LinkedIn ‘native’ video is one to Watch
In-stream video viewing for a professional audience
Facebook Watch may have drawn all the headlines in the digital world during the summer, but it was a recent development on LinkedIn that was of far more interest to us.
That’s because LinkedIn has finally joined the ‘native’ video party.
For the uninitiated that means you can now upload videos directly to LinkedIn in the same way as you can on Twitter and Facebook.
This should drive up the numbers of video plays on LinkedIn because it means users no longer need to click away to a third-party website to view a video.
It is also significant because for the first time videos of the nature that we produce at Senate Media, which are intended for a professional audience in the main, have a professional platform where they can be viewed ‘in stream’.
As LinkedIn itself says: “On some social media platforms, it’s easy to get lost in between cat videos. When on the LinkedIn platform, however, members are in a professional mindset”.
There is one caveat, however: currently video uploading is restricted to individuals and not companies. But that doesn’t mean individuals shouldn’t share their company’s or organisation’s videos on Linkedin in the meantime.
As with any native posts, keep in mind your objective and the action you want people to take after watching your video. If you want them to click through to your website, remember not to give everything away in the LinkedIn video post – a short clip and clear call-to-action may work best.
Meanwhile, with all the hype and media coverage surrounding Facebook Watch, Facebook’s move into the ‘TV’ market is only of incidental interest to producers of short-form video.
Through ‘Watch’ Facebook intends to join Amazon, Apple and Netflix in challenging the established media order by producing original content (TV shows and series) –- spending $1bn over the next year.
It means people will be spending even more time on Facebook during their leisure time, and underlines the need to be using the platform to funnel traffic back to your content – not least through native videos.
But from a professional perspective Watch, for now, will only interest TV show producers and big budget advertisers.
We’ll be watching LinkedIn.