Should I use Native LinkedIn Video?

RELEVANCY WARNING: This article was written in 2017 and may not still be relevant.

LinkedIn has, finally, arrived in 2017 and released native video uploads to its platform. Gone are the days when you need to upload elsewhere and then drive people from LinkedIn to YouTube or Facebook to watch whichever video you’ve spent hours crafting. There are plenty of articles already written about how to upload video to LinkedIn, and the nuances of the platform (NO FILTERS!). This article is more about whether you should do it in the first place.

Let’s assume you are a Facebook user. Your newsfeed is probably 80-90% video content: that of your friends, the guru selling his/her 12-step blueprint for success, video clips from LAD Bible and ads. It feels natural to see video on Facebook, auto-playing away to its heart’s content.

Similarly, if you use Twitter, you’ll know that video is also now a fundamental part of the feed. You’re used to it.

And, of course, if you’re a Snapchat or Instagram user then, today, it’s all about the video.

The point is, these platforms are casual in nature. Yes, they’re used for business, but most active users use these in a personal capacity and the majority of the content is aimed at that.

LinkedIn is unique in its focus on the more professional element of our lives. We know this when someone dares to post a picture of their dinner on LinkedIn and a multitude of people scream ‘THIS ISN’T FACEBOOK!!!’

So, if it isn’t Facebook, how should you use native video in LinkedIn? Here are a few suggestions:

News & Updates

You have expertise, you can share this in the form of video. A short video that helps people and adds value in some way. Perhaps there is news that is important to people that you can share. Maybe something that has happened in current affairs affects your network – show them how they can adapt and stay ahead.

How To

Everyone loves a How To. A step by step walkthrough of a process or technique that relates to your specialism. These videos work well anyway, regardless of the platform, but they are totally appropriate to LinkedIn so long as the subject matter is relevant to your network.

Announcements

If ever there was a platform for announcing things, LinkedIn is it! Think about it: LinkedIn prompts you to do so and even does it for you half the time. We’re so bored of seeing new job announcements and self-back-slapping, they breeze over us without us paying attention. By making your big announcement on video, it’s bound to stand out.

Interviews

Have a big hitter in your network that you meet? Don’t be selfish, interview them about their subject and help them spread their knowledge to people in your network.

Each of these are not exactly revolutionary ideas for video content. Each of these types equally apply to other platforms. I’m not one to dictate what type of content should go on which platform. I’m actually a believer that the platforms will evolve to allow what the audience wants. It really doesn’t bother me if you post your dinner on LinkedIn. However, this is about your audience and what they want.

With that in mind, I’d probably avoid:

• Fail videos
• Videos of you and the kids building sandcastles on holiday
• Videos of you in Magaluf with ‘the lads’ on holiday
• Etc.

A couple of things I’d recommend when you’re creating your video:

• Keep it short – unless you’re uploading a full-on show, stick to sub-five minutes
• Keep it appropriate to your audience
• Appear as you wish to be seen professionally – if that’s jeans/t-shirt that’s fine, but if you’d normally meet someone a bit smarter then stick to that
• Use decent lighting – either in front of a window or with a lamp
• Get a microphone – we need to hear you, without echo.

The best advice I can give you right now, however, is to do it and try it. The longer the feature is available, the more people will use it. The opportunity to stand out by doing native LinkedIn video is now.

Other Social Media blogs

• Why LinkedIn articles are the best feature

Of course, if you’re still struggling, we can help you out!