Seeing as one-third of online activity is spent watching video, it’s a no-brainer that LinkedIn decided to get on board in 2017 and finally allow its users to share video content. More recently, however, they stepped their game up even further with their 2019 addition of LinkedIn Live.

What’s the latest on LinkedIn Live?

“Video is the fastest growing format on our platform right now, and the one most likely to get people talking” stated the Director of product management at LinkedIn, Pete Davies. Davies also added that live video has been their most requested feature for a while now.

As a result of this demand, LinkedIn is finally giving its users what they’ve been asking for.

As of March 2019, the LinkedIn Live feature is still in beta test mode, launching only within the United States and only to a select few accounts. LinkedIn has announced that after they complete tests with those participating in their pilot program they will then “open applications for members and Pages to become broadcasters on LinkedIn.” – LinkedIn Live Updates.

How will it be different from its competitors?

While users of live video on Facebook and Instagram have been focused on taking followers behind the scenes of companies and showing the unfiltered, unencumbered lives of influencers and business owners alike, LinkedIn Live is quite different.

As reported by TechCrunch the aim of the new feature, in true LinkedIn fashion, is to cover product announcements, conferences, Q&As and even office hours held by large corporations. And in stark contrast to its competitors, the Microsoft-owned LinkedIn Live will feature polished and professional live video content.  

How can you use LinkedIn Live in your business?

Video content has quickly surpassed every other form of content creation in terms of what it can do for engagement and sales. In fact, 51% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI.

Once again, the feature is not yet available to everyone. However, in the online marketing world being first is almost always better to be first than to actually be better.

Take Instagram for example. The people who began growing their audience on the platform in the early days did so with ease. Trying to organically grow an Instagram account in 2019, however, requires a completely different level of commitment and with a significantly lower level of resulting impact. This is largely due to the incredible amount of competition on the platform. LinkedIn Live is likely to follow the same trend.

So the sooner you can get onto using LinkedIn Live, the better. Now let’s get onto a few different ways you can utilise this feature for your business.

Q&A sessions

• Nothing reinforces your ‘Know, Like & Trust’ factor quite like answering questions on live video when your audience knows there is no way to prepare your answers. This will allow you to really connect with your followers on an incredibly valuable, personal level.

Interviews

• You can partner up with other business owners and interview each other on your individual topic of expertise. This will allow you to not only add value to your respective audiences but it will also give you the ability to leverage the other’s audience members and cross-promote.

Product launches and demos

• Whether you’re launching a new product or just adding a new feature, LinkedIn Live could be a great way to get your audience excited and take them behind the scenes. This will also allow you to promote any sales or giveaways.

Live streaming events and conferences

• There is a reason why recordings of TED Talks get shared in such a viral fashion online. People love feeling inspired and hopeful. LinkedIn is the perfect platform for live streaming tech conferences, motivational speakers and awards ceremonies, just to name a few. It allows your audience to see what you’re up to while also learning something new.

Weekly or monthly industry news updates

• People like Gary Vaynerchuk and Neil Patel are experts at sharing industry news with their audience. This not only presents them as experts in their field and also sets the expectation for their audience that they will be receiving these updates on a regular basis. It also helps to save you valuable time as jumping on live video for 15 minutes requires a lot less effort than writing a blog post or creating a professionally edited YouTube video.

What’s next?

Although LinkedIn has not specifically commented on their plans for the future of LinkedIn Live, some speculations have begun around ways this could be monetised due to the platform operating primarily within the profitable B2B space.

Although nothing has been confirmed, there is the potential for paid streaming of conferences, events and speaking engagements on the platform.

Either way, one thing is for sure and that is that LinkedIn Live will give all business owners, but particularly those within the B2B space, a much more professional and effective way of reaching their target audience.

Are you a business owner looking to get some help with your LinkedIn marketing efforts or improve other areas of your digital marketing? Click here to book your free marketing consultation with a Space Digital marketing strategist!