I'm just going to start out by saying nobody that I have met likes doing and watching videos of themself. At least at first. So if you are feeling an aversion to doing video akin to a 3 year's aversion to eating brussel sprouts you're not alone.
Having said that, I'm now going to give some tough love, and tell you you need to get over it.
When you’re a business owner, particularly in a relationship driven field where people are buying you as well as your service, there is no better way to stand out than having video content.
Notice I didn't say fantastic video content, or even great content. The most important thing your video needs to do is to talk to a particular "person" {your target consumer} and address a particular pain point they are having, or a way you particularly can serve them well. Your video skills likely aren't going to be great at the beginning but they WILL get better. I promise.
Prospective clients want to be able to check you out before they decide to work with you. And most people like to work with people they would want to be friends with. This is certainly more important in some industries than others, mostly when there is a high level of trust required or where there will be significant time spent together.
Really, this is the main benefit of doing videos, it’s a low commitment way for people to try you out for free.
But...... Creating videos is universally #1 thing people I work with don’t want to do.
Usually it comes down to these 3 things:
1) They just aren't sure what to say
2) They are insecure about how they look or sound on video
3) They assume it will be expensive
I am here to tell you these are things I hear from absolutely EVERYBODY so you are not special {at least in that respect- I'm quite certain you're very special and unique in other ways}
So let me go through each of these and break them down a bit further.
1) What to say
Nothing is more intimidating than a blank page, and if you're tackling creating video content for the first time it is overwhelming to know where to start. Now my sales pitch to you would be that this is where I come in because I can help guide you through the process in an easy and dare I say painless way. BUT if you want to try to do it on your own then here is my special sauce recipe.
Identify a target consumer and really expand on who they are. Cover some basic demographics {gender, age, marital status, education level, etc.} but REALLY dive deep on their core struggles and motivations. So to give an example I'll use my own business. My core consumer's pain point is that as an entrepreneur they are overwhelmed with where exactly to start with marketing. Or perhaps they have tried marketing in the past, but aren't exactly sure how effective it was. Maybe they feel that tackling something like a new website, or launching an email drip campaign, or creating a comprehensive social media campaign is too overwhelming to even dive into so they just don't do it.
Once you have that you simply create material that shows how you solve that problem. You want to talk as much as you feel comfortable about how you in particular can solve this problem better than others by spotlighting your points of difference/what sets you apart).
People love to feel heard and understood, and that’s basically what good marketing is. A message that allows people to feel seen and think "that person gets me."
This may be my favorite thing to do with clients because there are so many epiphanies, and I can see their excitement build about creating this content simply by brainstorming what we might say. After only an hour or two they don't have a blank page but long list of content ideas to last them several months, and I get to hear things like "I'm actually excited about marketing" {said with surprise and bewilderment}
If you would like some help with this please EMAIL ME or give me a call (contact info is at the end of this blog post)
2) Insecure about how they look or sound on video
Honestly who isn't this true for. Even your favorite actors and actresses often can't watch their past work because they are too self conscious.
Again I'll use myself as an example. I hate rewatching myself on video or even hearing my voice. I can only see the things I did wrong, hear that my voice is super nasally, see my tendency to look away from the camera, always find my self playing with my hair, think my laugh sounds loud and obnoxious. The list could go on and on and on.
Here’s the thing though. No one else is watching the video and seeing all of those things. Maybe they notice one or two here or there, but I PROMISE you are your own worst critic.
The benefit of doing this with a partner (aka a marketing maven like myself) is that you can tell me your insecurities (trust me it's nothing I haven't heard before), and I can be on the look out for them. There are lots of creative things we can do with wardrobe choice, lighting, and angles that can help alleviate these. Or in the case of a Facebook live or video that you do on your own, I can offer kind and constructive tips for you to work on next time.
Also force yourself to rewatch them. By doing this you will improve so much faster than if you just create the video and let it sit out there for others to consume. In doing this please remember to be kind to yourself. Of course you’re not perfect at it right away- How many things do you try and excel at immediately?
When you rewatch it, try to pick 1 thing to focus on changing for the next time. Do not make a list of all the things you want to change. I’m serious. Don’t do it. Your message is much more important than these little things that you’re likely the only one noticing (certainly the only one caring about them that much) and your focus will be split if you try to eliminate all of these things and deliver a compelling message.
If you would like some help with this please EMAIL ME or give me a call (contact info is at the end of this blog post)
3) It will be expensive
Anyone who has ever planned a wedding knows that videographers can be really expensive. It's for good reason because editing a video can be very hard and time consuming work. I would say I usually spend about 30 hours or so editing each wedding video I do, BUT not all videos you put out there need reach that level of perfection.
When I started my business I wanted to change the things that had bothered me when I was on the client side and one of those was the rigidness about project costs. When I needed a video done I wanted to try to save money by doing some of the work myself or even understand what ways there were to make video fit within my budget, but I was not finding anything out there that was flexible.
That’s why I charge by the hour. This way the client has complete flexibility. They can say they can authorize 5 or 10 hours and I can give them an idea of what we can get done for that amount of time/money.
OR if you don’t need a video filmed by me (which is entirely ok) then you can take the video yourself and I can just edit it.
OR I can just help you write an outline and you can put it out there in it's raw form like Facebook live where uncut and more impromptu videos are completely acceptable!
So as you can see there are plenty of options and videos don't have to be expensive.
Now I want to issue you a challenge. Create a video for your business within the next week. f you feel like you want or need a brainstorming buddy give me a call {715-781-0376} or email me {karissa.meyers.consulting@gmail.com} I would be so super happy to help you out and create compelling content to connect with consumers and grow your business!
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