In today's ever-evolving and rapidly changing digital landscape, where capturing the audience's attention in B2B marketing is an ongoing challenge, the mantra for businesses aiming to survive and thrive is crystal clear: you must stay ahead of the curve. But what if we told you that amidst the ever-shifting tides of digital trends, there is a critical strategy that is more important than short-term fluctuations? Welcome to the world of LinkedIn videos, a powerful and lasting force in the professional world that isn't just a fleeting trend but rather a consistent method to upscale your brand's online presence.
In this extensive guide, we will embark on a journey unraveling the significance of a LinkedIn video together, offering you a deep dive into the topic and some invaluable insights that will equip your brand with all the tools it needs to not just participate but excel on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn, often regarded as the professional networking giant, has witnessed a seismic shift in videos' influence within its unique ecosystem. Unlike generic other social media platforms, LinkedIn serves as a social network, a platform, and a digital hub for professionals (everyone has linkedin profile now) to gather, connect, exchange knowledge, and access and explore job opportunities. LinkedIn has 950 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Most importantly, over 60% of them are millennials - the majority of B2B buyers today!
Source: LinkedIn
So let's dive deeper into this transformative phenomenon with some concrete statistics and insights, providing you with a compelling rationale to harness the power of LinkedIn videos:
LinkedIn's algorithm and platform are increasingly favoring video content. In fact, since 2018, LinkedIn has gone all in on B2B video content. This means that when you invest in producing engaging videos, your content is more likely to surface in the feeds of your target audience. This algorithmic boost for video also translates into increased visibility for your business goals, your brand, and your message, ensuring that your videos reach the right eyes and ears.
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Native videos on LinkedIn are a powerhouse when it comes to audience engagement. They consistently outperform other content formats on the platform.
Reports indicate that video posts generated 300 million impressions on LinkedIn in a year, boasting three times the engagement of text posts and five times the likelihood of starting conversations among members. This phenomenon is underpinned by two key factors.
Firstly, LinkedIn's audience primarily comprises professionals actively seeking insightful and pertinent content. Consequently, LinkedIn video content that caters to their specific interests and needs tends to capture their attention effectively.
Secondly, videos provide a visually compelling medium to convey information, making them the preferred choice for LinkedIn users seeking meaningful insights.
Beyond engagement, a LinkedIn video also offers a unique opportunity to connect with your clients on a deeper level. Whether you're sharing industry insights, announcing product updates, or positioning your brand as a thought leader, videos possess the inherent power to captivate your audience. The combination of visual, sound, and auditory elements allows you to convey your message with a more profound impact, fostering a stronger sense of connection and loyalty among your clients.
While it is undeniable that advertising on LinkedIn comes with a relatively higher price tag than other platforms, a compelling paradox exists that makes it an essential investment for businesses aiming to excel in the B2B arena.
This paradox lies in the fact that, despite the costs, LinkedIn's precision-focused targeting capabilities and the new native video ads within Sponsored Content provide unmatched value in reaching and engaging the right audience, as we'll explore in the following sub-sections.
LinkedIn's suite of B2B targeting capabilities ensures that your video content reaches the most relevant and receptive audience. This suite allows you to pinpoint professionals by specific traits, including job title, seniority, company name, industry, and skills.
Furthermore, the integration with Matched Audiences empowers you to execute precision-focused account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns, guaranteeing that your content infiltrates the highest-priority accounts for your Sales team.
The new option for Native video ads within Sponsored Content represents the pinnacle of LinkedIn's advertising evolution. These new video ads unlock a multitude of possibilities for your marketing strategy, including:
- Elevating Brand Awareness: Share captivating visual narratives within the context of LinkedIn.
- Driving Qualified Traffic: Directly channel traffic to your website or blog post, whether it's on desktop or mobile platforms.
- Harvesting High-Quality Leads: Seamlessly gather leads using persistent calls to action or integrated Lead Gen Forms.
By strategically utilizing these native video ads, you can amplify your brand's presence and reach on the platform.
