Dive Brief:
- LinkedIn is launching two new video capabilities on its platform: video for sponsored content and video on company pages, per a news release made available to Marketing Dive. More than 46% of B2B advertisers said finding a quality environment to reach decision-makers with video is a top challenge, according to an internal survey cited in the release.
- Video for Sponsored Content will live on the LinkedIn news feed as a standalone post, giving advertisers a native video ad option on the platform for the first time. Video is integrated with the platform’s Matched Audiences so users can target content with account-based marketing campaigns. Marketers can use the Conversion Tracking tool to measure the number of leads, website visits and other insights that video content generates. Sponsored Content video launched in private beta in October and has been tested by more than 700 advertisers. LinkedIn members spend nearly 3x more time watching video ads compared to static sponsored content, according to the release.
- Company Page video lets organizations share video content related to a company’s culture, products, news and events to help them attract talent and drive engagement and conversation. The videos are 5x more likely than other content formats to start a conversation. Both video for Sponsored Content and Company Pages will be available to all businesses in the next few weeks.
Dive Insight:
The addition of native video ads to LinkedIn could be powerful for marketers looking to reach business audiences, given the platform's already important role in digital marketing and how native video continues to grow thanks to its presence across a number of platforms, Facebook and Twitter. Native video can also help connect with mobile users.
Currently, Facebook represents 46% of all video ads created, a share that jumps to 74% when including video ads on Instagram, according to Clinch research. The demand for video inventory will only grow, as 78% of marketers plan to increase their video ads in 2018.
B2B video marketing, which LinkedIn is now making a little easier, can help businesses share knowledge, express themselves, build brand awareness and generate high-quality leads. From the platform’s beta testing, companies are seeing higher engagement with video ads compared to other formats.Companies planned to spend $135 billion on online video in 2017, 2x as much as on TV and 1.5x more than digital ads, according to Magisto research.
“Video stands out because it doesn't tell, but it shows. On a platform where there's more business content, the video stands out more, especially on LinkedIn,” Renske Siersema, social media manager at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, said in a statement, discussing the value of video in engaging with business audiences.
The new LinkedIn tools could help companies and brands streamline their video production, so that they can produce more content. According to the Magisto research, 56% of brands are creating videos at least once a week, with 26% creating it daily, 14% monthly and 18% annually.
