A survey of 200 B2B marketers across the UK and Ireland was conducted to reveal that 62% of the people see video as the most significant content outlet, followed by email with 48%, social media with 36% and infographics with 29%.

LinkedIn, the world’s largest online professional network, has released a B2B Video Report. The report reveals that video is the most effective tool for B2B marketers this year, making it their first priority, despite the difficulties faced when trying to measure it.

Johanna Mimoun, digital lead of Philips HealthSystems France says, “Video is the new king of content, giving us more room for storytelling and creativity than ever before. Driving leads is ultimately what counts in B2B marketing and video has demonstrated that it adds value for us throughout the funnel. It’s now up to publishers and brands to come together to ensure this continues in the future.”

Consequently, 26% of those surveyed revealed their intention to invest more than £300k on video advertising this year. The reasons given for investing in video content are revealing, with nine in 10 participants considering video as the most creative outlet for B2B brands. Building brand awareness and promotion were also mentioned.

Oliver Barter, head of content at global creative B2B agency gyro UK, says, “When it comes down to it, content has to be engaging to be successful. As video gives more freedom for storytelling and creativity than ever before, it’s great to see B2B marketers turning to it in their droves to engage with professional audiences. I’m excited to see how brands experiment more with their video content in the future."

According to LinkedIn’s report, the most popular video formats are product videos (48%), how-to videos (40%) and explainer videos (38%). A further 32% of B2B marketers citied that educational videos are the most effective among target audiences and 68% of members are more likely to watch a video if its title is relevant to their job.  

Tom Pepper, head of LinkedIn marketing solutions UK, says, "Video has become one of the most powerful tools in a B2B marketer's arsenal as they turn to even more creative formats to engage professional audiences. B2B video has come a long way from the talking head. But even the perfect video could be rendered useless if it’s not shared with the right audience, in the right place and at the right time.”

On the topic of the biggest problems the industry faces, 44% of B2B marketers agreed that reaching the right audience in the right context is the most important. 38% of respondents considered the failure to measure results as a major downfall to video advertising. In order to measure targeting successfully, 75% of B2B marketers requested publishers and platforms to use completion rates, click-through-rates and activity on landing pages.

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