Celine Dion. Moirah Rose. Professor Robert Kelly’s interview-crashing children.

What do all of these iconic people have in common? Well, they know how to make an entrance… 

Let’s be honest; this kind of energy is in short supply in the B2B space. So let’s talk about how it can be harnessed, via the medium of social video content. 

Go big or go bust

In the attention economy, first impressions count for pretty much everything. Research from the LinkedIn B2B institute and Media Science revealed that a massive 81% of B2B ads fail to register with their audience in at least one of two categories: getting their attention and driving brand recall.

If an ad doesn’t deliver across both of these, it’s just dead budget. When we’re talking attention and memorable content, we’re talking Halle-Berry’s-introduction-in-Die-Another-Day levels of energy. 

Here’s how to make your video content unforgettable in just 4 steps.

Make an entrance

We all know that the average attention span is short.  But what most of us underestimate is just how short the window of opportunity is:

• Ads stay on our LinkedIn feeds for approximately 12.3 seconds
• Viewers’ attention spans are only 3.7 seconds long on average
• And that’s split into micro-bursts, with 2.4 ‘lookaways’ the average number during 3.7 seconds

This means your entrance is everything; it’s four seconds that you have to make count for both brand recall and to attract attention. Miss it and your results will fall off a cliff. 

Give brand the leading role

Here are three golden rules to follow when it comes to branding your video to ensure your audience remembers exactly who you are:

Put your brand front and centre

Whether you’re launching a new product or feature, or a groundbreaking creative campaign, it will count for nothing if people don’t remember who made it. Brand has got to be the priority. Well-branded ads average 2.5x the effectiveness of those that don’t do this, so ensure you keep a logo or recognizable brand asset on screen at all times for effectiveness.

Repeat it three more times

It’s not enough to simply start with strong branding and then let it fade into the distance; adverts with three or more brand mentions (whether that’s text, logos, colours or audio) achieved on average 48% correct brand identification, compared with only 32% of recall for adverts with just one brand mention. 

Be distinctive in 1.5 seconds 

Have you heard of the ‘attention memory threshold’? In essence, this is how long  people must pay attention to something for it to stick in their memory. It used to be 2.5 seconds long, but new research shows that ads with distinctive brand assets only need 1.5 seconds to make a memorable impression – a significant 40% edge in the attention economy. So think big for that first second, how can you disrupt the feed with something unexpected?

Don’t forget a dramatic soundtrack

Even in an age of ‘volume off as default’, sound matters more than you think. After all, it can fundamentally enhance memory and engagement. LinkedIn’s research shows that attention is heightened amongst viewers who watch with sound on. In fact, neurometric intensity spikes again around two seconds after sound is turned on. Going forward, you’ll want to make sure all videos have captions and audio – that way you’re catering for all.

Leave them wanting more

A longer video doesn’t mean greater attention. In fact, videos under ten seconds had higher ad recognition (68%) than those over 18 seconds (59%). For educational content that exists further down the funnel, longer-form videos give you the space to dig into the details. But if you have a short sharp brand awareness message you want ROI on, prioritise short-form video. 

To become a B2B diva, think like a B2B diva

There you have it, four key strategies for boosting the impact of your social media video content. 

At the heart of all of them? Confidence. It’s scary to heavily promote your brand, to deliver a message in a matter of seconds and to hit your audience with the big stuff straight out of the gate. But the rewards can be the defining factor in your social campaign’s success. Just think: what would Beyonce do?
Want to create content that demands 100 fresh roses and a red carpet in its dressing room? Talk to us about it here.