LinkedIn’s Guide for Optimal Use of LinkedIn Live

In February 2019, LinkedIn launched its featured live streaming option known as LinkedIn Live. However, the launching was not a general one, and the option was only provided to selected users in this country, and it is still not generally available throughout the U.S. In anticipation of a broader rollout of the product, LinkedIn has now published a 13-page guide which includes a number of tips and tricks, all with the intention of optimizing usage of LinkedIn live.It also includes a liberal supply of broadcast notes which can be used generally, even beyond the confines of the platform itself. According to company executives, LinkedIn Live allows companies to produce significant brand moments, tightening relationships with their followers, and increasing the level of engagement experienced on LinkedIn.According to platform executives, companies already using LinkedIn Live have been seeing as many as seven times more reactions and 24 times more comments on their live streams, as compared to any regular videos produced by those same companies. Those are lofty statistics indeed, and if they are anywhere close to being accurate as stated by LinkedIn, they're definitely worth considering.

Important explanation from the new guide

One of the most important points emphasized in the 13-page guide is the fact that LinkedIn Live is not really a standalone function on the platform. It is necessary to have a third-party video platform involved as well, in order to make use of the option. This requires a business user to choose a third-party broadcaster tool, and to facilitate this, the platform provides a resource hub which identifies participating broadcasters. A business can also choose to simply work with their LinkedIn account representative to set up a third-party broadcasting tool.A free trial period is included whenever a client selects a specific broadcaster, as well as a testing phase following setup. Some of the third parties which LinkedIn partners with include Switcher Studio, Restream, Socialive, Wirecast Studio, and Wowza. After a business user has made their broadcast tool selection, that tool must be integrated with LinkedIn, and this too is described in the resource hub, with specific instructions relating to each broadcasting tool.There will be step-by-step instructions for authentication of the new tool and for integrating it with the LinkedIn Page that a company wants to stream from. Support for the LinkedIn Live streaming process is also available from the resources hub, and from a company's account representative.The whole reason LinkedIn requires the involvement of a third-party broadcast tool is because it has made a conscious decision to make streaming from LinkedIn Live much more professional. Publishers are required to use a more advanced and sophisticated video tool for broadcasting, so as to eliminate the shakiness and unprofessional appearance that an iPhone might typically provide.

How LinkedIn Live can be used

Within the 13-page guide, LinkedIn provides some examples for how the streaming service might potentially be used by businesses, and even outlines a few cases where companies are already making use of the service to their advantage. For example, some universities are already using LinkedIn Live to broadcast celebratory moments, in one case announcing their new university president, and describing all the efforts that personnel went through to find the new executive.Another case described was related to talent branding, in which LinkedIn Live was used to feature some tremendous work done by PhD students at a particular university. During the broadcast, a full 60-minute video described how an assistant professor was showcasing some tremendous work done by her students, and the impact that it might have on the business world.Also included in the guide are some best practice tips for live broadcasts, including notes on general video production. The emphasis here is on more sophisticated and more advanced productions, rather than simply capturing spontaneous events.

More information from the guide

One more area of interest in the 13-page guide details some pointers which can be used for demonstrating the value of your live streaming efforts. These notes cover information on how to set goals, how to test effectively, and how to establish meaningful and relevant key performance indicators. The reason that KPI's must be established is so that you can understand the precise impact of your live video strategy, and so you will know whether or not your broadcasts are making a difference to your target audience. Some of the suggested KPI's include total live viewers, viewers during the live session and during replays, peak periods for concurrent live viewers, total number of engagements, total number of live engagements, and total engagements during replays.

Impact of the LinkedIn live guide

All in all, this is a very comprehensive look at what it takes to get setup for using LinkedIn Live streaming, with some very useful tips and notes about the entire process, and about broadcasting in general. It should certainly help anyone who is interested in the format to produce more professional broadcasts that will have great appeal to LinkedIn members.At present, the majority of LinkedIn business users still don't have access to LinkedIn Live, but that should not prevent you from browsing through the guide. It will be worth your while to gain an understanding of the emphasis that LinkedIn is placing on its streaming service, and it will also give you a chance to gain a heads-up on the whole process, in the event that you decide to make use of it. It is not yet known when the general rollout of LinkedIn Live will be announced, but in the meantime, it is possible for any company to apply for participation in the LinkedIn Live beta program.Any company desiring to establish a bigger presence on LinkedIn should consider using LinkedIn Live, as long as you're not scared off by the requirement of becoming involved with third-party video platform. That will add a certain cost element to your streaming, and it will certainly increase your commitment to LinkedIn streaming.You should keep in mind the statistics mentioned earlier on the effectiveness of using LinkedIn Live, in order to gain a more dedicated viewership from your audience. Apart from those impressive statistics, it should also be remembered that LinkedIn users are 20 times more likely to share videos on the network, than any other kind of post.