Satya Nadella-led Microsoft-owned professional networking platform LinkedIn is set to launch a new video experience in India. This move aims to tap into the booming short-form video market, currently valued at $5.5 billion. LinkedIn has observed a significant 60% increase in video uploads in India, compared to a 45% global increase. The platform plans to leverage this trend to enhance user engagement related to knowledge sharing, career coaching, and professional development.
Why is LinkedIn Focusing on Video Content?
Gyanda Sachdeva, LinkedIn’s Vice-President of Product Management, emphasized the company’s vision to create economic opportunities for every professional. “When we think about LinkedIn and our vision, which is to create economic opportunities for every professional in the workforce, we realize we can increase these opportunities by using video content,” Sachdeva said. By increasing the frequency of economic opportunities through knowledge sharing via video content, LinkedIn aims to better serve its users.
Ajay Dutta, Head of Product Management at LinkedIn India, added, “We are seeing incredible engagement from our members, who are using LinkedIn to stay updated on job trends, build networks, and gain knowledge. Every minute on LinkedIn, nearly 6 people are hired, over 9,000 connections form, and more than 100 hours of learning content is consumed.”
What Kind of Content Will Be Featured?
LinkedIn’s video content will focus on areas such as knowledge sharing, news, skilling, professional development, career coaching, workplace culture, interview preparation, and resume building. Sachdeva mentioned, “On LinkedIn, common use cases for video content will include product launches, earnings releases, and other announcements.”
Additionally, light-hearted content such as corporate humor is expected to be popular among users.
Aiming to Make Knowledge Sharing More Immersive and Meaningful
The new swipe-based video feature aims to make knowledge sharing more immersive and meaningful, helping professionals benefit from the collective wisdom and shared experiences of their networks. Dutta explained, “Our new video experience aims to make knowledge sharing more immersive and meaningful, enabling members to benefit from the collective wisdom and shared experiences of their networks.”
This initiative comes at a time when 60% of India’s internet users, over 350 million people, are consuming video content.
Partnering with Top Entrepreneur Creators
To drive engagement, LinkedIn plans to collaborate with top entrepreneur creators such as Jay Singh, business leader Namita Thapar, and YouTuber Arun Prabhudesai. The company also has plans to monetize the video offering through advertisements and collaborations. Sachdeva highlighted their selective approach, stating, “We don’t really care about any other subset of content such as fitness, parenting, or fashion, which is popular on other platforms.”
Overall, LinkedIn’s new short-video feature in India aims to enhance user engagement through knowledge sharing, career coaching, and professional development. By focusing on professional content and collaborating with top creators, LinkedIn hopes to make a significant impact in the short-form video market.
