With video consumption rising on LinkedIn, the professional social network is adding new ways for marketers to tap into popular video content, with an expansion of its Wire program, which it’s now renaming as “BrandLink”.
As with its Wire offering, BrandLink enables brands to place their video ads alongside “premium publisher content” in the app. But now, LinkedIn’s expanding those placements to influencer content as well, as a first step towards facilitating creator monetization in the app.
As explained by LinkedIn:
“BrandLink delivers more relevant video content to members while also allowing advertisers to align with editorial content from trusted publishers and, now, some of the world’s top creator voices, including Steven Bartlett, Bernard Marr, Allie K. Miller, Rebecca Minkoff, Candace Nelson, Guy Raz, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Shelley Zalis.”
To clarify, LinkedIn’s Wire program, which was originally launched with selected partners in June last year, enables brands to place their ads in the pre-roll slot of video content from reputed publications, including Bloomberg, Business Insider, Forbes, and The Wall Street Journal.
LinkedIn expanded its Wire offering to EU publishers last October, and now, it’s extending it again, under the new BrandLink moniker, enabling marketers to place their LinkedIn promotions in the pre-roll of influencer video clips as well.
The selected creators will then take a cut of the ad revenue (LinkedIn hasn’t shared what that cut is as yet), which, eventually, will give LinkedIn a pathway to incentivizing more video posts, by opening up the same to more creators in the app.
It’s starting small, however, with only a few selected participants, along with the approved brands. But it could be a good option to help expand your brand messaging.
And again, with video content rising in the app, it is worth considering.
Time spent watching video posts in the app has increased by 36% year-over-year, while LinkedIn video content generates 1.4x more engagement than other post formats.
And initial participants in the Wire program have also seen strong results:
“Since launching BrandLink last June, advertisers are seeing, on average, a 130% higher video completion rate and 23% higher view rate when compared to standard video ads. They also find that members who view their BrandLink ads are up to 18% more likely to become a lead.”
It’s an interesting option, enabling safer video ad placement, and more valuable brand association, which also, as noted, will eventually provide a pathway for LinkedIn to get more creators posting more video content to the app.
You can learn more about BrandLink here.