LinkedIn provides a robust set of analytics tools that go beyond traditional metrics, allowing you to gain deep insights into the performance of your campaigns. With these tools, you can not only understand who is watching and engaging with your video ads but also quantify the valuable actions they take.
This comprehensive data allows you to refine your targeting and messaging strategies, getting a more profound understanding of your audience's behavior and preferences beyond mere demographics.
Industry leaders such as GE, Philips, and Audi Canada have harnessed the power of LinkedIn videos to showcase products and services, convey their company mission, share customer success stories, and establish thought leadership. These videos have led to significantly increased engagement. In fact, LinkedIn members spend nearly three times more time watching video ads compared to static Sponsored Content.
So, let's dive deeper into why getting just any video on LinkedIn right is a strategic imperative for your brand.
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LinkedIn isn't your ordinary platform; it's a realm of substantial opportunities. It goes beyond the routine content creation and posting; here, the real game lies in crafting an approach that profoundly resonates with your audience. It's not merely a task to check off; it's a strategic imperative.
In the business world, credibility and trust are priceless commodities.
A LinkedIn video provides a unique opportunity to bolster your brand's credibility. When thoughtfully crafted, these videos serve as a powerful showcase of your expertise, your status as a thought leader, and your unwavering commitment to your industry. They allow your audience to see and hear the passion and knowledge behind your brand, which can be instrumental in forging lasting client relationships.
The Head of Owned Channels (CRM Marketing & Online Service) & Partnership Marketing - Digital Marketing at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Renske Siersema, emphasizes the significance of harnessing LinkedIn video content to connect with their audience of business travelers. She explains that video marketing is impactful because it doesn't just convey information and ideas; it vividly illustrates them. Hence, videos stand out in an environment saturated with business-related content, particularly on the LinkedIn platform.
One of the distinguishing features of a LinkedIn video is the capacity to facilitate personal connections with prospective customers. Today, personalization is key to forging meaningful client relationships.
By putting a human face and voice to your brand, these videos create a deeper connection with your audience. The result? A deeper sense of connection with your audience. When your audience feels a genuine connection, they are more likely to watch and engage with your content and more inclined to convert into loyal clients.
Understanding the nuances of the LinkedIn algorithm is pivotal for unlocking the full potential of your videos. As described earlier, LinkedIn's algorithm is designed to reward videos that keep viewers engaged, which means that videos with higher engagement rates are more likely to feature prominently in the feeds of your target audience. Therefore, crafting videos that captivate, inform, and engage is not just a suggestion; it's a strategic necessity.
The more engaging your videos, the more visibility they garner, increasing the chances of attracting and retaining a dedicated audience.
In the upcoming sections, we'll provide actionable tips and strategies to ensure your LinkedIn videos shine and resonate with your B2B audience.
With the significance of a LinkedIn video in mind, let's explore practical strategies for crafting videos that captivate your clients and truly make an impact.
We have said it before and will say it again and more tailored in the LinkedIn context. Before hitting 'record,' immerse yourself in audience research tailored to the LinkedIn environment.
Understanding your LinkedIn audience's pain points, preferences, and professional aspirations is crucial. This deep understanding forms the bedrock of your videos. By crafting videos that directly address these specifics, your content becomes not only germane but remarkably engaging in the LinkedIn professional sphere.
For example, see how we crafted a video for Accenture for prospective employees.
When it comes to videos, success begins with a well-thought-out plan and captivating storytelling. Start by setting clear objectives for your videos, defining their purpose and target customers. Craft a structured outline or storyboard to ensure your videos stay concise and on point.
The art of creating engaging scripts cannot be underestimated; incorporate storytelling techniques that make your content not only informative but also relatable and memorable. Storytelling humanizes your brand, allowing your viewers to connect more emotionally.
This is crucial, and it requires detailed understanding. Following are a few relevant points to consider; however, we recommend that you read more about how to craft engaging content: here, here, here, and here.
