What Are LinkedIn Stories & Should I Be doing Them?

I’ve written previously about LinkedIn and why it’s a social media platform unlike any other, largely because it’s less a place to share kitten pictures and more a powerful market for networking and building up business contacts.

In what some may consider a surprising move, LinkedIn has taken the bold step of emulating the likes of Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, by introducing ephemeral video feature LinkedIn Stories.

They are roughly 20-second videos that remain on the professional platform for 24 hours before being automatically deleted, and they can only be created using a smartphone, not a desktop computer.

To create your own LinkedIn Story, go into the LinkedIn app, click the ‘post’ button at the bottom and look for a new button titled ‘share a story’. Click on it, and you can begin recording, or take a customisable picture.

Unlike Facebook and Instagram, LinkedIn Stories don’t offer a preview and you can’t create a thumbnail to engage viewers, so your LinkedIn profile will be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to enticing people to play your video.

• Given users only watch up to 60% of a Story, targeting your audience and making the right impression are both crucial, so make sure you grab their attention and get your brand front and centre.

• Do your research before filming to make sure you’re also speaking to your ideal customer’s desires, needs and pain points.

• Be authentic – always remember, people connect with people.

• If you’re eager to engage a large company or organisation, namecheck them at the start of the video when the majority of the audience is watching. 

• Make sure to end your LinkedIn Story with a bang – and that all-important call to action!

Now you’re up to speed on how to create LinkedIn Stories, the next step is using them to effectively market your business.

1. Offer value. Use the short-form clip to launch a new product, service or sale. Are you able to take on a task your ideal customer hates doing? Can you pass on free information with a how-to video? Try to think as creatively as possible.
2. It’s expected that, like Facebook, LinkedIn Stories users will scroll faster on mobile than a desktop, so waste no time in cementing your brand and its values into their hearts and minds. Get your message across quickly and memorably. 
3. Whether you’re posting to celebrate a milestone, point out a competitor’s pain point, or let your followers know you’re on the way to the office to smash it for another day, make sure you talk about how everything impacts your business’ performance. 
4. LinkedIn Stories may be off-the-cuff, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s a platform for rubbish. Your videos need to be authentic but throwing up content that has no purpose or objective could harm your brand. Remember: 24 hours can be a long time in business…

So, there’s a lot more to LinkedIn Stories than giving users a chance to offer a glimpse at their life outside the office.

It has the potential to be a deft, direct and incredibly useful tool and one that could put a human face on many firms. If you want guidance on how to create content that will drive engagement and help your business grow, please get in touch or subscribe to my mailing list.