How B2B businesses can leverage short-form video

Short-form video content has taken the world by storm in recent years. Several of the most popular social media sites have rolled out short-form video sharing feeds that offer businesses a great way to get in front of their audiences.

This article will discuss how B2B businesses can leverage short-form video content for marketing and more.

What is a short-form video?

A short-form video is one that is relatively short in length. There is no official threshold between short-form and long-form video content, but many would agree that short-form videos could range from a few seconds long to about a minute and a half.¹

A brief history of short-form video

The first major burst in popularity was with Vine in the early 2010s. Creators used this app to share 6-second clips and skits. This app came before the boom in social media marketing, and it was shut down just a few short years later.

Around the time that Vine was shut down, an app called Musical.ly emerged. Today, we know this app as TikTok, which is a large player in the short-form video sharing space.

In addition to creating totally original content, TikTok enables users to create video content with trending sound bites, making it possible to go viral and reach more viewers.

Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have recently launched short-form video feeds.

How can B2B businesses use short-form video?

Short-form video content is a very valuable marketing tool for B2B businesses.² Thanks to the growth-centric algorithms of the video-sharing apps we discussed above, short-form video sharing can help businesses expand their reach.

With that said, here are six specific ways that B2B businesses can use short-form videos for marketing.

1. Showcase product use cases

B2B sellers can use short-form videos to showcase their products and demonstrate use cases. What’s nice about this approach is that it can be used to position your offer as a solution rather than just a product.

If you’re selling raw materials, you could create a short-form video that runs through a few products that the materials are used for.

Retailers also use product showcases to consumers, but since retailers and other B2B buyers are your target audience, it’s important to curate your showcases with them in mind.

2. Share testimonials & success stories

Social proof is another marketing technique that can be brought to life with short-form videos. This will help to build trust amongst potential buyers.

B2B sellers can ask happy customers to share testimonials about working with you. You can also use data from your customers to craft video case studies with their success stories.

It’s a good idea to ask longer-term customers for help with creating this content since there is more for them to speak about. Plus, the long-term nature of the partnership will show prospective clients that your brand is so good at what it does that people keep coming back because they are happy with the experience.

3. Build brand awareness

B2B sellers can create a short-form video content strategy that is geared towards building brand awareness rather than driving a specific conversion.

As a B2B seller, your typical order is a bit different than it would be if you sold in the B2C market. Since most orders you process are high-ticket, it’s normal for the sales cycle to be drawn out.

That’s why it’s important to build brand awareness to build trust amongst your target audience and keep a constant flow of leads and inquiries.

4. Create educational content

Educational content is a major pillar of many content marketing strategies, and it can be brought to life as short-form video content, as well.

With this type of content, you can educate potential buyers on different aspects of the business you’re in. This will help you develop influence and establish some authority in your industry.

What’s nice about short-form content is that it is binge-able, so it’s easy to lock in the attention of your viewers and build influence over the audience relatively quickly. Of course, it’s important that your educational content is accurate and valuable if you want it to have this effect.

5. Behind-the-scenes looks

Another way to attract an audience of potential customers is to create content that gives a behind-the-scenes peek at your company. The idea is to give viewers a more intimate interaction with your brand while showcasing your company culture.

This content can cover a “day in the life” of various members of your team or your production process. It can also be used to give virtual tours of your warehouse. Mini vlogs offer another great way to give viewers a behind-the-scenes look.

6. Expert spotlights

Create short-form videos that showcase experts in your industry. Curate the content in a way that highlights your brand’s offers so that it makes sense for your marketing strategy.

This approach can also work with influencer marketing. B2B businesses can pay experts in their industry to talk about their products with the requirement that the expert posts the content on their own page. This can be used as a way to further extend the brand’s reach.

Sell on Alibaba.com

Live commerce is another way that video content is used in B2B selling. This technique uses live streaming to sell products in real-time.

The Alibaba Group has been one of the largest driving forces in the growth of live commerce over the past several years, so our organization is determined to continue to help B2B sellers leverage video in their broad business operations.

Sign up for Alibaba.com today to access a full collection of powerful B2B selling tools.