Lo-Fi LinkedIn Videos are the New Shortcut to Authentic B2B

I’ve been thinking a lot about employee thought leadership videos. Why? It’s probably the biggest missed opportunity for most B2B marketing teams today.

Let me set the stakes: video employee thought leadership feels like one of the most high-impact, efficient tactics to pursue in B2B right now.

It’s essentially a dual approach. Get someone on your team—an expert in a specific area, whether from product or marketing—and have them film themselves talking about a relevant subject. Then they post it from their own social, in this case, let’s assume LinkedIn, because we’re talking B2B. After that, you promote it as a thought leader ad to your target accounts. 

Simple, right? Yet it’s shockingly high-impact.

There are two reasons for this. One, platforms want native content; stuff that feels organic and doesn’t feel like an ad. Algorithms prioritize that. Two, with AI generating tons of written content, video feels more authentic. It’s harder to fake, so it feels more differentiated and real to the user.

What’s great is that we still use AI behind the scenes to ideate talking points and structure, but it still comes off as much more genuine. So there’s that layer of power; it’s AI-powered but feels deeply human.

And in numbers? It blows performance benchmarks for regular LinkedIn videos clean out of the water. Think 10% engagement rate vs. 1%.

Playing to the strengths of the format

What’s interesting about this approach is that it just about works at any scale, and I’ve seen it perform particularly well when the videos become a series. With one of our clients, it started with videos from the CMO—then the CEO picked it up and started doing weekly videos as part of the same theme. That consistency paid dividends.

A big part of the value here is making the content feel like a real post, not an ad. But that also means that if your last video was three or four weeks ago, it doesn’t feel fresh. Having someone in the habit of posting—with different angles and points of view—is crucial.

In the campaign I just mentioned, the CEO was highlighting customer stories, which is a great use of the format. Another approach is pulling snippets from anchor content and encouraging people to check out the full version. That’s how I’ve seen it work best: as a series tied to broader campaign goals.

What doesn’t perform as well? I recall a video that was very produced—studio shoot, polished editing, guy in a suit—and simply didn’t land. It certainly still hit above LinkedIn benchmarks (again, these videos always do), but it didn’t pop.

In contrast, videos shot on an iPhone, propped up on a stack of books, sometimes with imperfect audio, feel more authentic. As a result, they gain more traction. One of our clients’ execs, for example, would just walk around, selfie camera on, and film herself talking. Those walking videos performed better than the ones where she was sitting in her office with books in the background. 

See? More real.

Part of your ABM toolset

The danger is falling for the misconception that this tactic is meant for brand refreshes or product releases, or other big “moments” for your business (an assumption I come across a lot in the industry). Sure, it works really well for those contexts, but it doesn’t have to be tied to them.

For example, use employee videos to highlight customer stories—or with the recent LinkedIn updates, promote a video from people outside your company (with consent). For instance, a customer could film a case study clip, and your company can then promote that post.

Start thinking of this video format the same way you think about single-image or GIF ads. Whatever the campaign goal is (awareness, conversion, education), you mold the creative and the messaging accordingly. It’s not just for “big” moments.

In terms of the funnel stage, that means you should think of these videos as just another ad unit. If the call to action is conversion-based, it works lower in the funnel. If it’s about awareness, it works top-of-funnel. Across the board, it’s great for trust-building. And in B2B, where most of your customers aren’t in-market at any given time, trust is the long game. Even if your ask is short-term, you’re building relationships for the future.

That being said, to make it count as an ABM tactic, you still want to adhere to the basics: Always use a data-driven, targeted approach. That’s why LinkedIn is so well-suited for this tactic. Get hyper-specific with your targeting: company names, job functions, seniority levels.

You also still want to follow standard LinkedIn practices. And it’s easy. The editing is minimal—captions, a logo overlay, maybe an outro, 4:5 ratio. As I said, you get to the point where more production starts to hurt performance. Just make sure you’ve got your distinctive brand assets in there somewhere, logo or colors, whatever it is. I bet you could pull off the rest with CapCut.

Teamwork makes the dream work

Note that you should absolutely involve people across the organization and at different levels of seniority.

Executive thought leadership is valuable, for sure. But I’ve also run videos with a Director of Partnerships, which outperformed those of the CEO. In most cases, the outcome depends more on the speaker’s topic and the audience than on reach or status. Think message-audience fit, not just title or visibility.

There’s also the internal benefit. When you elevate internal voices, people feel valued. It boosts morale. Employee stories make people feel like recognized experts.

Plus, there’s organic lift. Employees share the video with their networks, which often include potential customers. Added reach and visibility, just like that.

How to get started

Just as with any ABM campaign, think of your approach in four buckets: strategy, creative & content, activation, and measurement.

1. Strategy: Figure out who you want to reach. Use CRM data, intent signals, or sales feedback. Define the accounts and personas. Make sure the message matches their interests and pain points.

2. Creative & Content: Choose a team member who can speak authentically. Bullet out 3–5 talking points. Don’t script it—keep it natural. These videos are meant to feel conversational. Aim for 45 seconds to 2 minutes.

Do give basic filming instructions—check the background, check the lighting, test the sound. The good news is, most people have filmed a selfie video before! They’ll do just great.

3. Activation: Post the video from the speaker’s LinkedIn, then promote it to your key accounts and personas. You can also test running multiple versions to see what resonates.

4. Measurement: Track performance with UTMs. Measure engagement rate—if you’re getting 10%, that’s outstanding. On LinkedIn, 1–1.5% is the norm, so anything above that is already great. Track downstream actions like site visits and conversions too.

Now, go, go, go!

Lights, camera, action. Get to filming!

And if you want a partner to help you bring your brand stories to life, reach out to The Imaginarium today.