B2B buyers have changed how they learn, evaluate, and decide — and video has become one of the most influential mediums shaping that journey. eMarketer’s B2B Video Marketing 2025 report highlights a significant shift: video is no longer a supporting asset but an essential driver of trust, clarity, and measurable revenue impact. For martech professionals navigating an increasingly competitive digital environment, the findings offer a clear blueprint for where buyer attention is headed and how to meet it.
Video, in the context of modern B2B marketing, spans an expansive ecosystem. It includes awareness-driven formats such as short social clips and thought-leadership interviews; mid-funnel content such as demos, explainers, and educational webinars; and conversion-oriented formats such as testimonial videos and customer case studies. These videos now appear across channels, including LinkedIn, YouTube, brand websites, email campaigns, livestream platforms, on-demand content hubs, and sales-enablement systems.
As buyers become more selective with their time, video’s ability to combine clarity, emotion, and expertise makes it especially powerful. That backdrop frames the insights from eMarketer’s work — insights that help marketers understand not just where video is effective, but why it is rapidly becoming foundational.
Video’s Strategic Rise in B2B
The report establishes a clear trend: organizations now view video as a strategic necessity rather than an optional asset. eMarketer notes that video is increasingly central to building trust and engagement, two of the most valuable currencies in B2B marketing. Buyers expect content that helps them understand a solution quickly, and video remains uniquely suited for demonstrating value in complex or technical categories.
This momentum aligns with macro trends in digital spending. According to eMarketer’s ad-spend outlook, video is gaining a larger share of B2B digital advertising budgets even as overall growth slows, signaling that marketers are shifting spend toward formats proven to influence pipelines.
Source: eMarketer
The report’s ad spend projections show that video is on track to command a growing share of B2B digital budgets. More importantly, marketers increasingly expect video to drive measurable business outcomes — not just brand lift. Formats like demos, expert-led breakdowns, and customer stories are proving especially useful for tying video engagement to a qualified pipeline.
Formats Built for Every Stage of the Journey
B2B buyers don’t move through the funnel in a straight line, and their information needs shift dramatically from one stage to the next. That’s why the most effective video strategies don’t rely on a single format. Instead, they assemble a mix of videos—each designed with a specific purpose, level of detail, and audience intent in mind. The eMarketer report highlights how these formats work together to guide prospects from initial curiosity to confident decision-making.
Creator-Led and Expert-Driven Video: The report highlights the growing influence of creator and expert-led video. These formats resonate because they feel more trustworthy and relatable than heavily polished corporate productions. Whether produced internally or through industry voices, this style of content is particularly effective at building credibility in early and mid-funnel stages.
Product Demos and Demonstrational Content: When buyers evaluate solutions, they want clarity and proof. Demonstration videos — walkthroughs, feature highlights, or scenario-based demos — are among the formats most strongly tied to measurable pipeline and revenue outcomes.
Thought Leadership and Awareness Video: Top-of-funnel (ToFu) video, such as executive interviews or industry commentary, helps companies stake out a point of view. These videos fuel brand authority and lead nurturing, especially when repurposed across landing pages, social channels, and email.
Short-Form and Social Clips: Short, platform-native clips continue to rise in popularity. They are beneficial for boosting visibility on LinkedIn and YouTube and for driving traffic to longer-form video assets or landing pages.
One of the report’s strongest messages is that no single format performs well across the entire buyer journey. High-performing programs rely on a layered approach — from awareness to evaluation to decision — that meets prospects where they are.
AI’s Expanding Role — And Its Limits
eMarketer acknowledges that AI tools are accelerating video production by assisting with editing, scripting, and scaling content. But the report warns against the temptation to automate too far. In B2B environments, credibility is fragile.
Overusing AI can dilute authenticity, diminishing the trust needed for long sales cycles. The winning balance is using AI for efficiency while maintaining a strong human voice and point of view.
Takeaways
Here are the most actionable lessons from the report:
Use multiple formats mapped to the buyer journey. Awareness videos, demos, explainers, case studies, and social shorts all serve distinct purposes.
Elevate authority with credible voices. Creator-driven and expert-led video is emerging as a trust accelerator.
Build demo content as a revenue engine. These videos are among the best for influencing actual deal progress.
Adopt AI for efficiency, not replacement. Automate production tasks while safeguarding authenticity.
Shift budget toward high-performing formats. Video is earning a larger share of digital spend for a reason.
Measure beyond views. Tie video assets to pipeline stages, deal influence, and customer acquisition.
Why You Should Explore the Full Report
The eMarketer B2B Video Marketing 2025 report goes far deeper than the themes summarized here. It includes detailed data, format breakdowns, channel insights, and forward-looking guidance on building a video program that aligns with evolving buyer expectations. If video is part of your 2025 strategy — and it should be — the full report is well worth downloading to guide your planning and execution.
Download eMarketer’s B2B Video Marketing 2025 Report
©2025 DK New Media, LLC, All rights reserved | DisclosureOriginally Published on Martech Zone: B2B Video Marketing: Videos Have Increasingly Influenced Purchasing Decisions in 2025