LinkedIn is rolling out the ability to record and upload video directly to its platform. LinkedIn introduced the native video feature about a year ago but only for Influencers. This month it’s being made available to all users.
In many ways, LinkedIn is a little late to the party. Other social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest embraced video quite some time ago. Now the new frontier is live streaming video. LinkedIn isn’t there…yet. (Maybe this platform will never go live, but we video mavens can dream.)
Still, I’m excited about this new development because video is such a powerful communication tool.
For relationship building, video ranks head and shoulders above a static photograph or written copy for making connections. You can get a sense of someone’s personality and thought process by the way they express their ideas on video.
Research shows most executives, given the choice of text or video, will choose video and LinkedIn has great analytics which will help you see who the audience is for your videos.
I haven’t seen any native videos in my LinkedIn feed yet, just the usual links and embedded video from other sites like YouTube and Vimeo. My friend and LinkedIn expert Donna Serdula says she’s seen many over the past few days.
Donna and I created three short videos this week to help you make the most of LinkedIn video. Here’s the link for the first one:
Donna Serdula & Janet Vasil Talk Video
WHAT KIND OF VIDEO
Keep in mind that each social media platform has its own personality. For example, people often compare Facebook to a cocktail party with everyone socializing freely, gossiping and discussing personal experiences such as the car died, we’re taking a cruise, our son is headed to college.
Those are great conversation topics, if we’re personally connected, but not particularly appropriate to talk about with your next employer, the CEO, a purchasing agent, a recruiter, etc.
LinkedIn is for business people and is about business. Make your video content fit the site. Your videos could be educational or inspiring, just keep them business-oriented.
Studies show 80% of LinkedIn users think professional networking is important to career success. Your LinkedIn can be like the local Chamber of Commerce meeting, a professional conference, or industry networking event. If what you’d share and experience in one of those settings lends itself to creating a video, LinkedIn is the place for it.
VIDEO CREATION IDEAS
Make sure you plan the message before you hit record. However, since LinkedIn video is recorded, not live, you can delete it, if it’s not quite what you want.
As I was thinking through what you might do, a few examples came to mind.
Depending on your industry, you could use frequent short videos as status updates to boost your visibility and engagement. For example, a coach or speaker or author might read a short motivating quote or inspiring excerpt from something they’re created, throw out a provocative question or statistic, then give a quick tip about how the viewer can apply the idea in their own life and work.
Or let’s say you’re attending a big industry conference. You could record a short video on your phone as you’re entering the building before the keynote speech.
In it, you talk about how excited you are to be there and how you are looking forward to hearing keynote speaker (name here) talk about X. You could promise to post a little excerpt of the speech later. LinkedIn allows up to 10 minutes of video right now. Or if the venue won’t allow recording, say you’ll do your own cliff notes review video of what the speaker said.
Another idea – Viewers love to see inside, go back stage or get a sneak peek. Take your audience on a tour of some place related to your business that the public doesn’t get to see or give them a glimpse of something new you’re working on.
I’d also suggest you always invite comments and feedback in your videos to encourage connections and build community.
If you need help brainstorming ideas, drop me a line.
No doubt we’ll see the good, the bad and the ugly LinkedIn videos in the days and weeks ahead. Then, we’ll have some real-world examples of what to model and more importantly, what not to do. Stay tuned.
This article was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.