Last month LinkedIn finally joined the video craze with the launch of a few new features that will allow users to record and upload videos via the LinkedIn iOS and Android mobile apps. Since its beta release, LinkedIn has touted that video content is being shared 20 times more than any other content.

The long awaited features make a lot of sense when you consider that 85 percent of U.S. internet users watch online video, and Mary Meeker in her well-known "Internet Trends" report, predicted that 74 percent of all online traffic will come from online video this year. When you add a recent survey on top of that, which found that 60 percent of marketers and small businesses plan to increase investment in video, you can see why we should all be paying attention.

Here are five things you should consider as video continues to steal more and more mindshare online:

  1. Video Will Become Ever More Important Within Your Content Mix

    While LinkedIn has ventured into video with the relatively simple functionality of recording and uploading a video, word on the street is that in the coming months they’ll be releasing live video, one-to-one video chats as well as video and advertising for brands.

  2. It’s Still About Earning Attention

    Attention spans are short so keep your audience’s in mind when developing your content strategy. It still comes down to great content, optimized for your audience’s realities. Keep videos consumable (30-60 seconds) and mobile friendly. For human voices like executives and employees, have them focus on sharing one core message or idea per video so you don’t overwhelm viewers into exiting your post.

  3. Yes, You Should Measure Performance

    You’re able to measure success right out the gate and see how well your videos are performing. After posting a video, you’ll be able to monitor audience insights such as the top companies, titles and locations of your viewers, as well as how many views, likes, and comments your videos are receiving. You can find these invaluable audience insights in the dashboard section of your LinkedIn profile - on both mobile and desktop - and you should use them to help inform and optimize future video content.

  4. ‘Viewing Time’ Will Be A Key Metric

    An important metric for video will always be the ‘viewing time’ and how long users are watching any given piece of content. This will help determine the overall quality of the content (e.g. if people actually find it interesting) and if key messages are delivered (e.g. if 80% drop off after ten seconds, they most likely missed your key message).

  5. Keep Your Finger On The Pulse

    The new features are exciting for users and brands but there are a few potential threats to keep in mind including the feed itself and how ‘loud’ it gets as more and more people begin to share. Some considerations as LinkedIn continues to release new video features:

  • How will the addition of video impact your content strategy? Will static posts begin to get drowned out by the frequency of videos being shown in the feed?

  • Similar to what we’ve seen with Facebook, will the LinkedIn algorithm give more authority to video and thus more organic reach?

  • What style of video performs best? Human and authentic video is likely to be best received. Branded content if done right may also play a significant role in the future as brands start to use the new tools to deliver key messages and promote their marketing and communication programs.

Paul Harrer is a vice president on the strategy team based in San Francisco.