Elevate your personal profile with video

Did you know you can add video to your personal profile in different places?

The key places are in your Featured Section, and your Experience Section.

We used to be able to add it to our personal profile photo, but that was removed. Maybe it will return when this new short form video service is rolled out.

Why does video work so well?

Before we discuss all the places, let me explain why video works so well.

When you watch a video, you are using two senses - audio and visual. As humans, we connect with people when we see and hear them speak.

Of course, you need people to turn the sound on for them to hear you, which doesn't happen on LinkedIn much.

I wanted to use the stat that people connect with visuals 60,000 times faster than text but as I was fact-checking, apparently there is no scientific basis for this claim! (https://policyviz.com/2015/09/17/the-60000-fallacy/) I do believe that people connect faster with images though - which is backed up by this study at MIT:

https://news.mit.edu/2014/in-the-blink-of-an-eye-0116

We are not neuroscientists though (I'm not anyway). So let's look at this another way.

Video Analogy at the in-person conference

Let's imagine we are back at our in-person conference.

You are passing by the sponsor booths and you spot a company that sells a product you are interested in. Maybe they are an Email Marketing company.

You'd like some more information on their services and they look friendly enough. Maybe they have some of those free chocolates you love on the stand.

You head over to the booth. There are a few ways you can get the information you want.

• Speak to the person running the booth
• Eavesdrop on the conversation the sales person at the booth is having with someone else
• Pick up a flyer or leaflet
• Watch a screen demo they have set up at their booth if they have one

Which of these do you think will engage you the most?

I would imagine speaking to the person. But actually, when I have seen demonstration videos at a booth, I find it becomes a much quicker way to find out if this is the right tool or company for me.

Video serves the same purpose here on LinkedIn.

When you go shopping, do you prefer to walk around the shop having a look at things first, or do you speak to the shop sales person who asks if you need anything?

I think the answer depends on where you are in the buying cycle.

On LInkedIn, a lot of your potential clients are in the 'having a look' phase. So they want to do their own 'window shopping'. And when you have a video they can watch passively, instead of having to get on a call with you to discuss the services you offer, they will jump on that opportunity.

What are the other equivalents on LinkedIn?

• You speaking to the person is your direct messaging once you are at the next level of buying interest
• The eavesdropping is you reading the conversations in the comments on the 'speaker's article or post
• The leaflet is your article or the blog on your website
• The screen demo is your video

Where to include video on your profile

It turns out you can add video or media files to lots of your profile. The key areas to concentrate on are the Featured Section and the Experience Section.

1 . The Featured Section

This is the highlight reel of your personal profile.

If you don't see a Featured section on your own profile, you might not have set this up yet. How to create it: go to your Profile and click on 'Add Section'. The Featured Section appears in the 'Recommended' drop down menu.

What kind of videos should you create here?

Keep them short.

The ideal length for a video here is probably under one minute long.

The role of this video can change over time.

For example, I have linked to a short video from my recent speaking experience at Uplift Live on my profile. The core reason for this is that I am currently having conversations with at least two conference organisers and they have both asked for video of me speaking at previous events.

You could add in an introductory video here. Speak into the camera and say hello to the people who are visiting your profile.

Here are a few examples.

Gillian Whitney , a livestream strategist and coach, has links to video content of how to feel comfortable on camera in her Featured Section

Ciaran Armstrong uses his Featured Section to highlight his passion for his cause and is pinning posts rather than creating a separate video link.

Ciaran is doing a series of runs for Climate Action and you can see the impact and message coming across clearly in the video below ??

To add video to this section, you either need to link to a website which stores your video, such as Vimeo or YouTube, or you can upload a video post to LinkedIn, and 'pin' it to your Featured Section.

Both work well, however it is my opinion that the link out to another site creates a slightly cleaner look and feel.

2. Your Experience Section

Adding video to other sections boosts your profile. In the cases of the other areas of your profile, you want to share links to relevant videos.

For example, if your Experience section includes 'Podcast Host' and you have a link to a podcast video, use this here. ??

Not only does this add extra weight to your profile, but the formatting is excellent. Great job LinkedIn!

You can also add video to these sections - Honors & Awards, Volunteering and Education.

For the Education section, I think this would be really powerful if you can upload video content from your final portfolio or if you have a speech you have given relating to your qualification or a demo of a tool you created, add it in!

You can add media to existing Education by clicking on the little pencil icon on your Education, scroll to the bottom of the pop upbox and click on Add Media.

To add video, you must have an external link to add here. You cannot upload video onto your profile directly.

Set yourself apart

As you can see, adding video to your profile can really set you apart from your competitors. It can take a little bit of time to add video to your profile, but I believe it is worth the effort.

What video content can you add to your profile?

I'd love to hear from you if you have other ideas on this (we can maybe discuss including it in the book!)