LinkedIn video posts generate more than 300 million impressions on the platform, according to LinkedIn.
If you've been scrolling on LinkedIn, you've probably noticed an increase in video content lately.
More and more brands are investing in this type of content because it leads to more engagement than photos and text.
Want to use this type of content on your profile, but you're wondering what kind of LinkedIn video to create?
This article will teach how to use LinkedIn native video, video specs, best practices, and why you should integrate this content in your future LinkedIn strategy.
Complete guide about LinkedIn video
- Why use LinkedIn video
- What you need to know about uploading a video on LinkedIn
- LinkedIn video specs
- LinkedIn video ideas
- Live videos
- Industry insights
- Leadership ideas
- Behind the scene videos
- Product launch videos
- Event recaps
- How-to videos
- Interviews
- Repurposed content
1. Why use LinkedIn video
Like on any other platform, videos are becoming increasingly engaging.
Whenever you're thinking of expanding your business, finding the proper channels to connect you to your audience is vital.
The future of engaging content relies on movement, creative visuals, and a convincing narrative, with a pinch of personality. Yes, brands can definitely showcase personality.
Clearly, videos make it easier for you to communicate emotions.
Here are some of the advantages of LinkedIn videos:
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Standing out - sometimes, messages tend to repeat, so the way you convey your message is more important than ever;
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Keeping up with trends - even in B2B, social media standards are relevant to your success;
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Delivering quality content - videos allow you to express how genuine your message is and to spread a variety of ideas to your audience;
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Building brand awareness - it's always best to link a face and strong moral values to a company;
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Strengthening authority in your field of expertise - by sharing your knowledge, people can better understand how your company can help them;
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Increasing your engagement rates - it's easier to strike up a conversation with a real person than a faceless brand, and videos humanize brands faster than any other type of content.
Even with all the advantages listed above, creating videos requires more time and effort than writing compelling copy or sharing pictures.
But if you're thinking of a long-term strategy for your business account, it's time to start investing in video.
Here's what Dr. Natalia Wiechowski - the LinkedIn expert told me when I asked what she thinks about LinkedIn video.
2. What you need to know about uploading a video on LinkedIn
Sharing videos from your desktop, laptop, and mobile is now easier than ever.
Uploading them was possible only from mobile phones back in 2017, but this is not the case anymore, giving you lots of options.
Before you decide to upload any video, you need to know these basic guidelines:
- Videos need to be over 3 seconds and up to 10 minutes long
- The recommended length is between 30 seconds and 3 minutes;
- The maximum file size is 5GB;
- You can upload pre-recorded videos or shoot videos natively through the mobile app;
Now that you've learned all these helpful tips, it's time to upload your first video in 3 easy steps.
- Step 1: Go to your homepage, and you'll see a section where you can start a post. Here you have multiple choices: start typing, upload a photo, a video, or a file.
- Step 2: Tap on the video sign, and you'll be able to access your documents from a computer or mobile. Don't forget to allow the required permissions.
- Step 3: Upload the video and share it with your audience.
Posting videos on LinkedIn is not so hard. You’ve just uploaded a native LinkedIn video, which typically performs better than embedded videos or links to videos uploaded elsewhere.
3. LinkedIn video specs
If you want to make sure that you’ll post the video correctly, there are a few requirements you need to follow. Here are the LinkedIn video specs you must use.
- Video length - Before uploading any of the video content, check if they are between their limits: 75KB minimum and 5GB maximum;
- Video format - Fortunately, you don’t have to worry very much about video formats because LinkedIn supports many of them: ASF, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8, VP9, WMV2, and WMV3;
- Aspect ratio - 1:2.4 or 2.4:1
- Video captions - Let the world find out what the video is about by adding relevant captions. Keep them short and on point and make sure everyone’s attention is actually on the video;
- Filters - Uploading or recording a video from your mobile app will allow you to add stickers or text to your video, according to LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn video ideas
Since LinkedIn is all about B2B, people tend to think that video tactics they use on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter won’t work on LinkedIn.
This is definitively not the case. The trick, however, is to adapt the message and the tone of voice to the platform. Be honest but professional!
