<p><em>The low cost of video production allows you to experiment without inflating your budget. This is one of the biggest opportunities in 2018. </em></p>
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<p><a href="https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/302661/50-of-video-plays-on-mobile-60-in-2017.html">Last year,</a> more than half of all digital videos were shot on smartphones, and broadcasts and video broadcasts accounted for a whopping 83% of all mobile traffic, according to the NPD Group. Such a radical change in the way they consume means that B2B brands have huge opportunities and can "earn points" on social media news feeds shown on the personal pages of their consumers and potential buyers. In December, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/digital/b2b-marketing-is-going-through-a-technological-revolution-and-cmos-are-ready-to-invest/">eMarketer caused a stir</a> by publishing its first report on digital B2B advertising. It predicts that this niche will grow to $4.6 billion in 2018, which is 13% more than last year's $4.07 billion. Despite the promising forecast, you may notice that only a limited number of B2B brands are applying mobile videos in a consistent and skillful manner. The amount marketers should invest in mobile B2B videos in 2018 depends on the nature of their business, but – as eMarketer strongly recommends – they should consider allocating more dollars to B2B advertising. Otherwise, they risk losing their "promotional votes" to competitors. While this idea may seem risky for some B2B players who like to apply tried-and-true marketing moves, it does suggest that there are tremendous opportunities for mobile videos to interact on a soulful, emotional level. Here are four tips that B2B marketers can apply to win by using videos.</p>
<h3>1. Experiment with short, fast-consumable clips</h3>
<p>The low cost of video production allows you to experiment without inflating your budget. You don't need to hire a full-fledged camera crew to shoot a video. A smartphone and a couple of creatives or a small team equipped with a drone and a GoPro app are enough. B2B brands are encouraged to experiment by creating short, fast-consuming, snack-like clips of 3-10 seconds, which are now becoming the norm as users' attention span has decreased significantly with the advent of smartphones. This is confirmed by the fact that popular channels have begun to prioritize shorter segments. For example, last year, YouTube began offering 6-second ad slots, and Fox stirred up the TV industry by announcing that they would be showing 6-second ads during NFL 2017 games.</p>
<h3>2. Use creativity and tactics like in B2C</h3>
<p>B2B advertisers should note that promoting brands in their niche is starting to look more like a B2C ("business to consumer") activity. All companies such as SAP and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kx67NnuSd0">Volvo Trucks</a>, Squarespace, Intel, and IBM have all won praise and made good money in recent years by taking an informal and more "fun" approach to finding potential buyers for their expensive products/services. IBM, for example, has shown how easy it all is. Big Blue started using <a href="https://twitter.com/IBM/status/646787447855058944/photo/1">GIFs four years ago</a>, and now they post 3-7 second clips on social media every day, with content ranging from serious things like patent announcements to playful "Be my Valentine?" messages on St. Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day on February 14th. While these strategies are more common for B2C companies, they can also work great for the enterprise segment. Another B2C video tactic that can be considered is the use of captions for those users who are "on the go" and cannot use headphones. Text messages, coupled with dynamic images, will help attract potential buyers.</p>
<h3>3. Think Like Youth</h3>
<p>I don't want to say that, because in some circles, "marketing for millennials" has become a bogeyman, but still, don't be afraid to think like young people. If anything, <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2018/01/sales-trends-for-2018.html">Salesforce found that 84% of all</a> millennials in B2B said that a smartphone is an integral part of their job. Creating man-of-the-street B2B videos in which your team tells their followers about news from CES, Mobile World Congress, SXSW, Cannes Festivals, and Advertising Week is one way to connect with your readers. And organic posts that are valuable to your social media followers can also be used to reach new potential consumers through paid advertising. The potential of digital campaigns to attract new customers has been visible since the launch of social media as the engines of advertising in the last decade. Now imagine potential millennial shoppers watching a smart, compact video on their social media feed and being able to sign up for a newsletter in just a couple of clicks. The potential generation opportunities become even more evident when you consider how this sector is constantly on the move, even when they're at work. According to eMarketer, last year B2B shoppers were 63% more likely than in 2016 to use mobile devices at work.</p>
<h3>4. Act now!</h3>
<p>Mobile video is still new to B2B advertising, and starting from scratch means having to overcome the challenges of creating the right mindset and perception for organizations that aren't ready for change. Sounds a little scary? Sure, but now you know it's worth it. Those who master mobile video sooner rather than later – whether it's through paid advertising or regular content, or a combination of these – will have a huge advantage, because they'll rise above the crowd and lead the legions of followers who will become their consumers. In any case, as <a href="https://www.vidyard.com/blog/video-sales-tool-infographic/">Vidyard's</a> research shows, businesses that watch videos are 85% more likely to become buyers compared to those who only read texts and view images. And you already know where they're watching those videos—on their phones. Tomer Cohen, vp of product at LinkedIn. Translation. Original article in English http://www.adweek.com/digital/4-ways-b2b-marketers-should-be-using-mobile-video/</p>
