself in triggering specific workflows, most relevant that individual, that deliver the right video at the right time. But it can also mean personalizing the video content itself by weaving the names or images or products or services they would most likely be interested in, into the video itself in a dynamic way. The possibilities are only just emerging and it’s very exciting to see.

How do you utilize Marketing Attribution technologies to justify the ROI on video marketing?

When looking at the ROI of video, you always need to think about the real goal and be able to measure back against that. While some videos are purely meant for brand awareness and views, most are produced with the goal of generating new leads or accelerate a sales cycle. With tools like Vidyard and Salesforce, video views can be associated with individual leads and accounts, giving you the ability to report back on how they are actually influencing pipeline and revenue – not just awareness.

Would you provide us your take on turning AI-driven and enabled videos by 2020?

AI is starting to play a role in helping businesses present the right video to the right individual at the right time. The next big wave will be using AI data to dynamically personalize or customize video content to make it as relevant and engaging as possible. We’re starting to see the technology emerge to do this today, and we expect to see more practical examples in the market by 2020.

An inspiring quote from past editions of Dreamforce that you have ever heard:

What makes you different? To stand out from the crowd and win business, you have to be different. (Tiffani Bova, Customer Growth and Innovation Evangelist @ Salesforce)

Thank you, Tyler! That was fun and hope to see you back on MarTech Series soon.