B2B marketing on YouTube: how to build your video strategy

When you think about B2B marketing, YouTube probably isn't the first thing that pops into your head. At a glance, it feels like a consumer-driven space, full of cat videos and influencers. But in recent years it’s become a powerful tool for B2B marketing.

With 2.7 billion monthly users globally, it’s no doubt your buyers are watching. They’re scrolling through product demos, thought leadership content, how-tos, and explainer videos. With the right B2B YouTube strategy, you can connect with your audience in a space they already trust and engage with daily.

In this guide, we’ll break down what B2B marketing on YouTube really looks like, why it works, and how to create content that converts.

Why YouTube definitely belongs in your B2B marketing strategy

Visual storytelling is more important than ever for brands and YouTube is the perfect place to tell that story - whether it's showcasing customer success stories, explaining how a service works or sharing the knowledge and people behind your brand. Owned by Google, using YouTube for B2B video marketing gives your brand a platform to not only tell stories but build trust, show up in search, and create lasting relationships with decision-makers.

Here’s why it matters for your brand:

It helps you earn trust

Seeing someone speak directly to you hits differently. A video of your CEO, sales team, or product expert walking through a complex topic builds credibility instantly.

98% of people say they’ve watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.
Videos make your brand feel more human and real. This is especially powerful in B2B spaces where trust and relationships really matter.

Canva's YouTube channel is a masterclass in building trust through value-packed tutorials and product walk-throughs.

It boosts your discoverability

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world (and it’s owned by the first.) That means your videos can appear on Google and YouTube search results, increasing your visibility with minimal extra effort.

Video results have a 41% higher click-through rate than plain text.
Embedding YouTube videos in your blog posts or FAQs heightens your SEO by increasing user engagement and time on your site, while providing richer content that helps search engines better understand and rank your pages. Especially at a time when search engines are favouring video content.

It’s a perfect platform for thought leadership

Use YouTube as a platform to show off your team’s industry insights, research, and expertise. When you’re sharing ideas that matter, you’re building brand authority. Whether you’re covering industry news or evergreen advice, use your YouTube strategy to show your face and share what you know.

Shopify’s Learn With Shopify YouTube channel is a great example. They regularly share interviews, startup advice, and e-commerce trends, positioning themselves as a platform provider and as a partner in their audience’s success.

It personalises the connection

Traditional B2B content can feel cold. It’s sometimes easy to focus on the ‘business’ rather than the ‘humans’ involved. But a B2B YouTube channel lets you meet your audience face-to-face (even if it’s through a screen.)

YouTube lets you speak directly to your audience's specific challenges, frustrations and aspirations, as well as proactively tackling potential objections and answering common questions through smart storytelling.

By creating targeted content, you build a deeper, more personal connection that resonates.

What B2B Marketing on YouTube Actually Looks Like

Most B2B YouTube channels aren’t optimised. Their content is inconsistent, uninspired, or just plain hard to find. If you're going to do B2B marketing on YouTube, treat it like a proper content channel. That means planning, packaging, and promoting every single video.

Start with these steps:

Define your goals

Before you hit the record button, be clear. Are you looking to:

Generate leads?
Build brand awareness?
Educate current clients?
Support your sales process?

Whatever your goal is, it should help guide what kind of video you make. And if you want to do a bit of everything that’s fine! Just make sure the style and format of your video match what you’re trying to achieve.

Know your audience and what they’re searching for

One of the great things about YouTube is how specific you can get with your content, but that starts with understanding who you're actually trying to reach. Are you speaking to a broad audience of end users and industry followers? Or are you targeting the decision-makers who are actually buying your product or service?

Each audience brings different expectations, and the way you create content and measure its success will look different depending on who you’re aiming for.

Research what your audience is actually looking for, what they’re curious about, the questions they ask, or the topics they want to learn more about.

Use clear, simple language they’ll understand and relate to and aim to be helpful, human, and approachable. Naturally include the keywords and phrases uncovered from your research to improve your contents visibility and SEO.

Choose video formats that genuinely fit your brand.

Use content that is aligned with your brand objectives, whether that’s:

Explainer videos
Product walkthroughs
Customer stories
Industry commentary
Behind-the-scenes

Volvo Trucks, for example, creates bold, cinematic videos that highlight engineering. Their mix of product showcases and storytelling work perfectly for connecting with a wide audience

Optimise your channel and content

A well-optimised YouTube channel is essential for visibility

Use clear titles with your keywords
Add timestamps and strong CTAs
Write search-friendly video metadata with supporting keywords

Reuse what you’ve already got.

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Repurpose high-performing content:

Turn a whitepaper into a 3-part video series.
Record your next webinar and cut it into clips for Shorts.
Use blog content as scripts for how-to videos.

B2B marketing on YouTube content doesn’t need to be shiny, it just needs to be useful.

Conclusion

Right now, YouTube is one of the most underused and undervalued channels in B2B marketing. There’s a real opportunity for your brand to stand out by creating video content that’s clear, helpful, and human.

Buyers are searching, watching, and comparing, and YouTube is one of the key places where they’re doing it. When it comes to YouTube, with the right strategy there’s a huge opportunity to lead from the front and be the brand that shows up with clarity, consistency, and builds credibility with truly valuable video content.