Short-form content has been integrated into everyone’s lives and has changed the way content is consumed. The same goes with your buyers, as they scroll TikTok and Instagram Reels during their lunch breaks.
The lines between B2B and B2C marketing are dissolving. According to a LinkedIn report from 2024, video content is the most popular form of marketing for B2B companies. Decision-makers at energy and industrial firms are still people. They want to be informed, yes, but they also want to be engaged, entertained, and connected to brands that sound and feel human. The white paper isn't dead, but it's no longer the only content you need in your arsenal.
Short-form video has fundamentally changed how B2B buyers discover, evaluate, and trust brands. And the companies that recognize this shift—that engineer their marketing around it rather than resist it—are building a sustainable competitive advantage while their competitors wonder why the old playbook no longer differentiates them.
According to HubSpot, 83% of B2B marketers now create short-form videos, making it the most popular video format in B2B. More importantly, 71% say it delivers the highest ROI, and 60% believe it produces the most leads compared to other video formats.
While the transformation didn't happen overnight, the convergence of platform evolution and buyer behavior has reached a tipping point.
Social media platforms—including LinkedIn, the traditional B2B stronghold—have fundamentally restructured their algorithms to prioritize short-form video content over longer text-heavy posts. YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, TikTok, and even LinkedIn's native video all favor content that holds attention quickly and generates immediate engagement.
These platforms are actively amplifying user content when it matches the format they’re designed to promote. A 45-second video explaining a technical solution posted on social media can reach 10x more decision-makers than a meticulously crafted white paper that took three months to produce.
According to LinkedIn and Ipsos research, 56% of B2B professionals plan to increase their investment in video content, with short-form formats leading the charge.
But here's what matters more: Your buyers have changed. The executive evaluating your industrial equipment isn't a different person when they're scrolling LinkedIn versus Instagram. They're the same human, with the same attention span and the same preference for content that feels authentic.
Interestingly, 58% of B2B marketers now choose influencers and partners based on authenticity and credibility, a metric borrowed directly from B2C playbooks.
Trust no longer comes primarily from certifications, case studies, and analyst reports. It starts with whether your brand feels human, accessible, and genuine. According to research from LinkedIn, 63% of B2B tech buyers say that social video content from industry experts significantly informs their purchasing decisions. Short-form video—especially when it features real experts, real projects, and real moments—builds that trust faster than any traditional format.
The most successful B2B brands are starting to adopt the playbook that made B2C brands successful on social platforms. Here's what that looks like in practice, with real examples from companies getting it right.
HubSpot has mastered this approach, constantly releasing compelling, personable, and relatable content across TikTok, Reels, and LinkedIn. Real employees deliver quick how-tos and product highlights in casual, conversational formats. The result is follower counts and user engagement that rival consumer brands, proving that short videos can reach many more eyes than traditional B2B channels.
Zendesk takes a similar approach, turning complex support concepts into casual, conversational videos with employees as hosts. One example in particular stands out like a B2C influencer video. It feels like a friendly briefing from a public figure or a close friend, not a corporate pitch. This human-centric format softens technical content while building a genuine connection.
The lesson: B2B buyers want to see the people behind the brand. Featuring subject matter experts on camera being themselves creates trust in a different way than traditional corporate content.
Sprout Social uses TikTok and Instagram to showcase company culture, team moments, and real workplace experiences. They blend thought leadership with personal storytelling in a way that feels B2C distinctly in tone but remains deeply relevant to B2B buyers.
CERAWeek, often called the “Super Bowl of Energy,” utilizes short-form content to humanize the team behind the event. Their videos, although still corporate, showcase the teams and individuals who bring innovation to the energy industry and what makes their event so special.
Why does this work? Because buying decisions, even in B2B, are emotional. Decision-makers want to work with companies they like, trust, and can envision partnering with long-term. Behind-the-scenes content answers the unspoken question: "What happens on a day-to-day basis with these people?"
Gorgias, a customer service automation platform, uses humor and relatable workplace scenarios on LinkedIn to talk about its solutions. It’s entertaining while highlighting value, and humor in B2B short videos drives significantly higher recall and shareability.
Even Cisco, in their "Internet of Everything" campaign from way back in 2014, created humorous videos highlighting everyday situations improved by interconnected devices. The commercials were funny, yes, but they also made complex technology concepts relatable and memorable for any audience.
The industrial and energy sectors might seem like unlikely candidates for humor, but the principle remains: Relatability often beats formality when you're trying to break through the noise.
Shopify breaks down specific tools and features in short, step-by-step videos that give viewers digestible explanations without overwhelming them. This modular approach helps audiences learn quickly and encourages them to follow for more.
Siemens posted a reel explaining a microgrid project, covering CO2 reductions and project impact in an accessible, customer-centric format. The content showcased a highly technical solution while speaking to sustainability and innovation in a way that engaged rather than lectured.
Schneider Electric has transformed how it leverages industry events by posting short video clips from conferences like Kickstart Europe on YouTube, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Instead of hour-long keynote recordings, the brand distills key insights into 15-60 second visual moments that respect scrolling behavior while delivering genuine value.
Recently, Pop-Tarts leveraged their creativity with the famous Pop-Tart Bowl. Yes, the main event was the college football game between Georgia Tech and BYU, but Pop-Tarts definitely made you think about their brand throughout the game. At the event, they had numerous side-plots between their human-sized toastable snacks, which were later repurposed for short-form content by themselves and fans alike. We recently published a blog on the brilliance behind their approach to the in-person event and why it was so successfully viral. Check it out here.
This approach turns a single speaking engagement into multiple pieces of content, each optimized for the platform and the moment when buyers are actually consuming content.
The transformation has already happened. Decision-makers in energy and industrial sectors are consuming content differently, forming opinions faster, and expecting a personalized, engaging experience even from B2B brands.
The companies that recognize this are amplifying their technical expertise through formats that reflect how people consume content. They're not choosing between credibility and engagement; they're engineering systems where both work together.
The TikTok effect is a fundamental shift in how humans consume and engage with social content. The question isn't whether your buyers are ready for this transformation. They already are. The question is whether your brand will meet them with content that will capture their attention.
At HexaGroup, we help energy and industrial firms optimize customer experience across every touchpoint from sales to service. In 2026, the lines between B2B and B2C are blurring. Your buyers are people first, professionals second. Customer experience is now the competitive battleground, and the brands that understand this now will have the edge for years to come.
Let’s discuss where customer experience can take your brand.