December 13, 2018
LinkedIn has long been a platform for work-oriented and business professional people. The social media website originally launched in 2002 as a way for working professionals to connect and network with others. Today, it is a massive social media tool that is vital to professional networking, recruiting, sales and much more.
Like Facebook and Instagram, advertising and sponsored promotions on LinkedIn have become important ways for businesses and brands to leverage the social media community. While still image ads and sponsored posts remain effective ways to reach a targeted audience, video can be an even more dynamic and useful option. Here are three tips from the LCWA social media content team on creating effective video for LinkedIn:
Know your audience
When creating video specifically for LinkedIn, it’s especially important to understand your audience. Because of LinkedIn’s professional setting and business-focused users, it’s essential to create video with them in mind. Focus the video on one topic and target accordingly using LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions.
LinkedIn’s targeting options include location as well as specific workplace criteria, such as company industry, name, size, as well as an employee’s job title, function, skills, degrees and more. When getting across a specific message, don’t be afraid to be specific! Being selective with your target audience will put your content in front of the right eyes, making it even more effective.
Understand your Time Frame
Most people who are on LinkedIn are there for a reason. Unlike Facebook or Instagram, you typically don’t just peruse LinkedIn with no objective at hand. You don’t want to distract users too much from their objective, instead you want to grab their attention and deliver a concise, useful message. A good rule of thumb is to keep LinkedIn videos under 1:30 minutes. This should be plenty of time to convey your message to viewers while still holding their attention. Have more info to convey? Try a series of short videos instead of one long one.
In addition to knowing how long to make the video, it’s also important to know the best time to post the video to the timeline. In general, the best time to post to LinkedIn are weekdays in the afternoon. Employees are taking their afternoon break and browsing social media during this period, making it perfect posting time!
Make it Conversational and Informative
The best video content is made with a conversational and natural tone. No one wants to watch an uptight, boring video. Also remember the goal of your video. Is it to provide tips on a topic, or to drive clicks and purchases on a website? Whatever the goal is, construct your video to meet it.
Don’t be afraid to have fun with your video production! Get creative and enjoy the process by switching up your filming locations, doing a demonstration on camera or giving the audience a behind the scenes look. Discover what your LinkedIn “voice” is and continue that tone throughout your content. This will help establish a fan base so that people know what to expect out of upcoming videos.
Keep these tips in mind when you create your next – or first – video for LinkedIn! Social media is constantly evolving and sometimes it’s tricky to stay up-to-date, but if you consistently create engaging, thought-provoking content, you will always find success.