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LinkedIn Live: Everything You Need To Know

Social Media Marketing

If you’re somebody who creates regular content on LinkedIn, you’re going to want to read this blog!

LinkedIn has transformed itself from a resume-led professional networking site to a dynamic B2B hub where business leaders, entrepreneurs, and professionals can share ideas and connect.  

To further strengthen the platform’s ability to bring the professional community together, help them stay connected to each of their communities, and meet customers wherever they may be, LinkedIn launched a live streaming feature called “LinkedIn Live”.  

If you’re wondering what it is, think of it like Facebook or Instagram Live, but with a professional twist.

LinkedIn Live was originally launched in 2019 as an invite-only beta version for users in the US. Today, it’s available for pages too!  

This is great news, especially for brands, businesses, and LinkedIn influencers who want to drive more engagement, build deeper connections, and get discovered.

In 2019, internet users across the globe watched more than 1.1 billion hours of live video. We do not doubt that with this new live streaming feature released live streaming will continue to gain traction among its audiences, specifically among the professional community.

As an SEO company in Fort Lauderdale that believes in the power of live streaming, we are going to share with you everything you need to know about LinkedIn Live and how you can use it to grow your business.

Without any more delays, let’s get started!

What Is LinkedIn Live?

LinkedIn Live is a virtual event solution that gives you an opportunity to stay connected to your communities, extend your reach, and engage with your audience in real-time.

Just like other live-streaming services, you can use this feature to host live events, such as Q&A sessions, interviews, behind-the-scenes access, and whatnot., and your professional audiences can directly interact with you.  

You can also use this feature to get to know your professional audiences more and engage with them in ways you haven’t been able to do before.  

Now that you know what LinkedIn Live is, let’s discuss how you can go live on the platform.  

5 Steps to Start Using the LinkedIn Live Feature

illustration of phone with video optimized for SEO in Fort Lauderdale

Before you can use the new LinkedIn Live feature, you need to apply to have it added to your profile. Once you’ve been approved, you can start going live in your LinkedIn profile, LinkedIn Page, or Event.  

Step 1: Apply for LinkedIn Live

To apply, submit an access request by completing a form. The application form will ask you where you want to live stream. Do you want to do it on your profile or on your business page? Then, you’ll have to attach the link to the page you want to stream from  

If you choose to stream from a business page, you’ll have to include the profile URLs of the page admins. Once you're done filling out the form, submit it and wait for the approval.  

It usually takes around a couple of weeks to get approved, while some say it took them months. Keep on checking to make sure you don’t miss any notification that you’ve finally been given access to LinkedIn live

Step 2: Choose a Streaming Tool

Currently, LinkedIn doesn’t offer native streaming. You’ll have to sign up with one of their five preferred third-party streaming tools to be able to go live.  

For a seamless experience, LinkedIn recommends you choose among their following partners:

  • Restream
  • Socialive
  • StreamYard
  • Switcher Studio
  • Vimeo

You also have the option to connect directly to a streaming software like Zoom or WebEx, or an encoder.

Step 3: Activate Creator Mode

Creator mode is a profile setting that gives you access to additional tools and features, including LinkedIn Live and LinkedIn Newsletters, which you can use to create high-quality video content and grow your audience base on LinkedIn.  

When you activate creator mode on your profile or business page, the following changes are applied:

  • Instead of having a Connect button on your profile, it will change to a Follow button.
  • Your profile will present how many followers you have, rather than the number of connections.
  • You can use hashtags to show the topics you post about in your profile introduction.  
  • The Activity and Featured sections will be moved to the top of your profile to highlight your original content.  

To turn on LinkedIn Creator mode on your profile, you need to meet LinkedIn’s access criteria first. Once you do, you can turn on creator mode with these steps:

  • At the top of your homepage, you will find a Me button. Make sure to click it.  
  • Click the View profile button.
  • Under your dashboard, you can find the Creator mode: Off button. Click on it.
  • A preview pop-up window will appear; click on the Next button.
  • Add hashtags to indicate what type of content users will find on your profile.
  • Click Save.
  • Follow the instructions to turn on creator mode.

If you feel like you’re not the influencer type and creator mode is not for you, you can choose to turn it off. You won’t lose access to live video, but you will no longer have access to newsletters.

Step 4: Connect Your Third-Party Tool with LinkedIn

After you’ve been approved for LinkedIn Live and you’ve signed up for your streaming tool of choice, it’s time to connect them.  

To do this, log in to your third-party tool and figure out where you can add streaming destinations.  

Then, click on the LinkedIn profile and connect from there.  

Step 5: Write a Title and Short Description for Your Live Video

Once your tools are all connected, you’re finally ready to go live! Just click on the Start Streaming or Go Live button.  

Before you go live, however, don’t forget to write a title and a short description that accurately describes what your viewers can expect to see in your video. Oh, and make sure you optimize it for SEO in Fort Lauderdale to increase your visibility. This will help get your target audience interested in your live stream.  

Different Ways You Can Use LinkedIn’s Live Stream Feature

group of entrepreneurs in front of video equipment starting live video

You can incorporate LinkedIn Live as a part of your marketing plan and expand your reach by tapping into business leaders and the professional community. Below are the different ways you can use this live streaming service to help grow your business online:

  1. Host Virtual Events

Putting together a virtual event is a great way to capture the attention of your target audience. You’ll also be able to gather data, grow your business network, expand your reach, and generate ideas for content creation.  

