Instagram, an online photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service (150 million users) is getting a lot of attention from B2B brands who are now considering this online platform as a potential communication channel. Scott Public Relations recognizes that videos play a crucial part in a successful online strategy for healthcare PR and marketing campaigns and we’ve been long time proponents of using video to express a brand’s key messaging to drive awareness.

We’re glad to see B2B companies have noticed the importance of video and are taking matters into their own hands (literally) and posting short, mobile-device-created 15 second videos to express their values as well as products and services.

Consider these five benefits of using 15 second videos on Instagram for B2B companies, published originally in a Beyond the Hype blog:

  • Simplify Technology. Scott Public Relations has represented many technology companies over the years, and we found that with technical jargon, many reporters and bloggers passed on opportunities simply because they didn’t have a clear idea of what they were being pitched. If you can show your product in a video and demonstrate its benefits easily, you’re more likely to grab their attention.
  • Showcase your brand’s personality. Audiences within any industry ignore the bland, vanilla-on-vanilla brand that doesn’t stand out or show WHY a brand is different from the others out there in the marketplace. Wow your audience by showing how your brand solves a problem and/or how your product makes a difference and you’ll be sure to grab their attention.
  • Help B2B buyers and end users. Provide 15 second videos of “how to” videos that again, address specific challenges your audience faces, and how your product/service offering is the solution. Showing instead of telling is crucial with audiences today. If you drone on and on about the facts of a product, instead of showing the features and benefits of a product, you’ll lose the audience’s attention almost immediately.
  • Promote services and offerings with client testimonials. B2B companies can ask their audiences and clients to submit 15 second video testimonials, and the most engaging submissions can be used across a variety of online platforms (can imbed on website, blog entries, case studies, etc.).
  • Showcase your brand’s capabilities. Again, this goes back to showing instead of telling. Anyone can read a FAQ sheet. Videos exponentially increase user engagement by providing content that is user friendly and easily shareable. Your audience is more likely to return to that piece of featured content as opposed to ignoring yet another item they have to read and scan through.

Do you currently use Instagram to showcase your B2B brand? If so, what kinds of videos are you currently creating and are they getting a lot of online engagement? Let us know in the comment section below!

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with a PR, marketing or social media campaign, contact Scott Public Relations.

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