3 Reasons You Need To Be Using Video In Your Business Marketing
In today's post, I’m going to cover why video is so important to your business from an engagement and traffic standpoint and I'll give you some practical steps to pulling your on camera look together.
And, at the end of this post I have a very special opportunity for a select few of you chomping at the bit to start using video in your marketing program. In just 6 weeks you can show up on camera without looking or feeling awkward or like an amateur to to audience and peers.
In my more than 30 years as a producer and director, I’ve seen it time and again, people are mystified about what they need to do to get comfortable on camera. And I’m here to tell you, getting camera ready doesn’t have to be hard, especially when you know what to do before you it the record button so that you can look, feel and sound your best, every time.
And the best thing is, learning these tips will save you years of frustration and get you on the road to sharing your message with a wider audience and growing your business right away.
So let’s dive in.
First of all, why is using video in your marketing so important? I know we’ve all heard the statistics and I’ll share some more in a minute.
Video is the fastest way for you to create a connection with your audience - the sound of your voice and body language allows your audience to connect with you instantly.
Using video lets your audience get a better sense of who you are. When they can see you, it helps you to build trust with them, and when done intentionally, you reinforce your brand.
When you use video, your personality and voice are center stage, and that’s critical to building your know, like and trust relationship with your audience.
It’s also a great way to showcase your expertise and share what you know so that you can help people live better lives and build better businesses.
And in case you’re not convinced - let me share some pretty significant statics about using video in your marketing
According to Vidyard, including video on your landing pages increases conversion by more than 80%
The Aberdeen Group states that marketers who use video get 41 percent more web traffic from searches than folks who don’t and
And a Wyzowl survey shows 81% of businesses use video as a marketing tool
And lastly, according to Social Media Examiner it’s been predicted that by next year, 80% of all Internet traffic will be comprised of videos.
Those are pretty impressive numbers - and that means if you haven’t started using video yet in your marketing, you are missing out on an easy way to connect with your audience, reinforce your brand, share your expertise and get known by a lot more people. You are also in the 19 percent minority who aren’t using video. 😕
So my question to you is, if you’re not using video as part of your marketing strategy,
What’s Holding You Back?
When I work with clients, some of the most common reasons I hear are: "I don’t have the right equipment, or I freeze every time I hit record or I don’t know what to say for different types of video, like social media, product launches, webinars and on line courses."
And sadly, a lot of them tell me that they’re so busy running their business, they don’t have the bandwidth to even think about what they need to do to start using video.
And in other cases, they may know what to do, but haven’t put it all together, or because they are worried about looking good on camera and how others perceive them, it’s keeping them from moving forward in their business.
And let’s be honest, some of you are just plain scared and hate being on camera.
I’ve experienced all of these feelings and still do sometimes today. But I’m here to tell you, if you can take a selfie, you can figure out how to get started.
What I'd like to do right now, is walk you through some of the most important things you need to consider before you push the record button, and no, it’s not the equipment you use.
You can start with your phone and work your way up, the important thing is that you get started.
And It actually goes back to the basics - the 3 p’s purpose, plan and presence.
Being intentional will save you from the shoot and pray and shoot and spray mindset and make sure that you shoot and score with the audience you want to reach.
Purpose
The first thing you need to do for any video is to get clear about the purpose of being on camera.
If it’s just to say hi and to quickly share a thought and stay connected to your community, great, Facebook live and Instagram are a fabulous way to do that. Short, quick spontaneous videos.
Let’s use that as an example and talk about what you need to keep in mind before you hit record.
What are the key points you want to deliver? It could be just one thing or you may have 3 quick ideas to share - write them down ahead of time and talk them through out loud. Or, get a clear mental picture of what you want to say.
Let your audience know the purpose of your video right away. If it’s to say hi and stay connected, then say that.
For example, I’d say "Hi, I’m Val and I want to take a minute to check in and say hi and share a couple of things I’ve been up to this week that I think can help you grow your business."
That way you know where you are going with each point and how you will transition between thoughts.
This is the single most effective thing you can do to keep yourself from rambling when you are doing video for social media.
Have you ever seen someone who doesn’t know what they are going to say next or how to sign off and they just keep going and going because they can’t find a way to say goodby - so you check out while they ramble?
If you want to keep people engaged, take a minute to get clear about the purpose of your video. If you honor their time and they will appreciate you even more!
Plan
The next step is to do some quick planning:
Give some thought to your appearance and location and make sure you have decent light so we can see your face - make sure your background isn’t distracting and that it supports your brand to the extent possible.
Be sure there’s not too much outside noise so we can hear you, one of the fastest ways to lose viewers is to have poor audio. Here’s a quick tip, in a pinch, you can use the mic from your earbuds and you’ll get better audio. Just be sure to take a second to adjust them so they are not visually distracting.
If you aren’t very good at holding your camera steady and have a tripod, use it, if not, You can put your camera on a stack of books at eye level and that frees you up to use your hands. Looking down or up at a camera are not the most flattering angles.
If you follow these simple steps, you’re half way to making sure your on camera presence shines.