A few months back, I set out on a mission to post 30 days of video IN A ROW on LinkedIn.

No days off.
No excuses.
No overthinking.

So why did I decide to do it?

Well, we’ve ALL heard the buzz around video marketing, right? It’s apparently the holy grail when it comes to conversion.

SproutSocial explained, “More than half (54% to be exact) of marketers say video is the most valuable content type for achieving social media goals. Yet, video is also the most underutilized format across platforms, making up less than 14% as of January 2022.”

They go on to say, “93% of companies also report to have acquired new customers via social media video.”

And after hearing even more evidence like:

• Viewers retain 95% of a message when watched on video vs. 10% via text (Insivia)
• Marketers who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users (Wordstream)

I thought, “ALRIGHT, LET’S DO THIS.”

Plus, we know that video can accelerate relationships, it’s a no-brainer on a platform like LinkedIn that focuses on authentic connections.

I decided to create a little challenge for myself.

It was SIMPLE: 30 days of creating + posting video content on LinkedIn.
But, easy? Not exactly. 

I learned a ton throughout this experiment about everything from content creation, to thought leadership, and even confidence. And my takeaways weren’t what I expected them to be, so I’m excited to share my experience with you! Maybe you’ll walk away ready to do your OWN challenge.

How it Went

Posting video everyday for 30 days meant I had to leave ONE thing at the door: my excuses.

I couldn’t afford to second-guess how my hair looked or what background or lighting I had available. I couldn’t overthink ideas, and sometimes, I had to develop thoughts on the fly.

Because it was in the context of a challenge and I defined the parameters ahead of time (30 days, not a single one missed), it was a lot easier to hold myself accountable. The question I would ask myself was, “did I post a video that day?” If yes, I succeeded. If not, I was buckling down to do one at 9:00 pm.

I think the one thing I didn’t expect was that the results were secondary in my mind to the PRIMARY mission: JUST POST.

As leaders and high achievers, we often are unwilling to do something unless it’ll yield immediately visible results, and this challenge encouraged me to think differently. But more of that inside the lessons! 

Let’s get into what I learned and how I think it’s helpful moving forward.

3 Big Takeaways from 30 Days of Video on LinkedIn

I expected to learn some tactical things after being consistent with video. After posting video 5 times, I doubled my following! I made 8 sales after 8 video posts!

Well, nothing like that happened. What I learned was so much more helpful in my growth as a content creator, business owner, and leader. 

1. Progress isn’t linear, but it is compounding.

In the marketing world, as we learn to analyze conversions and assess the return on our efforts, we’re often looking for a LINEAR result. “This post led to THIS human taking THIS immediate action which led to THIS subsequent (and immediate) sale/conversation/hire.” Let’s get real, alright? The buying process (which mirrors the recruiting process, or anything where we aim for our content to yield an action) is no longer linear. How many times have you come across an ad, and then added it to your birthday list to purchase for yourself later? Every action we take may not lead to directly visible, immediate results. BUT, all of our actions when it comes to creating compelling content, building a Powerful Personal Presence, and growing your audience WILL compound toward exponential growth over time. Here’s the kicker, though. The compounding effect INCREASES with increased consistency. That means, if you post 30 times over 30 days, that’s going to have a greater compound effect than if you were to post the same 30 posts, 30 times, over the course of 6 months.

And while the focus was video, and LinkedIn’s algorithm values video, the growth wasn’t necessarily MORE. However, the growth in audience and sales traction was STRONGER over time. The new relationships I created as a result of my video content anchored and established MORE QUICKLY because I was giving people a 3D picture of me, my brand, and my expertise.

2. Sprints and challenges can be powerful tools for growth.

With that said, we can’t go “all out” 24/7 on content creation. It’s not sustainable. And when something goes past a defined time period, it starts to lose its novelty luster and can quickly become a drudge. However, I think creating our own “sprints” or “challenges” inside of our businesses and brands can be a powerful tactic because it takes you out of your comfort zone and gets rid of your excuses to forego the creative process. It’s also fun and rewarding!

So, whether you want to do 30 days of video like me, or even a 14-day carousel sprint or some other type of content accelerator, I say, “GO FOR IT!” Challenging ourselves is a great way to breathe life into our day-to-day and see business in a new way.

3. Becoming a thought leader is more habit than talent.

That whole “challenge” or “sprint” thing? Well, it’s simply a short and defined container in which you’re building a habit. I had to build habits and routines to “create creativity” rather than waiting for it to rain down on me. The more time I spend running my own business and reaching toward my version of success, the more I believe that being a true leader is much more about effectively building habits rather than possessing some amazing talent. And if that’s true, the AWESOME NEWS is that success is available to all of us if we’re willing to go out and build those habits every single day.

The Real Question: Should You Post Video for 30 Days on LinkedIn?

Ultimately, even though some of the conversations of content creators these days are a whole lot of whining and complaining about platforms encouraging video, here’s what I’ve come to believe:

We all KNOW video can do big things for us.

Now the job is less about convincing ourselves it matters and more about speaking the truth into ourselves that WE CAN CREATE VIDEO. You can! Right this second. There’s no prerequisite to creating video, as much as we’ve convinced ourselves that may be true.

So, should you post 30 days of video on LinkedIn? Whether you choose that type of content or choose to sprint with another type of content, the one thing I know is that your business grows when you hold yourself accountable to showing up consistently, no excuses allowed.

Have you ever done a content challenge of any kind? I’m also curious: are you using video in your marketing efforts? Send me a message on LinkedIn HERE and tell me more!