Social networking site LinkedIn is finally embracing video content with a new initiative for top influencers. The short clip format will be hosted by LinkedIn and will feature in users’ news feeds if they are following the influencer. Users will also be able to comment on and respond to other members’ comments.
Video production has proved to be a huge hit for other social media giants such as Facebook, so it is no surprise that LinkedIn has decided to jump on board too. The launch could be particularly useful for encouraging more user engagement with content on the site, so that they spend more time on the platform while also driving demand for video advertising.
Videos on LinkedIn will initially be limited to 500 influential users who have a large number of followers and regularly post updates. These influencers will use a new app called Record to create videos that have a run time of 30 seconds or less. The videos will feature the influencers answering questions posed to them by the social community.
The videos have been optimised for both desktop and mobile apps. Users on the latter will be able to click on a clip, and then it will open out onto a blackened screen, which is similar to the experience on Facebook. There will also be a carousel of additional videos from the influencer and others who have answered similar Q&A themes.
LinkedIn product manager Jasper Sherman-Presser has revealed that video has become more popular on the site in recent months, though he didn’t divulge any specific data. However, prior to this week’s announcement, videos on the site were only links hosted elsewhere, such as YouTube.
Presser also confirmed that influencers wouldn’t have to pay any fees to create content, and there won’t be ads for the time being. However, it is likely that advertising could become a more central theme in the future. The video format is also set to roll out to more users in the coming months.
“I think that playbook [of first tapping Influencers and then expanding to others] has been successful for us,” Sherman-Presser concluded. “We see this as part of the tools that people can use to successfully build out their personal brands.”
