“This little light of mine.
I’m gonna let it shine.
This little light of mine.
I’m gonna let it shine.
Hide it under a bushel, no.
I’m gonna let it shine.
Let it shine.
Let it shine.
Let it shine.”
When I was a kid, we used to sing this song at church. And like with most things, the lesson here can be applied to your business. You’ve got a light, something of value to offer your customers. And the brighter you shine, the easier it is for your ideal customers to find you.
A smart way to do that is to put your expertise on a stage where your ideal customers are more likely to see it. And the hot, hot, hot way to do that now is with video marketing. And it doesn’t look like it is going to fizzle out anytime soon.
The data on the effectiveness of video marketing is pretty sexy. And even though there are a ton of people doubling down on this tactic, it is still a very large and untapped opportunity in many industries.
But it won’t be for long. Especially when you consider the trends of what some of the key players like Google and Facebook are encouraging.
No more hiding your awesomeness under a bushel. It’s time to let your light shine. And it’s time to shine it bright. Video marketing can help you do that.
4 Reasons to strongly consider video marketing
I have a confession to make. I love the camera. Always have. And I have a sneaking suspicion I always will. Even though I get excited when I see a camera lens pointed in my direction, I know lots of people don’t feel the way.
They would rather not be on video and opt instead for doing what needs to be done behind the scenes.
Just in case you are someone who is a little camera shy, and you’re not really a fan of adding video marketing as a part of your promotional arsenal, here are a few reasons why you should give it another look.
1. It’s highly effective form of communication
Customer loyalty is your goal. And to do that, it is important to build a relationship with your audience such that they know, like, and trust you enough to want to do business with you over and over again.
Sharing your ideas is a strategic way to establish yourself as the recognized expert in your field and generate more leads. There are a few different mediums to do that: written, audio, and video.
But video can help you do that in a way that happens much more quickly than a lot of other mediums, probably because it’s just about the next best thing to being there in person.
You know that saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”? Well, 60 seconds of video is worth a million.
Take this story for instance:
A dad is doing a very important interview with the BBC from his home office. Right as he gets started, his spirited three-year-old daughter saunters into the room with her yellow sweater, pigtails, and cute-as-a-button glasses. His colleague on the other side of the screen points out that one of his children just entered the room.
The dad is undeterred, and he sticks his arm out to try and push his daughter away while he continues the interview.
Just then, a second child makes a grand entrance. This time, it’s a baby just under a year old, bumbling in with a walker. A few seconds later, a frantic woman enters the room, with a flair that Kramer from Seinfeld would be envious of.
She does her best to be incognito as she crawls on the floor, grabs the kids, and then backs them out of the room. The dad does a slow blink that signals, “I cannot believe that just happened. I. am. mortified.” Then the interview resumes.
That’s my amateur attempt to try and describe what happened in this recent viral video in less than 200 words. Maybe I could paint a better picture for you if I took more time, and used more words.
Or, I could just show you the 43-second video:
See how it is a completely different experience? The video makes you feel in ways, the words would have to be strung together expertly to do. There is a transfer of energy that happens with video, that is still possible to capture in other mediums, you just have to work a little harder to make it happen.
You are able to communicate a great deal more, and much more quickly when you’re able to present a full scene, rather than piecing together snippets of it.
So if words aren’t your thing, or if you would like to deliver a message with as much meaning and emotion as possible, consider saying it with video.
2. Your customers are already consuming it
Another reason why you should cozy up to video is that your audience is already using it. They are using it more than they probably think they do.
It is difficult to get people to change their behavior.
You don’t have to jump that hurdle with video. Don’t believe me? Go check out your “history” on Facebook, and see all the videos you’ve watched over the last few weeks. I had a look last year, and was horrified at how much time I had wasted watching crappy videos.
I know what you’re thinking. “Sonia, I don’t watch very much video at all.” I thought the same thing. That’s why you must, go and check out your data for yourself. And just in case you’re not sure how to do that, here’s a brief tutorial:
- Go to your Facebook profile
- Click on “View Activity Log” and it will appear on the left side of your screen (if on desktop).
