Why LinkedIn Video is a Must for B2B Entrepreneurs
Video is a major part of our LinkedIn strategy at Accelity.
When I say video, I don’t mean brand videos or client testimonials (although those are great too). My colleagues and I have made a strategic push to create more video content for our personal LinkedIn profiles as a way to generate leads and drive site traffic.
Whether your goal is to expand your thought leadership or find new channels for promoting your business, here are 4 reasons why you should start regularly using LinkedIn video marketing.
1. Brand yourself or your company
These days, it’s rare to meet prospects face to face. Even before COVID hit, businesses needed a digital strategy to connect with prospects outside the region or even the country. While they’re a great tool, emails simply don’t convey your personality the way video can.
LinkedIn video is a great way to tell compelling, visual stories about your personal brand and your business. By doing so, you’ll generate awareness and create a lasting impression on your viewers. From an individual standpoint, it’s a great opportunity to establish your personal brand. From a business standpoint, you can include calls to action to gather leads.
Accelity tip: Complete a brand personality and voice exercise to help you define your own personal brand, especially as it relates to your business.
2. Reach beyond your own network
Since I started posting LinkedIn videos a few years ago, I’ve developed a network of innovative, inspiring connections who challenge me to grow. I’ve had countless thought-provoking conversations, and seen more than a few leads, as a result of my expanded network. How does video help?
Social videos are 1200% more likely to be shared than text or image posts combined, they naturally have a higher organic reach. LinkedIn’s algorithm prioritizes posts with higher engagement, so your video is more likely to be seen by people already in your network.
Now let’s say someone comments on your video post. It’s likely that someone from their network will see that interaction in their feed—extending your reach even further.
Accelity tip: Use hashtags to help your video be seen by even more people outside your extended network.
3. Drive traffic to your page or your website
Your LinkedIn video doesn’t have to be all about your business to generate website traffic. In fact, most of mine aren’t. I select a topic that’s been on my mind recently—whether it’s about marketing, sales, entrepreneurship, or something else I’d like to share—plan my video, and go! What’s important is creating content that will resonate with your audience—not an advertisement for your business.
To boost engagement with your video, you need a strong call to action. Ask a question your audience can easily answer and discuss in the comments. If you’re promoting something specifically for your business, such as a webinar, new content, or another resource, make sure to explain how it will benefit your audience.
Accelity tip: Comment on your own post with a link to your website or another you want to promote. This will stop LinkedIn from deprioritizing your post for linking to an external site. It will also help boost engagement—you already have one comment!
4. Anyone can do it
Most marketers favor content that’s inexpensive and easy to create. Our team has found that you can still create a quality LinkedIn video with very little equipment. Think about how many times you’ve seen a video on Youtube, Facebook or Instagram that was shot with a smartphone, but it still went viral. That’s the bare minimum requirement!
If you want to upgrade your setup, you can shoot your video with a DSLR camera, use a selfie stick to create a wider background, a tripod to shoot in your office, a lapel mic for better audio and a whole lot more. Obviously the more you are able to use, the better your video will turn out but it’s not required.
Accelity tip: Upload your video natively on LinkedIn as opposed to linking to an external video hosted on Youtube. This will make LinkedIn more likely to promote the video to your network.
