2 New Ways Companies Can Use Video to Attract Talent on LinkedIn

Over the past year, LinkedIn members have embraced the ability to post native videos on our platform. Ranging from creative ways to grab companies’ attention and get a new job, to simply sharing knowledge, these videos are generating great engagement and conversations in the community.

Today, we’re bringing those same video sharing capabilities to companies, enabling you to target and show candidates what it’s like to work in your company, right in the LinkedIn feed. We’re launching two new products: video for Sponsored Content and video for Company Pages.

Here are more details on how you can use each feature:

Use video on your Company Page to boost candidate engagement

LinkedIn members who follow your Company Page are 81% more likely to respond to an InMail from your recruiting team -- that is, they are a warm and engaged prospect pool. You can now keep them interested with your company by posting videos that help them visualize what it’s like to work for you and the cool projects they can help build.

Take Clemson University for example. They shared the story of one of their graduates not only to show the great school spirit but to give a glimpse of what life after Clemson could be and attract new applicants.

WeWork took the opportunity to highlight their employer brand by showing how CEO Adam Neumann envisions the growth of the company, an exciting revelation for someone looking to join a forward-looking business.

Reach targeted talent and show them what your company is about with video for Sponsored Updates

While the posts on your Company Pages are mostly seen by your page followers, LinkedIn Sponsored Updates are a way to help your recruiting team source at scale and reach a wider talent audience with a very targeted message (e.g. targeted by skills, location, occupation, etc.) Now you can also use video for Sponsored Updates and create an even more engaging experience with talent who may not have been exposed to your brand, driving them to your job opportunities or Career Page.

Our initial results show that LinkedIn members spend almost 3X more time watching video ads compared to time spent with static Sponsored Updates. 

If you want some creative inspiration to kick off your video campaign, check out what GE, Philips and Audi Canada are doing with video ads to highlight their company mission and thought leadership content.

Video for Sponsored Updates and Company Pages is rolling out and will be available to all businesses in the next few weeks. For more information, reach out to your sales rep.

Best practices for posting videos on LinkedIn

With videos generating such high engagement rates, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

1. Set a clear goal and success metrics. Think about what type of story you want to tell. Are you trying to attract people to your employer brand, or generate new job applications? Tailor the content accordingly and track how it performs.

2. Convey what’s in it for the audience. People engage and share videos that add value and have a clear “what’s in it for me” angle. Make sure that you convey that and help them see how your company will help them reach their goals and ambitions (or share tips and insights that will help them).

3. Grab the audience's attention in the first 3-5 seconds. Videos autoplay in the LinkedIn newsfeed so make sure the first few seconds really grab the audience’s attention. Also consider that most people have their sound off as they browse -- add captions to all your videos.

4. Experiment with different video length. Shorter videos get better completion rates, but longer videos perform equally well when trying to tell a complex story. Don’t get to bogged down in a precise length formula -- experiment with different formats to figure out what works best for your goals.

5. Create mobile-first video. Create video that not only looks good on a mobile screen, but build for a mobile mindset.