The simple answer is Yes and No.

A frequent question I am often asked is whether they should include a video on their LinkedIn profile. I always say ‘Yes, if you have/can get one – but it should not be your only item’.

Here is why.

Video is perfect for letting people spend time ‘with you’ and gain an insight into you and your company. Seeing you in motion, talking, and sharing your insights accelerates the speed at which someone develops trust in you and it has numerous advantages.

However, when you consider how your prospect will generally interact with LinkedIn, you’ll quickly start to understand why you also need a SlideShare alongside it to compliment.

People browse LinkedIn from multiple locations at multiple times in a day. If they are in an office or public place without headphones, they are unlikely to watch the video as it will disturb people around them or draw attention to them.

If you have a really good profile that has drawn them in then they may be motivated to dig out their headphones and watch (this is what we really want them to do), but if they are interested and simply can’t watch the video, then having the slides next to them with the same message provides them with an extra option and another chance for you to engage your prospect (or sell them on the value of plugging in their headphones).

Slides also allow your prospect to control how fast they consume your content because they can click through at their own speed. A video doesn’t let you do this. You can also use hyperlinks* within the slides to direct people and navigate them into your sales funnel. (*Hyperlinks become active after the fourth slide.)

When designing your LinkedIn profile your prospect should always be at the front of your mind. Consider how they are approaching the profile, what they need to know and after this is done aim to answer questions before they’ve asked them. You have a powerful opportunity here to educate your prospect on how to buy your services and establish a strong working relationship from the outset.

N.B. While videos are nice to have, don’t forget to make your point within the first 20-30 seconds. Consumers of content on LinkedIn won’t hang around and wait for you to get to the point. Draw them in quickly with carefully designed content.