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It’s a jungle out there, Social Media friends. Everything you post must fight to stand out. If not, it’s like those poor gazelles who can never (ever!) outrun the hungry cheetahs on the Discovery Channel.
So don’t be “lunch.” When it comes to your LinkedIn video presence, be a cheetah.
To give you a sense of video’s impact, I’ve lifted 10 jaw-dropping stats from this recap of today’s marketing scene. Bottom line? Video content is the undisputed, gazelle-chomping king of the digital world:
- By 2022, videos will comprise more than 82% of consumer internet traffic
- Social video is shared 1200% more than text and images combined
- LinkedIn video campaigns have 50% view rates
- Facebook predicts they will be all video (and text-free) by 2021
- Consumers retain 95% of video messages (vs. 10% of text messages)
- Over 70% of customers prefer to watch videos on products/services
- 85% of consumers want more video content from brands
- Social media posts with video score 48% more views
- Adding video to your landing page could boost conversion rates up to 80%
- Sites with video are 53 times more likely to hit Google’s front page
Knowing all this, how can your videos crush it on LinkedIn?
1. POST DIRECTLY & AUTOPLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
According to this must-read article, LinkedIn posts tallied over 300 million impressions in 2017, its first year of launching native video. (We’ll give you a minute to let that sink in – because that number has only risen since then.)
Wait – what is native video? Video created on or uploaded to LinkedIn that plays directly when your LinkedIn connections scroll through their feeds. Since it doesn’t require extra clicks (to YouTube or other sites), it’s easier for viewers to engage with your video – and harder to ignore it.
Here’s Hootsuite’s guide to posting directly to LinkedIn:
ON DESKTOP:
1. From the homepage, click Share an article, photo, video, or idea.
2. Click the video icon.
3. Upload the video you want to share.
ON MOBILE:
1. Look for the share box (iOS) or post button (Android) at the top of the feed.
2. Tap the video icon.
3. Record a video in the app, or upload something you re-recorded.
4. Tap the filters or text button.
5. Add filters and/or text.
2. CAPTIONS ROCK
How do you consume video on social? If you’re like me, you probably pull out your phone killing time waiting in line or maybe you’ll start scrolling while you’re lounging on the couch and someone else is running the remote. Keep this behavior in mind and make sure to cater to your viewers who might stop to watch but not listen. Captions will keep you covered. This article claims 85% of Facebook videos are watched without sound. Don’t be “that guy” who thinks captions don’t matter. They do. They could also make the difference between a sale and a “see-ya.”
To add an SRT file to caption your LinkedIn video, follow these easy directions, straight from the source: https://www.linkedin.com/help/ (and while you’re at it, throw in infographics and engaging expressions/body language to complement your perfectly captioned video).
Remember: at Idea Decanter, we burn in custom captions so you never have to wonder if your message is reaching the widest possible audience. (That’s just how we roll.)
3. SHORT IS SWEET
Hootsuite says LinkedIn native videos can be up to 10 minutes long, but we say less is more. If you can deliver the same message in under 2 minutes, do that. Time is money. But don’t just take my word for it. Take it from Idea Decanter co-founder Laura Garfield:
4. GO AHEAD, GET EMOTIONAL
According to this video by Social Media guru Alex Wehrley, the highest-performing videos don’t just spew facts. They evoke an emotional response in 4 key ways: they use humor to engage and encourage shares; they show vulnerability (it’s refreshing to present an authentic, imperfect story instead of one air-brushed to social-media perfection); they educate, by sparking curiosity or stoking the intellect; and they use quotes, images or uplifting stories to inspire viewers. Any video that doesn’t connect with viewers on a gut level probably won’t connect with them on a taking-action level, either.
5. WORD OF MOUTH WORKS
Don’t be shy about asking viewers to comment, like and share your video post. It’s not moochy, it’s good business. Because every time someone reacts to your video, LinkedIn’s algorithm goes “Bam!” and shares it with more of your LinkedIn connections. Then, if those connections share your post, it could appear in all of their connections’ news feeds. Voilà! Exponential exposure. So use that to your advantage. Remind viewers you’d appreciate their comments, likes and shares– then pay it forward by doing the same for them.