LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 800 million members. It’s an incredibly powerful platform for building your personal brand, nurturing professional relationships, and generating leads for your business. One of the best ways to leverage LinkedIn is by creating video content. Video content ranks high in the LinkedIn algorithm and can help you gain more visibility, engagement, and trust with your target audience.
Why should you do video on LinkedIn?
Here are some of the key benefits of creating video for LinkedIn:
- Boosts engagement – Video gets up to 3x more engagement than other types of posts.
- Humanizes your brand – Helps you connect with your audience on a more personal level.
- Demonstrates expertise – Allows you to share tips, advice, and thought leadership.
- Improves discoverability – Videos have increased potential to be found in LinkedIn search and suggested video sections.
- Grows your audience – Video viewers are more likely to follow you and continue engaging with your brand.
In short, video content helps you grab attention, build trust, and ultimately convert LinkedIn users into loyal followers and customers for your brand.
Types of Videos to Create
Here are some of the most popular and effective types of videos to make for LinkedIn:
Expert Interviews
Interview thought leaders, influencers, and experts in your industry. Ask them to share advice, insights, predictions, and more. This allows you to tap into their knowledge and help position them as an authoritative source.
How-To Tutorials
Create step-by-step videos that teach viewers how to do something useful related to your expertise. For example, how to use a software program, do a marketing technique, fix a technical issue, and so on.
Case Studies
Showcase how you helped a client succeed with a case study video. For example, how your consulting services helped improve a company’s sales results.
Demo Videos
Record videos that demonstrate your product or service in action. Let viewers see how your offering solves real problems.
Behind-the-Scenes
Give viewers insider access to your company culture, office, events, etc. This humanizes your brand and helps build affinity.
Listicles
Share the top tips, tricks, tools, hacks, or resources related to your expertise as a helpful listicle-style video.
Best Practices for LinkedIn Videos
Follow these best practices when creating videos for LinkedIn to maximize their impact:
Keep it Short
Videos less than 5 minutes get the most engagement on LinkedIn. Shoot for succinct videos tightly focused on your core topic or message.
Prioritize Value
Make sure your video delivers genuinely useful information or entertainment value for your audience.
Promote CTA
Include a strong call-to-action at the end of your video to drive viewers to take your desired next step like visiting your website, signing up for a demo, downloading content, etc.
Optimize Thumbnail
The thumbnail image needs to capture attention. Use high-quality images featuring people’s faces and compelling graphics.
Transcribe Videos
Add a transcription so your videos are accessible and rank better in LinkedIn search.
Post Consistently
Post new videos regularly to stay top of mind. Aim for at least 1-2x per week if possible.
Where to Upload Your Video
You have a few options for uploading and sharing your video content on LinkedIn:
LinkedIn Video Tab
Upload videos directly to your LinkedIn profile under the Video tab. This adds it to your media library for easy sharing.
LinkedIn Posts
Include your video file when creating regular LinkedIn posts. The video will appear embedded inline.
LinkedIn Live
Go live on LinkedIn to stream real-time videos. These can be downloaded and repurposed later.
LinkedIn Showcase Pages
Create a Company or Showcase Page to feature your videos prominently with custom branding.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here is a step-by-step guide to filming and uploading a professional video on LinkedIn:
1. Write a Script
Write out what you’ll say in the video so you sound natural and authoritative. Script out an opening, content overview, and strong CTA.
2. Set up Your Recording Area
Find a quiet, distraction-free room with soft lighting. Frame the shot to capture from the waist up. Position lights in front and behind you to illuminate your face.
3. Choose Video Recording Equipment
Select a camera, microphone, and other gear to produce a high-quality video. For simplicity, you can use your smartphone camera.
4. Record the Video
Set the camera on a tripod at eye level. Record a few takes until you capture a confident, polished take. Get creative with graphics, b-roll footage, etc.
5. Edit the Video
Use video editing software to trim segments, add transitions, insert graphics/b-roll, color correct, and enhance audio. Ensure final video is under 5 minutes.
6. Customize Thumbnail
Select an eye-catching frame from the video to use as your thumbnail image.
7. Transcribe and Add Captions
Transcribe what you said in the video or use a speech-to-text tool. Add captions or subtitles.
8. Upload to LinkedIn
Upload your completed video file to LinkedIn. Add a compelling title, description, tags, and customize your thumbnail image.
9. Share and Promote Video
Post your video on your LinkedIn feed. Share it with your network and relevant LinkedIn groups. Promote it across your other marketing channels.
10. Analyze Performance
Track views, likes, comments, shares, and other metrics to see how your video is performing. Use insights to refine future videos.
Video Ideas
Here are some more specific video content ideas for LinkedIn:
Video Type | Example Topics |
---|---|
Expert interview | The future of AI, remote work trends, leadership advice, etc. |
How-to tutorial | How to use Zoom, start a podcast, invest in stocks, ace an interview, etc. |
Case study | Helped Company XYZ increase sales by 200% |
Demo video | Demo your software, app, or product features |
Behind-the-scenes | A day in the life of our CEO, retreat recap, office tour, etc. |
Listicle | 10 Must-Have Marketing Tools, 5 WFH Tips, 7 Networking Strategies, etc. |
Conclusion
Posting video content is a highly effective way to engage your professional network on LinkedIn. By sharing valuable videos that educate, entertain, inform, and inspire your audience – you can rapidly expand your reach and influence. Just make sure to approach video creation strategically and optimize videos for the LinkedIn platform. With compelling video content and persistent promotion, you can take your personal brand and company to the next level on LinkedIn.