Here are some LinkedIn video ideas you should try:
- Live videos
- Industry insights
- Leadership ideas
- Behind the scene videos
- Product launch videos
- Event recaps
- How-to videos
- Interviews
- Repurposed content
Viveka von Rosen (LinkedIn expert) shared with us these insights:
Marketers and business owners need to get ALL their customer-facing employees comfortable sending out video messages using LinkedIn.
They can do so on their mobile device by shooting the video and then adding it natively in LinkedIn Messaging. Or they could use a tool like Vidyard, HippoVideo, OneMob, BombBomb, etc, to create video messages with landing pages and trackable resources.
Maybe we don’t tend to think of LinkedIn first when it comes to video, but LinkedIn is no longer the outlier. With Features like LinkedIn Live, Native Video, Video Messaging, and even Video in Stories, there is no reason for people to avoid this very powerful medium and platform.
Not only will they stand out for every other persona using LinkedIn to message (and usually spam) their network, but if they use our PVC method (personalize, add value, and a call to action), then they are likely to see a significantly higher response rate to their messages.
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Live videos
Regardless of the social media platform, live videos are always a breath of fresh air. It’s the best tool at your disposal to speak freely and honestly on subjects that genuinely interest you.
On the plus side, the LinkedIn algorithm pushes notifications when you go live, so people can join in and interact through messages.
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Industry insights
Sharing trending news and your knowledge as an industry insider can help a lot of people.
Try contributing with updates, news, or recent findings. And don’t be afraid to add your own angle as well.
Just keep in mind that your role is to help, not sell.
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Leadership ideas
True leaders are hard to find these days. But if you spot one, you have a lot to learn from them.
Luckily for you, you have an entire team of professionals just a few clicks away.
Encourage one of the leaders from your team to share insights, ideas, tips, or to speak on an interesting topic.
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Behind the scenes videos
It’s all about transparency and letting people in.
Offer a glimpse into your company culture by creating a simple, straight-to-the-point image of everyday activities.
Add videos that showcase your company culture and values. Let people meet Brenda from Marketing or Bill from Accounting and discover their hobbies.
Show everyone what your team is all about and how they make this company create. Create behind the scene videos, and it can lead to brand loyalty you could never have imagined.
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Product launch videos
Launching new products needs some celebration - after all, it’s been a lot of hard work in the making.
Let’s do this by creating a special video for LinkedIn. Instead of writing on your blog or pitching the idea to the press, why not break away from the usual format and film your videos?
Of course, you can always share news about your employees’ success, breakthroughs, or anything else you find relevant.
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Event recaps
Organizing an event is not an easy task but a rather complex one. It is also an exceptional occasion to create sensational videos for your business's LinkedIn profile.
Use videos to highlight the most important moments of your event, shine a light on your keynote speakers, or show a glimpse of the atmosphere.
Don’t be embarrassed to brag about your event, no matter its size.
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How-to videos
If you have some experience in the field, share it with your followers on LinkedIn. This is a business-oriented platform, so use how-to videos to your advantage.
Find out what people in your field want to know. Most of the time, they’re in social media groups or on Google asking relevant questions about your industry.
Do some research and discover those questions, and then offer people the answers in your videos.
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Interviews
The more, the merrier. It’s also the case when it comes to experts sharing their knowledge and experience.
Interviewing experts in your field is a sign that you genuinely care about the quality of your post's content, which will lead to building a solid brand reputation.
You can use interviews as content not only for LinkedIn but also for your website or Youtube.
Just remember to keep these interviews under 10 minutes.
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Repurposed content
Do you have a neat blog post that has become an Internet sensation? Spread the knowledge once more by transforming it into a video.
Check your analytics to see which blog posts have the most traffic and create some videos highlighting the main ideas.
4. Where do you share and publish videos on LinkedIn
Creating amazing and insightful videos sounds like a great idea, but it’s not very effective if they’re not seen by many people.
This is why you have to try to reach as many professionals as possible.
There are two kinds of videos on LinkedIn: embedded and native ones.
You can embed videos in your timeline by adding the URL - for example, a Youtube URL.
On the other side of the spectrum, native videos are either made directly on LinkedIn or uploaded from your computer on the platform.
I recommend you to use the last option and publish native videos on LinkedIn.
