How smart B2B teams are using video to win deals before they even start

There is a dangerous misconception in B2B marketing that video is just a product awareness game. We usually bucket video into two aspects:

• A top “viral” property that gets views but no leads.
• A dry product demo at the bottom of the funnel that gets leads but no views.

This binary thinking breaks your pipeline.

In my role at LinkedIn, I have access to a unique view of the B2B buying ecosystem. Data shows that the most successful companies don’t treat video as a single-stage funnel strategy. They treat it like a multiplier.

When you integrate a video strategy into the entire shopping journey – connecting the desired brand – the effectiveness multiplies, driving up to 1.4x more leads. Here’s an outline of the strategy for building that plan, backed by new data on how B2B buyers actually make decisions.

Truth: ‘The first vision arose’

The window to influence the deal closes much sooner than most marketers realize.

LinkedIn’s B2B Institute calls this the first priority. Like the reality TV show “The Bachelor,” if you don’t get a rose on the first try, you’re unlikely to make it to the finals.

Research from LinkedIn and Bain & Company found 86% of consumers already have their decisions predetermined on “Day 1” of the buying cycle. More importantly, 81% eventually bought from the seller with that Day 1 listing.

If your video strategy waits until the buyer is in the market or ready to buy to show up, you’re fighting for the remaining 19% of the market. To win, you need to be on the shortlist before the RFP is written.

Dig deep: LinkedIn wants to be the TikTok of business – will it work?

That requires a triple play strategy.

Play 1: Access and launch a hidden shopping mall

Goal: Reach people who might say no

Most video strategies target the champion, the person using the tool or service. But in B2B, the champion rarely holds the checkbook.

Consider this scenario. He spent months courting the VP of marketing. They like your solution. They are ready to sign. But when they bring the contract to the procurement meeting, the CFO looks up and asks: “Who are they?

At that point, the deal ends. All of a sudden you’re competing on price because you don’t have product equity with someone who controls the budget.

Our data shows that you are more than 20 times more likely to make a purchase when the entire buying team – not just the user – knows on day 1.

Strategic change: The art of cutting

To reach that broad group, you can’t just be there. You have to be memorable. You need both access and recall. LinkedIn’s data reveals exactly what cutting edge art looks like in the feed:

• Be brave: Video ads featuring bold, distinctive colors see a 15% increase in engagement.
• Be process oriented: Messages broken down into clear, visible steps deliver 13% higher dwell times.
• Goldilocks height: Short videos between 7 and 15 seconds are a sweet spot for driving brand lift – they perform much better than two very short (less than 6 seconds) and long form ads.
• Silent Movie Rule: Design for the eye, not the ear. 79% of LinkedIn’s audience scrolls with the sound off. If your video depends on the person talking to explain the value in the first 5 seconds, you have lost 80% of the room. Use visual hooks and hard-coded captions to capture attention instantly.

Dig deeper: GenAI takes the creations of digital video consumers

Play 2: Educate and motivate sales ‘buyability’

Goal: Minimize personal and professional risk

This is where most B2B content fails. We focus on selling power (features, specifications, speed, feed) and rarely focus on buying (how safe is it to buy). When a B2B buyer short-lists vendors, he navigates the risk of the transaction.

Our research with Bain & Company found the top five emotional tasks a consumer needs to accomplish. Only two were about product capability.

Job No. 1 of the feelings (34%) was, “I felt I could defend the decision if it didn’t go well.”

Strategic change: Marketing a safety net

To improve visibility, your video content shouldn’t be a dumping ground. It should be a safety net. What does that actually look like?

Impulse safety (buzz effect): Buyers want to bet on the winner. Our data shows brands generate 10% more leads when they build momentum with “buzz.” You can create this buzz by using cultural code. When brands target pop culture, engagement increases by 41%. If they use memes (yes, even in B2B), engagement can jump 111%. It shows that you are relevant, human and part of the current conversation.

Authorities build trust (expert effect): If the momentum catches their attention, the technology gains their trust. But how you present that technology is important. Video ads featuring top experts see 53% higher engagement. When those experts are recorded on the conference stage, communication increases by 70%. Why? The setting implies authority. It shows, “This person is smart enough that other people pay to listen to him.”

Consistency is honesty: You can’t “explode” your way to trust. Brands that maintain an always-on presence see 10% more conversions than those that are ongoing or closed. Trust is a cumulative metric.

Play 3: Turn and shoot by removing the friction

Goal: Stop convincing, start helping

At this stage, the consumer knows you (Play 1) and trusts you (Play 2). Don’t use your funnel video for the hard sell. Use it to remove the conflict for the next step.

Consumers in this category feel three types of risk:

• Risk of death: “Is this really going to work for us?”
• Decision risk: “What if I choose the wrong one?”
• The danger of the attempt: “How much work is being done?”

That’s why recommendations, relationships and connections help close deals.

Change strategies: Respond to concerns

Your art should directly address those concerns.

Social proof scale – kill risk of being killed: 90% of consumers say that social testimonials are influential information. But you can just send the logo. Use video to show peers. When a buyer sees someone whose job title is successful, the risk of the decision evaporates.

Reinvigorate your workforce – kill decision risk: People trust people more than logos. Startups that engage their employees see huge returns because they humanize the product. A figure that surprises many leaders. Only 3% of employees who post regularly can drive another 20% of leads, according to LinkedIn data. Show people who will answer the phone if things break.

A combination of conversion – kill the danger of the attempt: Don’t leave them hanging with the usual Read More button. We see 3x higher open rates when video ads are combined directly with lead-gen forms.

Video defines value, form captures intent instantly.

• Short sales cycle (less than 30 days): Use videos and lead-gen forms to speed things up.
• Long sales cycle: Retarget video viewers with message ads from a thought leader. Don’t ask for a sale; start a conversation.

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A flywheel, not a funnel

If this strategy works, why isn’t everyone doing it? The problem is usually not budget or talent. The structure. In many organizations, product teams and demand teams operate in silos.

• The brand owns the top of the funnel (Play 1).
• The need holds the low (Play 3).

They fight for budgets and rarely coordinate creatively. This separation kills the effect of multiplication. When you break down those silos and run these games as one system, the data changes.

Our modeling shows that an integrated strategy drives 1.4x more leads than using product and demand separately. Build the flywheel:

• Your broad reach (Play 1) creates redirect pools.
• Your educational content (Play 2) warms up that audience, raising CTRs.
• Your conversion offer (Play 3) is capturing demand from customers who have already sold, which lowers your CPL.

Brands that balance the funnel – investing in memory and actions – are the ones that make the “Day 1” list. And those on that list are the ones earning the income.