Do you remember what it was like to shoot video in 2008…?
I desperately wanted a flip cam. I saw Gary Vaynerchuk, this wine guy, using a flip cam to shoot videos daily. And, I aspired to be able to do the same thing. My girlfriend, Laura, agreed to get me one while she was going to the United States on a quick trip.
The thought of shooting video and putting a message out on the Internet was thrilling. Exciting, even.
Is the thought of shooting #video and putting a message out on the internet thrilling and exciting? The good news: It can be a very effective asset to your #MarketingStrategy. Read these 7 tips to get started. Click To Tweet
It was a Sunday. Deborah, Nathalie and I gathered at our offices at Taylor Creek Drive in Orleans. We crowded into the boardroom with our sights set on shooting video. And, we were complete amateurs. We didn’t know anything about tripods and lighting back then. We wanted to shoot video and that was all we knew at the time.
I shot my first video, flipped the USB portion of the flip cam out and patiently loaded it onto the computer. It was taking forever. Surely we were doing something wrong?
But then, suddenly, there it was – my video.
I watched in horror.
The lighting was awful (cue: window behind me), the camera was wobbly and my face… something was wrong with my face! The way my mouth moved when I spoke wasn’t normal. And then, I realized – no one had told me.
In 1997, I had major jaw surgery. I grew up with crooked teeth and a major overbite. When I finally had a job that covered orthodontics, I couldn’t get it fixed fast enough.
But there was one small problem.
The orthodontist told me that in order for the braces to work, I would need jaw surgery. If you’ve never had jaw surgery, I’ll spare you the gory details. Suffice to say, it’s an inside job. As in, they do a lot of work inside your mouth – in addition to sawing and screwing your jaw back together.
I ended up with nerve damage on one side of my face.
It permanently feels a little bit numb and… it obviously impacted the way my mouth moved. Except, I didn’t know until that moment when I was re-watching my first video.
#Video is an incredible tool in your content #MarketingStrategy toolbox. If you’ve been hesitant to start, these 7 tips will help you do it anyway. Click To Tweet
Here’s the lesson when shooting video:
You’re not going to like how you look. You’re not going to watch that video and feel like you look like a hero. In fact, you’ll likely be your own worse critic.
You will criticize the way you look (“I shouldn’t have had pasta last night”), the way you talk, the message you share, the lighting in the room – you’ll do it all. And even worse, you’ll compare your video to others and make yourself feel less than.
I know because I did all of these things – and one side of my mouth was broken.
If you search my name on YouTube, you’ll quickly see I didn’t let this stop me. I decided that day that looking the way I did had served me well enough so far in life.
And, if no one else had mentioned it, maybe it wasn’t as bad as I thought.
It’s shocking to me that I have over 100,000 views on my YouTube channel and tens of thousands more on videos uploaded natively on social media.
Today, I’d like to share some strategies for shooting your own videos and getting over the things that hold you back. Video is an incredible tool in your content marketing strategy toolbox – and if you’ve been hesitant to start, these 7 tips will help you do it anyway.
7 Tips for Using Video In Your Content Marketing
1. Your first is your worst.
It doesn’t matter who you are – your first video will be the worst one. Don’t be discouraged. Keep going. It takes practice to get better at it.
Your first #video is your worst. It doesn’t matter who you are – it will be the worst one. Don’t be discouraged. Keep going. Read the other 6 tips for using video in your #ContentMarketing strategy. Click To Tweet
2. Have a light source facing you – not behind you.
When you’re backlit on the camera, you will show up shadowed and dark. Instead, the light should be facing you, not behind you. You can use a professional light (I use a diva ring) or a window during the daytime.
3. Frame yourself well in the shot.
You don’t want the top of your head cut off. The top of your head should be close to the top of the frame. I recommend as little headspace as possible because you’ll look taller and more confident when you’re speaking. Also, when it comes to framing, don’t be the monkey in the middle. Stand to one side of the shot so you have negative space to include copy on the video later on when you’re making edits.
4. Know what you want to say – don’t wing it.
Be prepared. Create your talking points and stay on track. People have a short attention span, and if you don’t keep things rolling, they will click away.
5. Speak to one person.
Do you know who you’re talking to? Even if you get hundreds or thousands of views, speak to one person. Always. This is a conversation, and it helps when you know the ideal viewer you want to attract. Speak to them.
6. Breathe and slow down.
You are talking to someone, not at them. It’s likely you’ll be nervous, so take some deep breaths and watch your pace. We tend to speed up when we’re nervous, so be intentional about taking your time. If you’re worried about the length of your video – remember it’s about quality over quantity. Always. Even if it takes you a little longer.
7. Hire a pro.
Don’t try to learn how to be a videographer, editor and graphic designer while also learning how to do video. Hire a videographer who can do edits, create professional bumpers and custom thumbnails so your videos showcase you and your expertise in a powerful way.
How have you been incorporating video in your content marketing strategy?
