Video wins?

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• 61% of B2B marketers say they’ll increase their investment in video in 2025 (more than for AI or thought leadership)

• Short-form videos under 1 minute now boast the highest completion rates

• 82% of people trust companies more when leadership is active on social, signaling the rise of personality-led content.

• LinkedIn videos get 5x more engagement than text posts 

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DEEP DIVE

The shift to video-first, personality-led content isn’t just a trend. It’s a survival tactic.

When Amazon announced its restructuring of Wondery this week (effectively breaking up the audio storytelling studio it acquired in 2021) many marketers missed the bigger picture. 

This isn’t just a pivot in podcasting. It was a clear signal of a broader shift in how people consume content: from audio to video, from faceless to personality-led.

Wondery’s audio-first model is being traded in for creator-centric, video-forward shows. Narrative podcasts are being folded into Audible, while YouTube-native, host-driven content is getting the investment. Why? Because even in B2B, buyers now want to see the person behind the microphone.

The market’s made its choice: Video wins

The data don’t lie:

• 61% of B2B marketers plan to increase their video investment in 2025. Pssst. that’s more than for thought leadership or even AI content.

• 76% already use video as a core part of their content strategy.

• And 58% say video is their most effective format  

B2B buyers agree: Over half say video influences their purchasing decisions. This means video goes beyond preference and has really become essential in your marketing. If your content isn’t easily consumable and humanized, it’s likely being skipped.

Shorter, snappier, smarter… But don’t sleep on long-form

Video works best when it's part of a strategic content ecosystem.

Yes, short-form video is dominating engagement:

• The average video length has dropped from 168 seconds (2016) to 76 seconds in 2023.

• Videos under 1 minute see the highest completion rates (nearly 50% on average)

• Viewers are far more likely to watch a 90-second highlight clip than sit through 45 minutes cold.

But that doesn’t mean long-form is dead. It’s just not the entry point anymore.

Believe in the balance:

• Short-form expands your reach: it sparks interest, earns the click, and earns space in the scroll.

• Long-form builds the relationship: it’s where depth happens, where trust compounds, and where buying decisions are shaped

So video is in… what about personality? 

The most effective content isn’t just about what you say… it’s who says it.

• 82% of people trust a company more if its leadership is active on social media.

• 43% of customers prefer content created by individuals who actually use the product over content published by the brand.

In other words: B2B doesn’t trust faceless brands anymore. They trust people. That means founders, subject-matter experts, engineers, even customers (anyone who can speak from experience) on camera, with clarity.

Platforms are reinforcing this shift:

• LinkedIn videos from individual employees get 2x the comments of brand pages.

• LinkedIn’s algorithm now favors “conversational” content that sparks community engagement (the kind only real people tend to create)

The push to be human

Social platforms have spoken. And they’re rewarding video and personality:

• LinkedIn: Video posts get 5x more engagement, and live videos get 24x more than text.

• YouTube: Now the #1 podcast platform, eclipsing audio-only apps… even for traditionally audio shows. Bonus: they’ve stopped the monetization of AI videos.

• TikTok: B2B brands like HubSpot and Zendesk are reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers with authentic, funny, and insightful short-form content featuring employees and creators.

Every major platform now rewards personality-forward video. Not just for reach, but for engagement that actually builds trust and drives action.

Your video-first, personality-led content playbook

Here’s your playbook:

✅ Put your people on camera: Start with founders, product leads, or sales reps. Authenticity wins over polish.
✅ Film everything: Webinars, podcasts, virtual events — and repurpose into clips.
✅ Lead with short-form: Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds. Aim for under 2 minutes.
✅ Optimize by platform: Native video for LinkedIn. Search-optimized videos on YouTube. Trend-adapted content on TikTok.
✅ Encourage employee advocacy: A personal story from an employee > a corporate campaign.
✅ Track & tweak: Use video metrics (watch time, drop-offs, engagement) to guide content strategy.

This isn’t about abandoning blogs or audio. It’s about anchoring your strategy in video and using it to multiply your reach across every other channel.

The takeaway: If you want to be remembered, you need to be seen. And if you want to be trusted, you need to show the people behind the logo.