Nearly 70 per cent of business professionals will watch a one-minute video all the way through, but stretch it to 20 minutes and only a quarter will do the same, according to data from Vidyard.
Vidyard, based in Kitchener, Ont., recently released its 2019 State of Video In Business Report, which is based on qualitative research done partnership with a third party and its own first party data of more than 3,000 videos published over a 12-month period.
The results show, on average, more than half — or 52 per cent — of viewers watch a video all the way through, regardless of the video’s length.
This could help explain why, according to Vidyard, its B2B clients published 83 per cent more video content on a monthly basis compared to the last time the same benchmark report was produced a year ago.
While it has an obvious vested interest in seeing video take off in the enterprise, the Vidyard report’s authors predicted B2B brands still have many storytelling options to choose from, which will spur an increase in partnerships with third parties.
“It will mean investing in video-based explainers, webinars, product demonstrations, customer stories, and thought leadership to support the buying process,” the report says. “As a result, marketers will increase their investments with video production agencies and service providers with many also hiring in-house producers to meet the increasing demands for video.”
Interestingly, Vidyard also came out with a separate report late last month in partnership with Ascend2 that explored how B2B firms are approaching content engagement. The data showed that case studies and research, not surprisingly, were the most trusted forms of content at 68 per cent, while video trailed at only 25 per cent. The report didn’t make mention, however, of using video as a way of showcasing case studies and research.
Vidyard is not alone in encouraging more B2B brands to amp up their video efforts. In April, LinkedIn published a guide, titled The Tech Marketer’s Guide To B2B Video, which tries to refute the notion that some firms’ products are too boring or complicated to be effectively showcased in short-form videos.
“You don’t need to tell them everything about your company and its products or services at any point; you just need to tell them enough to get them to the next step. Identify your message and decide on the best way of getting it across,” the LinkedIn report says. “If that’s a video, it only needs to convey one message, so no single video has to explain everything you do.”
The Vidyard report showed, however, that watching B2B video content on smartphones still makes up a fraction of the audience at 13 per cent, compared to desktop viewing at 87 per cent, and that mid-week is the best time to gain views.