3. Click on “Videos Watched” and see all your history (you may have to expand the menu to see this option come up
Bottom line: There is A LOT of video getting consumed on the internet these days. That’s why we need you to create some. If we’re gonna watch all this footage, we might as well be getting smarter while we do so.
Here are more stats on the topic:
- YouTube has over a billion users, almost 1/3 of all people on the internet (YouTube, 2016)
- 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week (Wordstream)
- 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter (Bloomberg)
The task for you is to get your ideal customers to start watching you in this format.
3. It increases conversions
Anecdotal evidence is good, but the bottom line is, video can get you the cold hard results you want that leads to more money in your pocket.
Here are some of the specifics associated with it.
Including video on a landing can increase conversion by 80%
Landing pages are all about getting your audience to take one specific action, such as signing up to your email list, or registering for your webinar, or even signing up for a discovery call with you.
And if adding a little video on that page can increase the likelihood of your ideal customers taking the action you want them to, then it makes total sense for you to do it.
Put some video on that landing page (note to self: put video on your landing pages Sonia).
Mist Media reports that the average internet user spends 88% more time on a site with video
The more time people spend on your site, it’s probably a good sign they are digging your content. The more they consume and enjoy your content, the more they see you as someone who adds value to their life, which of course leads to them getting to know, like, and trust you more.
The more they know, like, and trust you, the easier it will be for them to pay you for your products and services that further help them solve their problem.
Win-win for all.
Including a video on your homepage can increase conversion rates by 20% or more, according to ReelSEO
Conversion = good. If you are being smart with your website, you are getting your audience to take a specific action that advances both you and them toward reaching your respective goals.
4. It is cheaper, easier, more accessible than ever
The barriers to entry to creating high-quality video content are sooooo much lower than they used to be.
No longer do you have to go and buy some fancy equipment or have access to a special studio. Here are some ways you can get started making videos pretty quickly.
Facebook Live
Facebook wants you to post video content. So much so that they publicly stated they are giving preferential treatment in their algorithm to Facebook Live videos.
Cameras on smartphones
You already have a high-quality video camera in your pocket. Whip it out and use it. No excuses, unless you have a flip phone.
Just. get. started.
And then when the time is right if you feel you need to upgrade to something even fancier, by all means, do it.
Low-cost studios and set up for high-quality recording
Natural light goes a long way in helping you to get a shot that looks good. But, if you want to step up your game a bit, there are inexpensive tools you can use.
Here’s my lighting studio.
I basically followed the down and dirty DIY lighting kit set-up from Wistia. I think I got everything for less than $100. So if you feel like you want to upgrade your offering, it is totally possible, without it costing a lot of money,
5 Ways to strategically incorporate video into your content marketing strategy
Hopefully you are convinced to give video a shot as a way to elevate your messaging in your own business. Now that you know that you should be publishing, the next obvious thing to consider is “what” to publish.
Here are a few options.
1. Product demonstrations
If you’ve got a physical product, you could whip out your camera and showcase all the key features of how your product works. You can walk your potential customers through all the ins and outs of the key features.
And for your existing customers, you could even continue with showcasing how to actually use your products.
Here’s a product demonstration we did for a medical device I worked on in my corporate job years ago (you might recognize the amateur playing Vanna White on part 2 of this video. Way back from 2009 – scary!)
This can work well for software too. Instead of showcasing the actual product, you can do a screen capture and walk your ideal customers through how your software works and demonstrate some key features.
This helps give visitors an “in-person” like experience like you’re in a store walking them through how the product works. It’s a bit like giving them a virtual test-drive.
Or you can demonstrate with graphics how your product software functions. Here’s how ZenDesk does it:
Reviews of products that you have tried and used
You can use this approach even for products that aren’t your own. A ton of people have built lucrative businesses by doing video reviews of what other people sell. People value the 3rd party unbiased view.
When you are showcasing your own products, you, of course, will highlight all that is wonderful about it. But when you are walking through another product that is relevant to your customers that you aren’t necessarily affiliated with, you could go through the good, the bad, and the ugly of your experience.
Here’s a review of the “pancake pen” that’s got nearly two-hundred thousand views on YouTube.
2. Paid advertising
If you’ve scrolled through your Facebook or Instagram feed any time recently, you’ve no doubt come across the ads that are peppered in.
