LinkedIn Video – How to Use it

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When you run a business, LinkedIn is one of those sites you feel you need to be on, but it can seem a bit awkward.  You have to be professional and not share photos of cute cats or holiday videos.  But there’s a growing body of people who use the platform and if you are in B2B, then it is somewhere you need to go.  And just like all the others, LinkedIn video is a top way to market yourself there.  But how does it work?

LinkedIn Video – since when?

LinkedIn video was released in 2017 and the platform saw some 300 million impressions in the first 12 months.  Interestingly, there are three times as much engagement with a video posted there as with a text post.  And their own results show that native LinkedIn video is five times more likely to create engagement and a conversation among users.

According to Hootsuite, some companies have been seeing some serious results from using it too.  One example, the Aberdeen Group, saw revenue increase 49% faster with video compared to companies that don’t use it.  But how does it work?

Types of video content

There are three main options for LinkedIn video – embedded, native, and video ads.

Embedded videos – these are where the video is hosted somewhere like YouTube then you embed it onto LinkedIn.  This works but the second option is the best

Native video – this is where you upload the video directly to LinkedIn.  Videos auto-play to grab attention, a tactic that has seen 10 times more engagement since used on Facebook

Video ads – you can also use video content in ads, and these are ideal for things like brand awareness and lead generation.  Ads can be longer than native video, which is capped at 10 minutes and can run for up to half an hour

What is the video size for LinkedIn?

In terms of the size of the file, there’s a 5GB limit to the video you can upload.  There’s also a minimum size of 75KB.  Videos need to be at least three seconds in length and no more than 10 minutes to be added to the platform.  Currently, best performing content is under 15 seconds but always test to see what works for your audience.

For the ratio, stick with 1:2:4 or 2:4:1 for the best results.  Orientation can be portrait, landscape, or square which makes it easier to repurpose the video to or from other sites.

What is the best video format?

There are quite a lot of options when it comes to the best video format for LinkedIn.  Currently, you can use ASF, AVI, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, MKV, QuickTime, WebM, H264/AVC, MP4, VP8, VP9, WMV2, and WMV3 so no matter what software you are using, there should be one of these options available.

You can add captions to your video if it doesn’t have the text and if there’s an SRT file, just use the pencil icon on the video player to add this.

Uploading a native video

It is also very simple to upload a native video to LinkedIn, a three-step process.  You can even record in in-app and then post it, add text or stickers – although this is for smartphone apps only, not on desktops.

For desktop, on the homepage click Share then hit the video icon and upload the video.  On the app, look for the share box (iOS) or the post button (Android) then tap the video icon.  Either record or upload the video and there you go.

What to share

There are four main types of content that LinkedIn say are most commonly shared on the platform – company culture, products and services, company events, and news.  This could extend to things like coverage of an industry event, telling the story of a case study or even highlighting a cause you are passionate about. 

Plus, don’t forget, you can still have a little bit of fun, even if LinkedIn is the ‘serious’ one!  Some of the top-performing types of video include:

• Telling your story – tell viewers about your business, the story behind it, or how you got started
• Promote products – how-to demonstrations, answering those FAQs, or sharing details about an upcoming launch
• Video blogging – ideal for personal brands and influencers, you can make connections and get awareness of you as your brand out there

Checking what works

Don’t forget to check what works after you post a video on LinkedIn too.  There are analytics within the platform that tells you how well posts are performing and help you make choices about what to make going forward.

You might also like to read Why You Need To Repurpose Blog Posts To Video from Skylark Virtual Services.