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If you want your LinkedIn connections to benefit to the greatest possible extent, post videos regularly. That's what Beth Granger, who teaches leaders how to maximize their effectiveness on LinkedIn and other social media, advises.
Here's how to get your message out to as wide an audience as possible on this premiere platform for business relationships. I know Beth's advice works because I followed it myself in preparation for promoting this article on--where else--LinkedIn!
Why Posting LinkedIn Videos Is A Good Thing To Do
Bruce Weinstein: Why should LinkedIn users consider posting videos from time to time?
Beth Granger: Videos make your connections feel closer to you. Seeing your face and hearing your voice affects people in a way that text alone does not. For example, I have a friend online and didn’t know they had an English accent until I saw a video.
Weinstein: Some people are self-conscious about their appearance and don't want to make videos for that reason. Should they just avoid doing them?
Granger: I have two responses. First, get over it! Second, do something other than show your face. For example, you could interview someone or present something on the screen.
Weinstein: One of the things I try to keep in mind when I feel too self-conscious about how I look is that other people don’t judge us as harshly as we judge ourselves, at least with respect to our appearance.
Granger: Yes, absolutely.
Weinstein: The downside of doing a video with voice-over narration is that it can be labor-intensive. I’d have to use iMovie, add voice-over to the images I select, edit it and then post. Not as easy or fast as just using my iPhone to say something on camera and posting that. [Note: this turned out to be an incorrect assumption, as you'll read below.]
Granger: There are apps that can help. Clips for iPhone allows you to easily add captions. It transcribes what you say and allows you to fix problems when the app gets it wrong. Both Camtasia and Zoom make it relatively easy to record screen actions and your voice simultaneously.
Weinstein: When you suggest that people who are self-conscious about their appearance should "get over it," that tells me that what we're discussing is within the realm of ethical leadership since courage is a crucial quality of high-character leaders.
Granger: There's also the matter of authenticity. Videos can help you find your voice.
Weinstein: How so?
Granger: I find that video allows me to share my voice figuratively (that is, my opinions) and literally (because you can hear me), and people have said they feel like they know me because they can see and hear me.
Weinstein: Well, since being authentic means revealing the real you, posting videos on LinkedIn in the manner you're suggesting also speaks to honesty, another aspect of high-character leadership. Ethical leaders are authentic leaders.
Granger: I agree.
How Often Should You Post Videos On LinkedIn?
Weinstein: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not at all” and 10 “essential,” how important is it for LinkedIn users to post videos of themselves from time to time?
Granger: Eight. Video is important because LinkedIn will show your post to more people than it would if you used text alone.
Weinstein: How often do you recommend posting videos, and how often is too much?
Granger: Post when you have something to share.
Weinstein: In The Go-Giver, Bob Burg and John David Mann talk about focusing on providing value to others. That seems to be a good rule for deciding how often to post.
Granger: I believe in sharing information of value combined with a subtle undercurrent of promoting myself.
Weinstein: That brings to mind something Rabbi Hillel used to say: "If I am not for myself, who will be? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"
Granger: Exactly.
Weinstein: Sales guru and speaker Mark Hunter makes videos from the airports he’s in. Some are just a few seconds long, and they’re very popular. The subtext of that setting is, “Mark is busy flying around the world giving talks, so you’d better book him while you can!”
Granger: That's what I'm talking about.
Weinstein: One of the sayings kicking around a lot these days is, “Perfect is the enemy of the good.” In this context, it suggests that we shouldn’t wait to make videos until we have the ideal set-up: the right screen, the perfect lights, and so forth.
Granger: Yes! That is what I say about everything. Not just video. Same with staring your business. Just do it!
The Technical Aspects Of Making Videos For LinkedIn
Weinstein: Can you talk about some of the technical aspects of making videos on LinkedIn that readers of this article should know about?
Granger: I like the suggestions that Jay Baer and Jill Schiefelbein offer. Hootsuite also has a terrific article on the topic.
Walking the Talk
Weinstein: Dilemma: I feel I should make a video to accompany this article when I post it on LinkedIn, but I’m dressed like a bum today and don’t feel like shaving and changing clothes.
Granger: Why not do a voice-over video with a screen shot of the story on your computer?
Weinstein: That sounds good. What would be the simplest way to do that? I do have Zoom but have never used it that way.
[A few minutes later Beth sent me this video in response.]
The Bottom Line
Weinstein: In brief, what are three reasons why savvy leaders should post videos regularly on LinkedIn?
Granger: First, your posts will be more widely seen than those that include links to offsite content. Second, people will feel more connected to you and get to know you. Third, it's a great way to share your expertise.
This interview was edited and condensed.
