Branding is the hottest topic right now for marketers and business owners alike. And in 2019, content is king. Consumers want to view quality content from like-minded companies. Businesses that understand this and base their marketing around this idea will flourish, while those that resist will be struggling in the water. If you want to market your brand in a way that is both efficient and effective, then you are going to need to create content worth creating. Today, this means articles, pictures, social media posts, comments and, perhaps most importantly, videos.
According to HubSpot research, videos are the No. 1 most sought-after form of content among consumers. A majority of what I personally put out on social media — be it Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn or Facebook — is videos. Throughout my time as the owner of a multimedia marketing company, I have learned many do’s and don’ts when it comes to video creation. Listed below are five things that you can begin today to market your brand more effectively through video.
1. Invest in the talent over the equipment. When I first made the decision to start actively incorporating videos into our marketing ventures, I splurged on expensive equipment that I thought would set us apart from the rest. I had the lights. I had the camera. I had no action. I quickly realized that the cameras were not what was going to set our organization apart from our competition; I needed to have real photographers and videographers using this equipment. Without the talent behind it, the equipment is just money wasted. Today, my company has individuals whose sole job is to plan, film and edit videos. Talented professionals equipped with smartphones will beat amateurs with top-level equipment 10 times out of 10. If you are looking for ways to take your video marketing to the next level, hire quality professionals — either in-house or outsourced — and you will receive quality content.
2. Learn how to articulate your message. It’s important to study others who are good at this craft. Growing up in church, I was always enthralled with pastors who were able to preach their message and captivate large crowds of people. I attribute my success with video content partially to the fact that I was able to witness such great examples throughout my life. If you are going to be on video, then you need to know what you want to say and how you want to say it. It has to be said in a manner that is both captivating as well as easily digestible to your audience. Less is best, but say enough.
3. Passion is contagious. You have to be sold on you before others will be sold on you. If you aren’t passionate or excited about whatever you are discussing on video, then your audience surely won’t be either. You cannot fake passion. You have to truly enjoy it and be excited about what you’re bringing to the table if you expect others to sit with you. Before I begin filming, I think about what I’m going to speak about and what I’m going to focus on specifically during the video. What excites me about what I’m about to tell my audience? Your excitement will get them excited, so don’t be afraid to show it. One of the avenues in which I use videos most commonly is in my game-changer group on Facebook. This is a group in which members from a wide variety of industries and positions are seeking motivation. This is something that I have to actively take into account with my videos. In order to motivate such a wide variety of people, I have to rely heavily on passion. It is this passion that will keep them engaged and allow us to relate to one another. Stay passionate, and it will be passed on to your audience.
4. Get over yourself. What I mean by this is that no one is perfect, so stop trying to be. I used to overanalyze and nitpick my videos until they were stripped down to the bone. The flaws in your videos may very well be the secret to why people are watching them. People don’t want to see something doctored up and plastic; they want to see something real. I find that raw, organic videos that aren’t perfect have a much bigger impact than videos that are completely scripted. When it comes to videos, authenticity is far more important than perfection.
5. Start today. You’re never going to be completely ready. The fear that you may have of being in front of the camera is never going to completely go away. It’s going to take time. It’s going to be weird. You’re going to feel awkward. The first few videos that I made were absolutely terrible. It was entirely new to me, and it was something that forced me to journey outside the realm of my comfort zone, but it has made our organization stronger in the long run. The best time to start creating this type of content was yesterday. The second-best time is right now.
These are just five key tips that I have compiled through my time in marketing and through using videos for branding purposes. By investing in your talent, articulating your message clearly, remaining passionate and being authentic, your video marketing ventures will be that much more effective.
If you are currently using video marketing to some degree, compare your current process to these tips. And if you haven’t gotten into video yet, start today.
