Are you looking to implement video content into your recruitment firm’s LinkedIn strategy?
In this blog, you will discover the most effective types of video you can produce to resonate with your target audiences and learn how to optimise them for maximum engagement.
Nowadays, it’s extremely rare to be able to scroll through your LinkedIn feed and not encounter at least a couple of videos from your connections and the companies you follow. The trend for video content has been on an upward curve for the last couple of years but with social distancing and lockdown restrictions in place because of the pandemic videos have really come to the fore as a way to connect with one another virtually.
And with recruiters unable to form face-to-face relationships with candidates and clients at the moment, video content offers a fantastic opportunity to increase their visibility on LinkedIn.
With that in mind, here are four types of LinkedIn videos that your recruitment firm can create to enhance its presence on the platform.
How-to videos for both candidates and clients can be a great way to demonstrate the credentials of your firm and those who work there. Think about the most commonly asked questions that your recruiters receive and produce videos featuring them which address these issues and add real value to your target audience.
One of the best ways to show why your recruitment firm is an employer of choice is to focus on your company culture. Creating videos that showcase what exactly goes on at your business is a great way to highlight this. For example, you could look at creating videos that show how you’re bringing the team together virtually despite the current coronavirus restrictions.
Standing out in a crowded market is difficult at the best of times, however, thought leadership videos can really benefit your firm in getting in front of business leaders. Demonstrate your expertise by using the video as an opportunity to present your latest sector research, or share insights into how companies in your specialist field are navigating the current environment. Showcasing how much you know about your specialism will highlight exactly why employers should partner with your firm.
Video interviews provide viewers with the opportunity to get an in-depth look at a challenge others similar to them are experiencing and crucially how it can be solved. This is also another way of positioning your firm as a thought leader. Consider setting up interviews with senior management and heads of division so that you can discuss the latest trends or interview those outside of your business, such as a client or partner, to gain new perspectives and to further maximise your brand reach on LinkedIn.
Once you have decided what types of LinkedIn video you are going to record, there are five key things you should do to optimise them for maximum engagement and accessibility.
Native video is essentially content that is uploaded directly to the platform. This is incredibly important because unlike embedded videos native recordings autoplay in users’ feeds and, most crucially, get prioritised on the platform over the former. This is because embedded videos hosted on websites, such as YouTube and Vimeo, are likely to drive users off of LinkedIn to watch them on the original platform. To counteract this, LinkedIn’s algorithm favours its own native videos in its feeds.
While LinkedIn supports aspect ratios for vertical, horizontal and square videos, square videos take up more space in users’ feeds which means they will be harder to miss. This is especially evident on the mobile site and app, where square videos take up almost the entire screen.
Although social media sites, such as Instagram and TikTok, favour 9:16 vertical videos, if you try and upload one of these to LinkedIn it will make it appear as a square video with blurred bars on the sides on the desktop site, while displaying at 9:16 on mobile but hiding the majority of the post copy.
According to Alexa, LinkedIn members spend just under 11 minutes on the professional networking site each day. This means that if your video content is going to be watched you need to be succinct with what you’re saying and make the length easily digestible for your target audience. For example, while the maximum length of a native video is 10 minutes it is unlikely that a senior business leader will have the time to watch it. Therefore you should consider making them far shorter – I recommend one minute and 30 seconds as an optimum length that can be consumed by time-poor individuals.
LinkedIn’s own data shows that 80% of all video views take place with the sound off. This shows just how important it is to ensure that videos feature subtitles, especially considering the need to make your content as accessible as possible for those with disabilities.
Call-to-actions are often overlooked due to the time it can take in recording and editing a video, but they are incredibly important if your target audience is to take the desired action that you want.
When filming your video think about the end goal and what you would like your audience to do having watched it. Would you like them to download the research report you have been sharing insights from? Do you want them to visit the careers section of your site and apply for a job? Or would you like them to leave a comment and share their thoughts on the topic that was discussed?
By being clear in your objective you will be able to craft a call-to-action that gets the desired results from your target audience.
LinkedIn video is definitely something that recruitment firms should be implementing regardless of their size. Use the tips in this blog post to produce video content that engages your target audiences.