Many of these are video, which of course naturally grabs your attention because they play automatically without you having to do anything.
So if you’re considering doing any paid advertising, using video for it is defintely something to consider as a way to stand out.
3. Testimonials
Getting feedback from satisfied customers is always a smart approach, and it can totally help with shortening the leap of faith new customers need to take as they are considering working with you or using your products.
I’ve stayed in more than my fair share of airBnB’s and hotels around the world. And I almost never book housing that doesn’t have any reviews. And the more reviews there are, the more I trust the place is solid.
But you don’t have to limit your testimonials to the written word. They can be video as well. When someone takes the extra step to leave a video review, in my mind it adds a little more weight to it, because it shows the person was willing to take the extra time and put their live face next to the seal of approval they are giving you.
Here’s a video testimonial my first client gave me way back when I started my business.
4. Educational content
This is where you can spend a bunch of time creating an endless amount of video content that directly helps you establish yourself as the recognized expert in your field.
It’s all about sharing your ideas and your expertise, but doing it in a video format.
There are several ways you could do that.
Expert interviews
Interviewing experts in your field helps to elevate your profile because you get the benefit of being associated with other influencers within your niche.
I’ve done more than 150 interviews, and am getting better about publishing them on YouTube to expand their reach.
Repurpose content from another medium
If you’ve already created a ton of content in other formats besides video, you could repurpose that information in a way that seamlessly works for video.
You could do a simple talking head video, where the only thing your audience sees is your face. Here’s a quick example of that:
Or you could add some additional context and flavor into the video to help demonstrate whatever you are teaching with more visuals.
When you cross into a different medium, you reach different customers. This is a good thing. So it is totally ok to repurpose what you have already produced to attract a new audience.
The ladies from Food Heaven in the video above do this well. In the first video, they show their faces as they make a recipe. And in the video below, they repurpose one of their podcast episodes into the video format. The only thing viewers see for the entire episode is the cover photo. Easy, peezy.
Teach a concept
There are a ton of things you could teach, and numerous ways to teach it. You could do a training on a particular topic with one video. Or you could break it up into a series of videos that you string together into a playlist.
Pat Flynn published a 6-part video tutorial a few years back on how to start a podcast. In each “episode” he walked through a different component of getting started. You can do the same thing with elements of your topic.
Pat’s video series is much more polished than a lot of videos you see on YouTube. Don’t feel like you have to meet that standard to teach a concept.
This guy used a simple dry-erase board to deliver his message.
Answer Q&As
Marie Forleo has built up a huge following with her weekly YouTube series, MarieTV, where in most instances, she answers a question from a member of her community.
You could do it that way (where you encourage your audience to write in questions), or you can make a list of common questions that you get and then structure your show around answering them in a series of videos.
5. Audience Engagement
And lastly, you could create videos that aren’t necessarily educational in nature but designed to let your audience in.
Give your audience a little peek into your world with some of the videos you share. A lot of brands are starting to use Instagram stories for this. It’s these little glimpses of who you are that enable your customers to connect with you at a deeper, more emotional level.
And that emotional connection is what will help you transcend beyond a transaction, and usher you into a longer lasting, loyal relationship with them.
A lot of times, these messages are shared and distributed on social media, because that is what the mediums are designed to do. To be social. To share. And to connect. And that connection doesn’t always have to be a formal one.
Amy Schmittauer runs the Savvy Sexy Social YouTube channel. Normally she posts videos with tips on social media and video marketing. But in one of her more recent videos, she riffs about reflections she had while on her two-week vacation.
It’s time to let your light shine with video
No more toiling away in obscurity.
Get in on this hot trend and start to experiment. Spend some time figuring out what will work for you, and make adjustments as you learn new things.
The video revolution is here to stay. So it is better to get in on it while it’s still in the earlier stages of the upward cycle, rather than having to be forced into doing it kicking and screaming a few years down the road when it feels more like a cost of doing business.
You’ve got a light to shine.
And it needs to shine bright so your customers can see it, and benefit from all the value you have to offer.
Take advantage of the opportunities video marketing can provide for your business.
Start using video marketing consistently as a way to put your expertise on the stage where it belongs.
