Short and Sweet: Grab B2B Buyers’ Attention with Short-Form Video
When you’re in the market for something new, you want plenty of information before you make that commitment, right? However, you also want that information fast — after all, you’ve probably got a few different retailers or service providers to check out.
That’s what makes short-form video content so effective for engagement and growth. It’s a way of grabbing a buyer’s attention and delivering pertinent information quickly while reinforcing branding and company values.
Could short-form video be the smartest device in your B2B marketing toolbox?
Short-Form Video Explained
Short-form video means videos that are short and easy to digest. For some platforms, short-form video means anything 60 seconds long or less. However, even 2-minute videos can be classed as short-form.
Great examples of content you can cram into two minutes or less include:
Short, personal stories that create an emotional connection
“Meet the team” style introductions
Product/service demos
Snippets of events like conferences and trade shows
Tips and “life hacks” for software, tools, or daily business tasks
Inspirational quotes or ideas
Industry news soundbites
Teasers for a video podcast
Keep your content on brand and relevant to your audience — but don’t be afraid to explore new audience segments who may be more active on video-based social channels.
Picking a Platform
HubSpot reports that short-form video content yields a higher ROI than just about any other content marketing technique. That’s thanks to the relatively short time commitment needed to produce videos and the fact that most of the resources are at your fingertips — your smartphone is all you need to start making short videos.
You’ve got several platform choices for hosting your videos. YouTube Shorts are always 60 seconds or less and you can make them directly in the YouTube app — ideal for when you’re at a business event or spot something inspirational.
TikTok is arguably the top dog when it comes to short-form video, and TikTok Business is pumping money into its campaign to get more firms using the platform. Canva is one example of a brand leveraging the new space to reach clients by sharing content useful for design professionals. Canva also maximizes its reach by offering free TikTok editing tools on its platform.
LinkedIn is the top B2B marketing channel, with marketers reporting double the rate of conversion compared to other online platforms. You can share any length of video on your posts, but you can also use LinkedIn Video Ads to help your videos reach a wider audience.
Driving Engagement
The main reason B2B tech startups dip their toes into the waters of short-form content is for increased engagement with potential audiences. User behaviors on video platforms mean that content is shared often, brands get tagged, and companies have a chance to meet more audience segments than they would by sticking to more conventional marketing channels.
Sprout Social reports that short-form video is by far the most engaging form of social media content. By combining compelling visuals, your brand voice and messaging, and your firm’s values, you can increase brand recognition and reach at an accelerated pace.
Final Word
Some quick tips for successful short-form videos:
Add captions — many people watch videos with the sound off
Don’t worry about production values — less than 30% of viewers care about seeing “polished” videos
Post often and respond to comments where possible
Keep interaction positive and authentic
Talk to Arch Collective about your overall marketing strategy and let’s see if we can talk you through integrating video content into your campaigns. Book a free 15-minute discovery call with a member of our team and tell us about your tech startup.
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