Using Video Right on Social Media: LinkedIn

In the second blog of our “Using Video Right on Social Media” series, we’re covering LinkedIn. Though the platform may not boast the same number of monthly active users as Instagram or Facebook, you may just find the audience on the platform to be more valuable. This is because LinkedIn is catered to business professionals— which translates to selling your product and building brand awareness with those in charge of making decisions. 

It’s a great place to share video content, too. In fact, 87% of marketers who use LinkedIn to share video say that it is an effective channel for them. In this article, we’ll cover the basics:

• Who should use LinkedIn to share video content

• What kind of video content that are great on the platform

• Best practices for sharing videos 

Who should use LinkedIn to share video content 

While anyone can create a personal or business profile, LinkedIn has traditionally been a platform where B2B (business to business) companies thrive. B2Bs are those whose main customers are other businesses, unlike B2Cs (business to consumer) that primarily serve consumers directly. Here are just a few reasons why 96% of B2B content marketers use LinkedIn for organic social media marketing:

• There are 55 million companies using LinkedIn

• Four out of five LinkedIn users are in decision-making positions at their companies

• 33% of B2B decision makers use LinkedIn to research products and services

This isn’t to say that LinkedIn is a lost cause for B2C companies. You can still find success on the platform, but it’ll take a slightly different strategy than you’d take with other social media like Facebook. Check out this video created for The University of Texas Club.

Though the club caters to individuals and not businesses, the video would be perfect for sharing on LinkedIn. It targets business professionals that use the platform— but not for a product necessarily related to their line of work. This is just one example of how B2Cs can use video to promote brand awareness and create an emotional connection with their audience.

Types of video content that are great for LinkedIn

Studies have shown that, on average, LinkedIn posts with video earned three times more engagement than posts with texts or images alone. All kinds of video content perform well on LinkedIn. 

Here are nine ideas to get you started.

1. Brand messaging video

Tell people who you are as a brand. This is an opportunity to tell your brand’s story, talk about your mission, and give people an overview of what you offer. Brand messaging videos are a chance to show the character and culture of your company, let people know where you came from, and demonstrate why your brand is unique. 

2. Product/service demonstrations

Your customers have a problem, and your business knows how to solve it. Let people see your product or service in action. 

3. Meet the team 

Show off your organization’s employees or volunteers in a “meet the team” video. This humanizes your brand and puts faces to names that your audience might know. These videos are a great opportunity to show the passion that goes into making your business run and let others see how much you care about customers.

4. Company news and announcements

Achievements and milestones can be celebrated by more than just people inside your company. Sharing videos about company news and announcements is a great way to engage audiences with your brand. 

5. Event promo or recaps

Hosting or attending an event like a conference, mixer, or trade show? Get people pumped for the event with a promo or talk about what you learned with a recap video. Doing this shows customers and other businesses that you’re active in your community and industry. 

6. Behind-the-scenes look at your business

People love to see what goes on behind the scenes. What does a day look like in the office? How do your products come to life? 

7. Video testimonials

What better way to get others excited about your offerings than to share a testimonial from a satisfied customer! Reviews are an important factor for many in the buying process. On top of giving your brand a glowing review, video testimonials allow your audience to experience the emotion of the customer, which is often missing from standard written formats. 

8. How-to videos

Are there common challenges or obstacles that your customers commonly face? Create a how-to video or series that helps your audience overcome these.  

9. Repurpose other content

Sometimes repurposing existing content is more effective than starting from scratch. For example, if you have a blog post that has performed really well, consider reworking that same information into a video format.  

The world is your oyster when it comes to video. Don’t be afraid to try new tactics and think outside the box. 

Best practices for sharing videos on LinkedIn

Though there’s no limit to the kinds of videos you can post on LinkedIn, it is important to follow the best practices for the platform. Here are some general tips to remember when uploading your video content onto LinkedIn.

Use LinkedIn’s native video feature

This is a topic that we touched on in our Facebook article, and the same advice goes for LinkedIn. It’s always best to upload your content using LinkedIn native video. Native videos will auto-play in the feed, making it more likely to grab a scroller’s attention. Embedded links to sites like YouTube will show up as a still image that redirects viewers when they click, which results in a less-than-optimal user experience.

Adhere to the technical specifications

LinkedIn’s native video specs are pretty standard. Some things you’ll want to keep in mind:

• Minimum video length: 3 seconds

• Maximum video length: 10 minutes

• Minimum file size: 75 KB

• Maximum file size: 5 GB

• File formats: ASF, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8, VP9, WMV2, and WMV3

• Resolution range: 256x144 to 4096x2304

• Bit rate: 192 kbps - 30 Mbps

• Frame rates: 10 - 60 fps

Staying within the specifications will ensure that your video will upload successfully and look the way you want it to.

Invest in quality

LinkedIn is really a place where you want to invest in the quality of your story and production. This means you should have content that looks fantastic and utilizes emotionally-engaging storytelling. Many companies spend too much time focusing on one aspect but end up falling short because they fail to address the other. For many businesses, the best solution is to seek the help of a professional video marketing production team who can balance both to deliver effective content.

Create your videos as if there will be no sound

Most people watch videos on social media without sound. It’s important to consider this when creating your content. Instead, convey your message with silent techniques like title cards, dynamic imagery, body language, action, and more. If your video has dialogue, be sure to include captions so that people can still understand your message without sound. Your content will also be accessible to all— it’s a win-win!

Add a description, title, and thumbnail when you post

Don’t forget to add a little bit of accompanying written content when you post your video. Giving context to your visuals lets people know what they are about to watch and is especially beneficial for those who are watching without sound. Similarly, adding a thumbnail will ensure that the first thing your audience sees (if the video isn’t auto-playing) is an eye-catching thumbnail. 

Conclusion

LinkedIn is a platform that offers much more than professional networking. It gives businesses the opportunity to put their product or service in front of people who are in a position to make purchasing decisions. Even if you’re trying to reach consumers directly, your video content can be used to stand out from the crowd on the platform.