The Buggles burst onto the music scene in 1979 with their catchy hit Video Killed the Radio Star. The upbeat tempo and catchy chorus made the tune an instant earworm. Its lyrics captured the zeitgeist of reticence toward emerging technology that threatened to upend established entertainment. The Buggles may have been a one-hit wonder, but video has exponentially exploded since their pop song graced the charts.

Video has never been easier to create, and people love to consume it. More than 500 million hours of videos are watched on YouTube each day. Marketers have been quick to incorporate video in their outreach, and more than half of marketing professionals claim that video has the best ROI of any type of content.

In sales, however, the use of video has been slower to catch on. Those who are using it for prospecting are ahead of the curve and seeing incredible results. Reps who include video on landing pages (where prospects can book a meeting directly from the page) drive much higher conversion rates — up to 80% higher than non-video content. You can see an example here.

But doing video “right” can be tricky. If sales reps leave video production up to the marketing team, they’ll likely end up with a lot of stiff corporate “blah blah blah” shot in a conference room and indistinct from other companies’ video content. Sales and prospecting videos need to entice, not inform. The goal of a prospecting video is to get a prospect to book a meeting — not to teach them about your product or mission or deliver testimonials from customers.

We’ve found the most successful videos follow the “Three S” formula (well, it’s really two S’s and a C): simple, short, and cinematic. Short videos (:30 seconds or less) with a simple message entice targets to want to learn more. Overlaying all of this is a cinematic effect: high production values, sharp sound, quick cuts, top talent, beautiful establishing shots, and an overall Hollywood look-and-feel. You’re unlikely to get that from a corporate marketing team.

The Buggles may have faded into oblivion after Video Killed the Radio Star, but video itself became the real star that shows no signs of burning out soon.