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Everywhere we look, social media platforms are shifting to video. So far, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat have unveiled new video formats designed to facilitate social media storytelling. And now LinkedIn has joined the video storytelling trend by giving users the ability to upload native video via its app.
Just like with other social media platforms, this video can be shot either horizontally or vertically. And, just like with Facebook, the video will start to play automatically when browsing. Perhaps the only real “twist” to the LinkedIn offering is that LinkedIn promises to share information about video viewers with the video creators, giving them important information, like where they work and their job titles.
LinkedIn video for B2B sales
You can immediately see why this video feature could be huge for people using the social media platform as an effective sales platform. Here’s just one scenario: you’re in B2B sales, selling a hot new cloud-based software product. So you hop over to the LinkedIn app, record a 5-to-10 minute video pitch for the product, and then upload the video to your LinkedIn profile. Then, whenever people view your profile, the video will automatically start to play. Since LinkedIn will be able to give you metrics and analysis about who’s viewing the video, Presto! You automatically have a list of sales prospects to contact.
LinkedIn video during the job search
Or, here’s another scenario: you’re looking for a new job, and want to stand out from a crowd of other candidates. So you record a brief 2-minute clip of yourself dressed in your interview outfit, and upload it to your profile. Then, any recruiters or hiring managers viewing your profile have a way of finding out more about yourself that may not be immediately evident in your LinkedIn profile.
And, of course, it’s not out of the question that companies will try to use the video feature as a way of building awareness on LinkedIn with people thinking about making a career move. A company like Google might not need to convince people to make the move, but an unknown startup company looking to poach away a few talented engineers might need a brief video to convince them to make the move.
LinkedIn video for influencers
Moreover, if you’re a business influencer or thought leader, this video platform could become very useful. If there’s a hot new business trend that people are talking about online, you would have a way to provide a brief synopsis or take on what that trend means for your followers. People would be able to view the video every time they check out your profile for the latest content and buzz.
So what do all these use case scenarios have in common? They’re all based on the idea of video storytelling. Whether it’s explaining why you’d be a perfect candidate for a job, or analyzing the importance of a hot new trend, it’s simply much easier to tell stories with video than with text. LinkedIn may be late to the whole video storytelling trend, but as they say, better late than never.
