But what exactly is a native video, and why is it so important?
Previously, the only way to incorporate videos in a LinkedIn post was to link to other websites. Now, with the introduction of native video formats, videos will appear embedded directly into the post, playing automatically when your audience stumbles across them in their feed.
Here are the top 5 ways to engage with your LinkedIn audience through native videos:
#1: Native Video Ads
Like any social media platform, sponsored content encourages engagement more so than organic posts. LinkedIn is slowly catching up in the social media world of advertising possibilities, and they still have a way to go to keep in line with the likes of Facebook. However, LinkedIn has the advantage of a completely unique environment where business marketing is concerned, due to the B2B values.
LinkedIn states that they have been testing the native video ad format with more than 700 advertisers, resulting in engagement durations that are nearly three times longer than those for regular Sponsored Content. In turn, this will drive qualified traffic to your website and collect valuable leads through either an integrated call-to-action button or seamless built-in lead generation forms.
Organic video posts may not reach the intended audience without accurate targeting. LinkedIn’s “Video for Sponsored Content” allows you to specifically target decision-makers holding the purse strings.
Visit the LinkedIn Marketing Solutions page to find out more.
#2: Build Brand Awareness
Creating a strong brand image for your company is important. Granted. But building brand awareness with like-minded professionals by telling rich, visual stories is an idea that should be put into practice almost immediately.
You’re already engaging with business decision makers, but not everyone you connect with has an existing relationship with you. Building brand awareness through video marketing reaches and engages with people that are new to your business and may not have heard of you before.
Studies show that when it comes to sharing business-related content, LinkedIn ranks second as the most favourable channel (after email). Therefore, LinkedIn’s native videos are a great way for brands to engage with their audience.
#3: Native Videos on your Company Page
This point works hand-in-hand with the importance of brand awareness. Simply by adding a profile photo to your company page increases the likelihood of receiving a message on LinkedIn by 36 times. Building on your company page further with the inclusion of native videos will increase the chance of starting a conversation among members by 5 times when compared to other types of content.
Ensure that the native videos posted on your company page is adding value to your brand identity and image. Inform your audience about your industry and the role your company plays, this will all help to build your brand awareness.
Another successful route for native video content when building your brand awareness, is to showcase your company culture. Allowing video content to show transparency within your business will present your company identity, values and overall image. People invest in people, so utilising video content in this way will allow your audience to see who they are buying from.
#4: Get to the Point
As native videos in LinkedIn are relatively new in comparison to other social media platforms, the audience is yet to familiarise themselves with the polished, lengthy videos we’re used to seeing on platforms like YouTube. This results in a much shorter attention span.
Your video content has to reflect the audience it’s attempting to engage with, so on LinkedIn the video’s message needs to be understood quickly. Try restricting the duration of your video to 1 minute and focus on the subject and values it aims to provide.
Your audience is looking for content that’s engaging, entertaining and educational. A significant percentage of online buyers prefer content that is concise, available on demand and in the form of video to help make their purchase decisions.
For more information on content preferences, download the latest survey report.
#5: Captions
People who stumble across your video in their LinkedIn feed will see the video play automatically, however most people will have the sound turned off even when they’re actively watching it.
Using captions within your videos will allow people to continue watching them and understand the purpose without having to fully submerge themselves within the video, making it as easy as possible for the user to digest.
To correctly include captions on your video you need to upload the video’s SRT file (this is a type of captioning file). There are numerous apps and websites that can assist you in creating these files if you’re not familiar with the process yourself.
Visit the LinkedIn Help page to find out more information on this.
#6: Tag People (Appropriately)
Tagging relevant people in your native video posts will naturally increase organic reach, views and overall engagement.
Depending on the video’s subject and aim, it is essential that you only tag the relevant people otherwise it could work against you. A good example of proper use is to tag people who may appear in the video, over-tagging makes your post look like spam and people will be deterred from any interaction.
Bonus Tip: Adding URL links in the text portion of your native video post can limit the post’s exposure. Instead, post any links as the first comment below the video.
Conclusion
Native videos on LinkedIn are increasing in popularity so it’s important to ensure that your video content stands out from the rest. But if you implement a strong brand image that incorporates your company values, style and purpose then you will begin to see an increase in engagement.
Remember to make your LinkedIn video content short and concise, with captions, ensuring that your business audience and potential customers are receiving the most consumable video content available.
If you’re nailing some impressive organic engagement through native video content, try your hand at LinkedIn’s “Video for Sponsored Content” and maximise on your post engagement with tracked ROI along with numerous ways of generating leads and traffic.