Diversify Content: Keep your audience engaged by using a mix of video styles, such as interviews, event highlights, and how-to guides. For instance, you can share a brief video showcasing a key takeaway from a recent industry event.
Stay Relevant: Monitor video industry trends and news to create timely videos. Respond to current events or trending topics in your niche with insightful video commentary.
Optimize for Mobile: Since most users watch videos on mobile devices through the LinkedIn app, design your videos with mobile app viewers in mind. Shoot vertical videos when appropriate to enhance the mobile video experience.
Maintain Visual Consistency: Consistency is key. Ensure your camera framing remains uniform throughout your video to provide a professional and distraction-free viewing experience. Avoid switching from vertical to horizontal mid-video.
Enhance Audio Quality: Improving audio quality is essential. Use headsets or external microphones when recording to minimize background noise, as clear audio contributes to a more professional presentation.
Edit Purposefully: Leverage Expertise in Video Editing: Familiarize yourself with basic video editing concepts (or consider working with professionals like us ;) to control pacing and creativity effectively. Skillful video editing ensures your content maintains viewer engagement and delivers concise, impactful messages.
Your work isn't finished once the video is created; optimizing how you present it is equally crucial. Begin by ensuring that your video titles, descriptions, and tags (add captions, too) are optimized for search visibility within LinkedIn. Choosing attention-grabbing thumbnails can significantly impact click-through rates.
Moreover, don't forget the social aspect of social media – promote your videos within your LinkedIn network by sharing links to them strategically and engaging with comments and discussions. Engaging with your audience fosters a sense of community and encourages more meaningful interactions.
When planning your distribution strategy, it's essential to consider LinkedIn's unique characteristics, including its cost-effectiveness and targeting capabilities.
While awareness campaigns can be relatively expensive, they serve a critical role in brand building. On the other hand, re-marketing video campaigns are a popular choice due to their cost-effectiveness and high conversion rates. Re-marketing allows you to re-engage with audiences who have already shown interest in your content or brand, increasing your chances of conversion.
It's no secret that awareness campaigns on LinkedIn can be an investment. However, they serve a vital purpose in brand building. These campaigns are your opportunity to introduce your brand or services to a broader audience and establish a foundational presence.
While awareness campaigns may appear costlier upfront, their long-term impact on brand recognition and recall cannot be underestimated. It's essential to strike a strategic balance between awareness campaigns and more targeted efforts to ensure a well-rounded marketing approach.
Among the tools in LinkedIn's arsenal, re-marketing video campaigns shine brightly. They are a popular choice for marketers, and rightfully so.
Re-marketing campaigns enable you to re-engage with users who have already interacted with your content or visited your website. This audience has shown a genuine interest in your offerings, making them more likely to convert. Consequently, re-marketing campaigns are a cost-effective strategy for bolstering conversions and maximizing your return on investment (ROI).
The precision of LinkedIn's targeting enables you to fine-tune your audience to a remarkable degree. You have the power to ensure that your videos land in front of precisely the right individuals, those who are most likely to resonate with your message. This capability has profound implications for your video marketing and content strategy.
Consider crafting multiple video campaigns, each meticulously tailored to cater to a specific segment of your target audience. By doing so, you can deliver content that speaks directly to each group's unique interests and needs, ultimately yielding superior results and engagement.
Read more about More is always more.. in distribution!
To summarize, LinkedIn videos are a strategic imperative for your brand in the dynamic digital landscape. They offer enhanced visibility, impressive engagement, and precise targeting capabilities. Producing impactful videos that resonate with your audience, fostering personal and professional connections, and leveraging LinkedIn's analytics are essential. Diversify content, optimize for mobile, and maintain consistency. Embrace awareness and re-marketing campaigns for brand building and conversions, and tailor campaigns for specific audience segments.
Key Takeaways:
What's next? Ready to harness the power of LinkedIn videos for your brand? Get in touch with us, and let's start creating compelling LinkedIn videos today to take your client engagement to new heights.
Your success in the digital age awaits!
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