Want to win at LinkedIn? Video is key to harnessing the network’s power

Advisors who want to harness the power of LinkedIn need to think seriously about video and tapping into the the support of their co-workers and customers, according to Ellie Weed, the company’s head of industry for financial services.

“The creator opportunity is one where you can break away and have a point of view,” she said, during a presentation at Future Proof in Huntington Beach, California Tuesday. “We're seeing it on other social platforms, but the video moment has come to LinkedIn, and it's the format that's what we say is doing the most work for us right now.”

Weed explained that video gets three times more engagement, and also gets views and engagement from decision-makers.

So, what can advisors do to boost their profile on LinkedIn?

The importance of authenticity

“What we see is that authenticity is what works, and that really prevails,” Weed said. The LinkedIn head of industry described five different “buckets” that can define successful video content creators on the platform - educator or demonstrator, executive leadership, reactor or commentator, sketch and skit creator, and interviewer panelist format.

All creators, however, benefit from a strong start to each of their videos. “The key to video is out of the gate - the first 3 seconds is kind of the whole game,” she said, adding that opinions matter, especially the hot takes.

Weed points to the LinkedIn presence of Blackstone COO Jon Gray as particularly noteworthy. “He has brilliantly started a running series where he has someone follow him through Central Park while he goes on a run and provides commentary on the markets,” she said. “And he has gotten such a following, it's like Forrest Gump in Central Park.”

Peter Mallouk, president and CEO of private wealth management firm Creative Planning, also deserves attention. “What Peter does really well is strike a balance between having thought leadership in financial services and like the broader landscape,” said Weed. Mallouk, she added, also posts a lot of heartwarming content.

The power of internal and external networks

She also urged advisors to tap into the power of their customers and co-workers. “Your customers and your clients can be an advocate and validate [your content],” she said, noting that employees are the most untapped opportunity for any firm.

LinkedIn’s data shows that the connections of a company’s employees, are on average 12 times bigger than the followers of a company page, according to Weed.

With regard to the Large Language Models underpinning the bold new world of AI, Weed said that people with 3,000 followers or more are likely to be credited in the LLMs. “It strengthens your credibility signals and it increases that discoverability,” she added.

Research released by Gallup last month found that 26% of U.S. adults and 23% of Canadian adults have sought financial guidance from news, media, and social media in the past 12 months. This, however, is dwarfed by the proportion of people doing their own internet research – 73% of U.S. adults and 59% of Canadian adults.

LinkedIn as a trusted source

LinkedIn’s own research has found that one in three of the platform’s members have made wealth and financial independence a top 3 life goal, according to Weed.

“We also see that 62% of LinkedIn members – I love this one – say they'd rather invest a large sum of money into their savings than spend it on a luxury purchase,” she said. “So these are the people that really care about their long-term wealth more so than people who are spending time on other social platforms.”

“We do have the audience on LinkedIn, and they're in the right mindset,” she added. “We like to say people come to LinkedIn to invest time.”

People trust wealth management content on LinkedIn, according to Weed, who noted that half of the people surveyed said they trust financial influencers on LinkedIn more than any other social platform.