Let me get straight to the point as I always do:
In today’s post I’m going to give you some LinkedIn Expert Training on how to UP the visibility and credibility of your LinkedIn Profile. In more detail, today I’m going to show you one of my favorite LinkedIn strategies for our LinkedIn profiles: how to enhance your LinkedIn profile with video!
But first, we need to appreciate why to use video in our LinkedIn Profiles?
Why do you fly thousands of miles for a sales meeting or presentation? We now have the technology to send the data/information within seconds. And you can save the airfare and hours of travel.
Ok, here’s why:
- Because the “human connection” is still vital to our business transactions.
- Because a picture (or a video) is worth a thousand words. And now that I mentioned picture, i remembered something: make sure you Rock your LinkedIn Profile Picture!
- Because you get so much priceless information about a person from seeing them walk, talk, move, present, sell.
Now what if you could transmit that “human factor” about yourself without having to fly across continents?
One important way to do this, is to present a video of yourself, as an integral part of your LinkedIn Profile. This is your living, breathing, talking expression of yourself. It’s a powerful way to establish yourself as a brand, to stand out from the pack, to distinguish yourself as an important player in your field. This is your “human factor”, up close and personal.
First, the very fact that you’ve taken the time and invested the money to make a polished, professional video sets you apart. This should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. If you do add a video to your LinkedIn profile, make sure it puts your best foot forward, and shows you at your most professional. To accomplish that, it’s best to hire a videographer, someone who knows what he/she is doing, so we don’t have strange camera angles, lower quality sounds (good) or jumpy shots. I know technology has evolved very much and we can literally create a video studio in the comfort of our homes, but I believe that a professional videographer can help elevate our videos to another level, a level that would be very difficult to reach on our own. After all I am a firm believer of the saying: “jack of all trades is master of none”. Everybody has his/her own field of expertise, and we cannot be experts at everything. This is why we need to leave some things for the experts to handle. Especially if we are looking for above average outcomes.
Also, no one wants to see you in your sweats and a t-shirt, in your basement office, with your dogs or kids running in and out. While that might be charming for another kind of video, it doesn’t work for establishing yourself as an expert (or “the” expert) in your field!
Moreover, make sure the video is current; that means nothing older than 3-4 years (its age will show, I guarantee you – the clothes or other background items will give it away). One way you can recycle old videos is to have them made into audios, so here’s your solution to this.
What is great about a video and how it adds to your personal branding is that it gives you something to mention on other social media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Google + etc. Ideally, it should be current, and can be accompanied by a post on your website, LinkedIn Publisher, or elsewhere, in order to complement your words or story. Imagine how much more credibility and authority you will project by, instead of just talking about a successful presentation you just made, you also show a 5-minute video of you doing it. This is exponentially more impactful and most certainly enhances something of crucial importance, your Social Media Image.
Video Links you can use:
As of this writing, LinkedIn doesn’t currently support “native” video uploads, meaning you have to:
First upload your video to a third party site like Vimeo or YouTube and then use it on your LinkedIn Profile in the form of a video link. The types of video links you can use are:
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YouTube Video Link.
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Vimeo Video Link.
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Upstream Video Link.
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Brightcove Video Link.
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Facebook Video Link.
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Embed Video by adding the SlideShare application or Google Presentation App to your profile and using a YouTube video as the first slide of the presentation.
When someone clicks on a video in any of your LinkedIn profile sections, it pops out and takes over the whole screen.
You’re probably wondering:
What types of videos can I use in my LinkedIn Profile?
Well, let me give you some examples:
- Video testimonials from happy customers.
- Product demos.
- How-to videos.
- Company news and updates.
- Videos of you giving a speech, industry talk or presentation.
- Media clips & interviews.
- Company intro videos, about us & company explainer videos.
- Marketing videos.
- Book trailers.
- A benefits driven elevator speech.
- Advice or information or tips videos that would be valuable to your target audience.
- Behind the scenes & team related videos.
- Other content related to your field that would be helpful to LinkedIn users in their professional careers.
In which sections of your LinkedIn Profile can you include video?
Currently, there are 3 sections in our LinkedIn Profiles that we can include video. These are:
- The Summary Section
- The Experience Section
- The Education Section
Now, you might be wondering:
How do I add video to these sections of my LinkedIn Profile?
It is very simple and straightforward:
All you have to do is click the pencil icon next to your Summary Section, A job role in your Experience Section or your Education Section and go to the Media section. Select “Link to Media”. Then in the text box that appears, paste the link to the video and click Add to add it to your profile. Make sure to include a call to action for your LinkedIn Profile visitors, enticing them to watch the video.
In conclusion, adding a high-quality video to your profile can be the most powerful aspect of your LinkedIn Profile. As a LinkedIn expert, it’s one of the most important
things I recommend to my clients (and i am pretty confident that other LinkedIn Experts, LinkedIn Trainers & LinkedIn Consultants will agree with me on this). The successful ones, the long-term vision ones, the ambitious ones, see this immediately!
Of course, the video has to be relevant to your clients, your industry, your prospects, not just a “brag”. It also needs to be aligned with your professional goals! So make sure it has significant content, as well as high-production value; you want people to watch it with interest through the end, once they’ve clicked on “play”. This is more important than ever, when you consider that LinkedIn has approximately 500 million members and is growing by leaps and bounds every day.
Here’s the deal:
In the crowded social media atmosphere, it is becoming more and more difficult for any one person, no matter how accomplished, to stand out. Adding video is a powerful way to establish yourself as an authority, and a person (employer, collaborator or potential client) viewing your video, if it’s done well, gets to feel like he/she knows you already. And remember, people do business with those they know, like and trust! How great is that?! So what are you waiting for?
Are you looking for LinkedIn Expert Profile Strength? If yes, then support your LinkedIn Expert Status by including video to your LinkedIn Profile!
If the goal of using LinkedIn effectively is to get people to know, like and trust you, (and of course, ultimately hire you, collaborate with you, refer you to others) a well-produced video is one important rung on your ladder to Success! The ladder to becoming a LinkedIn All Star with a Profile that is of LinkedIn Expert Level!