Linkedin Video 101 For Business Owners: Everything You Need To Know

LinkedIn's status as the world's number one professional business network is secure. That makes it a key platform for business owners and MDs looking to build new business connections and generate valuable leads. Video is tremendously effective at cutting through and reaching your desired audience, so how do you make it work for you? Here's how.

What Is LinkedIn Video?

There are two kinds of video content you can use on LinkedIn. The older-established one is shared video. Here, you upload a video to a platform like YouTube, then link to it on your LinkedIn profile or Company Page. In 2017, LinkedIn added the native video option. This simplifies and streamlines the process because you can upload your videos straight to the LinkedIn feed. Until this feature was introduced, almost nobody (except LinkedIn Influencers) was able to share video content so straightforwardly.

How Long Can Videos Be?

You can share native videos that are just a few seconds long if you wish, or as long as 10 minutes. That said, we'd suggest being cautious about using either extreme. The ideal length is somewhere between 30 seconds and five minutes. Which end of that range is appropriate will depend on whether you're making a simple product introduction or a more in-depth look at what you offer. Think about asking a local digital marketing agency to assist with deciding what's likely to be effective.

Are There Any Restrictions?

Apart from those length limits, not too many. A big one is that videos appear in feeds muted by default. Users will have to actively un-mute the video to hear any sound you add. That means captions and subtitles can be useful, although it's best to use them sparingly – remember, mobile devices have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop PCs. You'll also need to make sure that your video isn't too large, as there's a maximum file size. This is currently 5GB, but keep tabs on LinkedIn's terms in case this changes.

Are There Other Video Options?

Yes. One of the most popular is video ads. These are paid, sponsored content, and you have the choice of taking this path from the start. Alternatively, you can pick up an organic video post you've created with your company page and sponsor that. If you've ever boosted a Facebook post, it's a similar idea. These videos can be a lot longer – up to 30 minutes – but they get compressed. What this means is that you won't get the very best video quality, so this option isn't one you'll want to use if you're aiming at users on larger screens.

What About Measuring Views?

Just like with static posts, you can see likes and comments on LinkedIn native videos – but there's more. You'll also be able to tell how many people have viewed your video for at least half its running time. There's a bunch of additional metrics available if you go for sponsored video, with everything from how many viewers chose to make your video full-screen to what proportion of people viewed your complete video rather than just a bit of it.

Lead Generation Using LinkedIn Video

LinkedIn video is a powerful lead generation tool, and the platform is adding more features all the time so it's well worth keeping up to date. Choose the right length, style and placement, and you could find it a highly cost-effective way of growing your business online. Speak to one of our digital marketing specialists to find out more.

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