So here’s how and where you can use these videos:
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Timeline videos
These are the ones you post as any other type of content. Just like text-based or visual posts, you can share them on your timeline, so they will appear chronologically.
They remain visible for a while, but they will fade and get lost through your other posts and constant updates as time goes by. This is why you have to make sure you include videos in your posts regularly.
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Publish videos in articles
Being a business-oriented platform, LinkedIn has its own Publishing Platform. This allows all members to write, edit and distribute articles that can include multimedia elements such as images, videos, podcasts, slides, tweets, and others.
The publisher tool requires written copy, so you have to enter between 1.300 to 125.000 characters. Ideally, post lengthy content along with instructive media.
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Profile videos
It means integrating videos on your profile picture.
The video places you as an expert in your niche, with valuables insights to share. Keep in mind that It’s one of the first things people who follow your profile see.
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Advertisements
LinkedIn lets you create campaigns to reach a wider audience.
With this option, you can choose an objective, build a target audience, choose your ad format, and set a customized budget to make sure your video reaches the right people.
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Share videos with groups
You’ll want to keep up with the latest news and interests in your industry, and joining dedicated LinkedIn groups is the way to do it.
You can exchange thoughts and ideas with other professionals, learn from them, and let them learn from your expertise. Naturally, videos are a big part of this.
5. LinkedIn video best practices
Just like with any kind of marketing tactic, having a thorough plan set in place is key. Your videos need to be honest, easy to follow and relatable.
If you want to get the most out of your videos on LinkedIn, make sure you follow a few simple best practices:
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Start strong
With so much content on every social media platform, it’s harder for companies to get attention. That’s why the very few seconds of your video have to act as a hook and make people interested in what you have to say.
It’s not enough to work hard on a video. You need to convince people to watch it through the end.
Struggling to keep people engaged? Increase your Instagram engagement by learning from your competitors' strategy - we show you how in this video!
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Be authentic
People are tired of the same sales speech they typically encounter with every ad they see.
Nowadays, authenticity and honesty are more effective than overused calls to action.
Your audience would much rather see that your brand stands for a cause, shares expertise in the field, or wants to talk to professionals around the globe.
Try to make your videos as informative as possible. Treat your followers as people you’re talking to, not selling to.
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Keep it professional
Invest time and effort to craft high-quality videos. Because the platform is built to connect professionals and companies around the globe, stick to a professional approach, but without turning to stuffy, cold language.
Think of it as a business-casual style.
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Adapt for both mobile and desktop
Internet usage has constantly shifted from desktops to mobile phones.
Today, the majority of LinkedIn users (57%) are using the mobile app, so keep this in mind the next time you’re creating a video.
Add captions, keep them short and use stunning visuals.
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Use the power of storytelling
Tell your brand's story. Storytelling is the most powerful weapon for any brand.
In fact, there is no brand loyalty without it. Every single person tends to associate with brands that have a strong story behind them, sharing values and ideals they can relate to.
Don’t shy away to show both strength and vulnerability while you talk about starting and growing your company, as well as your struggles and aspirations.
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Track your LinkedIn video performance
Video ideas can only get you so far. If you don't keep an eye on your LinkedIn video performance, your strategy will most likely suffer.
Luckily, you can do that with just a few clicks in Socialinsider. All you have to do is connect and authorize your account, then navigate to your Linkedin analytics dashboard.
Once you get there, you can really start to understand your LinkedIn video performance, by looking at metrics such as video views evolution, total video views, average views per video, video watch time evolution, total watch time and average watch time per video.
Bonus: if you head to the Posts section and filter the list by media type - video, you'll get extra video insights under each post:
7. Download and repurpose LinkedIn videos
Once you posted a great video on LinkedIn, it’s only natural to want to share that piece of content on other mediums as well - be it other social media platforms or your company website.
After filming a video directly from the mobile app, you can save the video before posting.
The bad news is that LinkedIn doesn’t allow you to download already posted videos anymore.
Final thoughts
LinkedIn videos can be an exceptional opportunity for your brand to stand out in a cluttered LinkedIn feed.
You can use these videos to build strong brand awareness and to increase your engagement.
Try to integrate the best practices and try out different ideas of videos to determine what brings you good results.
When used well, videos can create a long-lasting impression, convince people to visit your page, and ultimately drive leads.
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