You can host a virtual event to launch a new product feature, get your audience to participate in high-level conversations, showcase your latest products or services, and many more.  

Experts say that hybrid events are going to be big next year, so consider hosting one to increase your brand awareness and keep your company at the top of your target audience’s minds.  

  1. Understand Your Target Audience Better

There’s no better way to connect with your audience and get to know them on a deeper level than by interacting with them directly. Through LinkedIn Live, you can chit chat with your audience, get acquainted, and establish a bond of trust.

You can use this as an opportunity to find out what topics they want to hear more from you, what their current pain points are, and how you can stay relevant to them.  

With live streaming, you can create a level of transparency with your followers and show them you're trustworthy, earning their trust in the process.  

  1. Keep Your Community Updated

Stay connected with your community and keep them in the loop with the latest developments in your business and industry through LinkedIn Live.  

Aside from the fact that it helps keep your business at the top of your audience’s minds, maintaining regular communication with your customers is also essential to make them feel that you genuinely care about them and that they belong.  

Updating them with what’s going on in your business, whether you’re launching a new product or making changes to your company procedure, also helps make them feel more connected to you, and in turn, increase their loyalty.  

  1. Recruit New Talents

Is your business expanding and do you need to hire new people on your team or are looking to outsource? You can use LinkedIn Live to let your viewers know what positions are open, what kind of individuals you're looking to hire, and answer questions from possible candidates.

LinkedIn is a great platform to find the best talents and companies in their respective fields.  

  1. Establish Yourself as an Expert

To gain the trust of your target customers and convince them to do business with you, you need to show them that you’re good at what you do. How can you exactly do that? Offer free expert advice.

Consider starting a speaker series where you discuss a topic and its subtopics thoroughly, invite other guests to speak with you, and encourage your viewers to participate.  

You can also use this live streaming platform to do a live demo, debunk myths and, and share product hacks or tips - the possibilities are endless!

LinkedIn Live Best Practices

picture of employee doing live streaming of seminar

Did you know that LinkedIn Live videos tend to get seven times more reactions and 24 times more comments than regular video content produced by the same content creators?  

With the right topic and by following the best practices below, we’re pretty sure you can drive engagements on this live streaming service too!

  • Identify Your Target Audience: Who are you making content for? You must identify who your target audience is first and gain a better understanding of them before you start streaming videos. This way, you know what topics to cover, from which angle to approach, and how you can pique their interest to make sure they watch your live streaming. Otherwise, it'll be hard to create content that resonates with your ideal customers.  
  • Prepare a Live Streaming Strategy: For your live event to be successful, you should have a strategy in place. A strategy can prevent you from losing sight of what marketing goals you aim to achieve with your live videos and help keep you on track throughout your LinkedIn Live broadcasts.

Your strategy should include what type of content you should create, what topics to cover, when you'll create them, and how you're going to distribute and promote your live videos.  

  • Optimize Your Set-Up: A successful LinkedIn Live should have a strong internet connection, good lighting, the right topics to discuss, great audio equipment, and so on. Although your live videos don't need to be perfect, they should be professional.  

You should also consider writing a script or an outline to serve as a guide so you won’t get off track with your topic.  

  • Create a Schedule and Follow it Consistently: Assess which day of the week and time your target audience is most active on the platform and try to create a schedule based on this information.  

This will surely get you more people to join your live event. You should also be consistent with your schedule and follow it to a T.  

Imagine looking forward to a live selling video only to get disappointed because the seller wasn’t available and had to move it to another schedule. Not only is this frustrating, but it also creates poor brand perception.  

To keep your audience happy and satisfied, pick a specific time and day to go live each month and keep your audience in the loop about the upcoming live videos to keep them excited.  

  • Promote Your Live Event: Social media is the place to be when you’re looking to drive more people to watch your live video. Use a video teaser about your upcoming live stream to grab their attention. Be sure to include a short description of what your audience can expect from the event, and encourage them to share and like your videos to draw a more extensive viewer base.  
  • Practice, Practice, Practice: Unless you’re born to be an influencer, you’ll have to practice speaking in front of the camera. Test your microphone, lighting, camera set-up, audio, and internet connection before going live. This will help avoid any bloopers and other on-air mishaps.  
  • Make Sure Your Live Videos Last for At Least 15 Minutes

Viewers usually take time before they settle in. And, sometimes, you need to do a little gimmick just to relieve tension or get the conversation going. So, take your time when doing live videos.  

  • Include a CTA

You don't want your live videos to be too promotional or sales-y since people are usually turned off by such. Instead, subtly insert a call to action in the middle of your live event or the end. Just see to it that you package it in a way that doesn't sound like you're trying to sell your viewers your products and services.  

Including a CTA in your description can also help drive clicks.  

Take Your Business to the Next Level with LinkedIn Videos

Thanks to LinkedIn Live, you can now attract, engage, and drive more business leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs to your business in ways you’ve never done before!

If the professional community is your target audience, this new feature is something you want to take advantage of. Live streaming will not only help your business gain traction, but the right strategy can also increase your visibility online and put you ahead of your competitors.  

Digital Resource is an SEO company in SEO Fort Lauderdale. If you need help coming up with a LinkedIn Live strategy to match your overall marketing tactics for 2022, we can help! Our team of digital marketing specialists and SEO experts will work together to put your business ahead of the curve.  

Contact us today if you want to know how we can provide value to your company!  

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