LinkedIn on Thursday launched its enhanced updates feature, which enables users to add images, documents and presentations to updates from the homepage. Videos and other types of “rich media” hosted on an external Web property can also be included in an update via pasting the URL into the enhanced update box.
It's little wonder that visually charged content is more successful in capturing consumers' attention.
"Whether it’s a thought-provoking presentation about the future of big data or it’s a picture of an inspirational quote, or perhaps it’s an infographic showing the top trends impacting your industry, the possibilities are endless for what you can share on LinkedIn to add a richer and more visual component to your professional discussions," said Itamar Orgad, LinkedIn's senior project manager, on the LinkedIn blog.
With that in mind, check out this excerpt from PR News’ Digital PR Guidebook, Vol. 5., with a hat tip to Mark Manoff, managing director of News Broadcast Network, an online media and broadcast company:
Online Video 101: 10 Steps to a Successful Video Campaign
Video is more important than ever—for better search results, for attracting visitors to your website and to influence audiences that demand visuals, not text. Here are the basics for creating a video that will break through the clutter and motivate a viewer to share it with friends and colleagues.
▶ Define your target audience: Understanding the audience you want to reach will dictate the style, imagery and content of your video. It will also help ensure any humor you use will elicit smiles rather than groans.
▶ Grab the audience in the first 10-15 seconds: More than 10% of your audience will be gone in the first 10 seconds and over 50% will depart within the first minute. Front-load your video, placing compelling visuals at the beginning. Don’t hold your call to action until the end.
▶ Keep it short: Two minutes and under is best. Three minutes is pushing it. Audiences consume information in short bursts, often while engaged with something else. Go on too long and you’re sure to lose them. Look for the “money shot” and put it up front.
▶ Maintain professional production values: The days of bad audio and shadowy online visuals are way behind us. Your video doesn’t have to be elegant. But it must be well lit and shouldn’t be shaky. Use a tripod when you shoot.
▶ Don’t pan or zoom: Too much movement online makes your video look jittery.
▶ Make the video a visual representation of your brand—but not a commercial: Every detail should contribute to your brand message. Humor is a key element of online video but make sure it enhances your brand image. Every visual and person in the video should be carefully chosen to represent what your product or organization stands for.
▶ Shoot extra footage for future use: During production planning, plan for potential upcoming video needs: a sales meeting, trade show, or employee gathering. Save money on future production costs by shooting extra video and interviews appropriate for the future events.
▶ Control the thumbnail: The thumbnail is the still frame that displays when your video is first loaded. It’s effectively an advertisement for your video so make sure it’s distinctive and enticing for your potential audience.
▶ Go beyond YouTube: YouTube is the gold standard of video sharing sites but don’t overlook all the other sites that attract millions of viewers each day. Particularly focus on the specialty sites that attract your target audience.
▶ Conduct an ongoing promotional campaign: You should invest just as much creativity and effort in promoting your video as you did in creating it. Over a period of weeks or even months use every online tactic: comment on appropriate blogs and include a link to the video; write a description and title that focuses on key words for the best SEO; make sure the video link is part of your tweets and LinkedIn messages.
For more tips and best practices on how to navigate the digital terrain PR News' Digital PR Guidebook, Vol. 5.
Follow Lucia Davis: @LKCDavis