What is the right content to broadcast on LinkedIn Live?
Marketing channels are not interchangeable – Facebook is not Twitter is not YouTube – which is why it’s important to tailor content for each one.
After the launch of live video on LinkedIn, we discussed why LinkedIn Live signifies the opening up of a new channel – combining as it does a uniquely compelling format with a 600-million-strong B2B and professional audience.
Here, we explore how best to leverage this novel channel. Specifically, we’ll discuss guideposts for LinkedIn Live content and outline 14 ways to use live video for LinkedIn.
Guideposts for planning & producing LinkedIn Live content
When devising your LinkedIn Live content strategy, it’s crucial to keep in mind the qualities that distinguish the channel and aim for content that aligns with – and springboards off – those qualities.
There are three key aspects of LinkedIn Live that can serve as guideposts for creating appropriate and effective content:
Appeal to a B2B and professional audience
The makeup of the LinkedIn community is different from, say, that of Facebook or Twitter.
Where the latter are broadly consumer platforms, LinkedIn represents a community of organizations, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
When brainstorming for LinkedIn Live, ask whether a piece of content – in both substance and style – would appeal and provide value to a business and professional audience.
Nurture the LinkedIn community
The ethos of the LinkedIn community is also unique – focusing as it does on brand building, career growth, and sharing business news and ideas.
That spirit is more defined than consumer platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which tend to be more freewheeling and agnostic when it comes to use.
As such, remember to craft content that is in harmony with the prevailing norms and etiquette of the LinkedIn space. Thought leadership, for instance, is good; blaring buy-now promotions are not.
Maintain an elevated tone & aesthetic
Relatedly, the conversation on LinkedIn occurs at a higher register than the playful chatter on social platforms.
As a professional networking site, LinkedIn naturally favors a more polished presentation, in tone and packaging. That doesn’t preclude personality, but it does mean avoiding an overly casual manner.
Prepare content, therefore, that matches the professionalism of the LinkedIn environment by selecting thoughtful, substantial subject matter, but also realizing an elevated tone and style.
Generally, think of LinkedIn Live as a potent top-funnel marketing channel – an avenue for sparking awareness and building goodwill for your brand.
14 content ideas for LinkedIn Live
Practically, there are many ways to avail yourself of the powerful channel LinkedIn Live represents – one which affords you the singular opportunity to engage your audience in real time.
Using LinkedIn Live effectively can help:
- Humanize your brand
- Convey your organization’s story
- Demonstrate your thought leadership
- Educate & inform your audience
- Nurture a community of stakeholders
- Attract business opportunities & collaborators
- Spur interest around your current & future offerings
Here are some ideas to kick off your content planning:
1. Interviews & discussions
Host live conversations with company leaders, industry figures, experts, and influencers, to shape conversations and establish your organization’s thought leadership.
2. Tutorials & demonstrations
Educate your audience and reinforce your expertise by showcasing innovations, prototypes, and finished products or services via real-time demos.
3. Live presentations
Present stories, explain ideas or hypotheses, pitch solutions, walk through business plans, or summarize findings or results through live presentations.
4. Company news & announcements
Keep current and potential stakeholders apprised of your company’s latest news and developments through one-off or regular live broadcasts.
5. Insights & analysis
Demonstrate your thought leadership by explicating or interpreting the latest developments in your industry.
6. Tips & best practices
Provide your audience with practical information, advice, and skills about how to succeed in your space as an entrepreneur or employee, or how to make best use of your products or services.
7. Q&A’s or AMA’s
Field and answer live questions from your LinkedIn Live audiences to engage and galvanize your followers.
8. Fireside chats & CEO diaries
Humanize your brand through live dispatches from company leaders that describe their professional or personal journeys.
9. Live tours
Conduct live tours of your storefronts, offices, or facilities to unwrap experiences and services.
10. Behind the scenes
Showcase your company culture to build brand affinity by inviting audiences into strategy sessions.
11. R&D testing
Give your audience an inside look at the product-development process to reinforce your expertise and generate interest around upcoming offerings.
12. Branded shows
Create a regular broadcast around subjects relevant to your company, industry, and stakeholders.
13. Product reveals
Build buzz and interest around new products or services – and, by extension, your brand – by broadcasting product launches.
14. Live events
Most intuitively, you can use live broadcasts to expand access to physical events, such as ceremonies, conventions, and conferences.
TL;DR, your content should match your channel.
LinkedIn Live is a more defined channel than other social platforms; nevertheless, there are countless ways to craft and curate content that appeals to and activates your audience.
Heed the guideposts above, and experiment with various kinds of content to find what works for you and your organization.
If you want to learn more about how LinkedIn Live is a massive value-add for content marketers, check out our guide on how to get the most out of LinkedIn Live.