A success story from ProResource CEO, Judy Schramm.
As well-informed adults, we all know what’s good for us. Take time for self-care, get enough sleep, exercise regularly, eat more greens — these are not earth-shattering suggestions. In fact, they’re downright obvious. But just because we know this information doesn’t mean we live by it, right?
The same goes for habits that are good for our business and personal brand — a fact that I’ve struggled with for years when it comes to native video. Sure, I know that video is the future of marketing, but that doesn’t mean it’s something I took to easily.
Native Video: A Not-So-Seamless Journey
Over the years, I’ve probably made a dozen or so videos to promote ProResource, but for a number of reasons, I’ve never made a long-term commitment to posting videos on a regular basis.
One of my biggest hang-ups (and a hang-up I think a lot of people share) was I felt like every video I made needed to be perfect, so what could’ve been a simple task quickly turned into a huge production. After all, this was my company I was representing!
I would get my hair and makeup done, leave work to drive to an actual studio to shoot, and I’d agonize over each and every line I had written into the script.
It was a stressful process and wound up taking a lot of time and energy for one quick, two-minute video. I started finding every excuse in the book not to get in front of the camera from then on out.
Fast forward to 2018, and the benefits of video have become even harder to ignore. Native videos get 1200% more engagement than text-only posts — a fact that is leading LinkedIn to prioritize video in users’ newsfeeds. Plus, I knew that I wasn’t going to have any credibility with my clients if I was preaching the importance of video but wasn’t doing it myself.
So, with the help of a LinkedIn video coach, I tried it again. And it got easier. In fact, I just sat down last week and knocked out three quick videos all by myself. With just a few easy tricks in my back pocket, my comfort level has skyrocketed from where I was before I started.
It Gets Easier — and Other Things I’ve Learned
If you’re like me and are having a hard time getting over that initial hump of firing up your phone or laptop and chatting away casually to an invisible audience, there are a few tips to help get over that reluctance.
First, having someone to hold your hand during the process is a huge help. Over the last few months, I’ve started working with Jill Manuel, a former TV producer-turned-LinkedIn video coach, who’s really walked me through the whole native video process. According to Jill, there is a place for those fancy, over-produced videos that had me running for the hills in years past, but there’s even more room for inexpensive, easy videos that people can really relate to.
Second, realize that these videos aren’t actually about you. Your viewers aren’t expecting to see a movie star on camera. People care about authenticity and what you can do from them far more than they care about how you look. Keep in mind that native videos are watched three times longer than a produced video. This is due to the realness that comes with a native video — there’s no telling what could happen and viewers feel more comfortable knowing that you’re not trying to sell them anything. You’re just sharing information in a casual, easy-to-digest way.
And last, you need to think about who’s going to miss out if you don’t post. It’s not just about your company and what potential business you could miss out on, but what solutions could you be sharing that people won’t get to learn about? Video is a powerful tool for building trust with your existing audience, as well as an excellent means of extending your reach to new audiences.
A few weeks ago, I posted a video on a whim and within two hours it had more than 200 views, proving that, even in its simplest form, video is the best means to engaging an online audience.
With the help of my LinkedIn video coach, I feel immensely more comfortable on camera — and I can confidently say that the quality of my videos will only improve over the coming months and years. The more I do them, the easier it will be, and the better my videos will get. So, I’m diving in, and I’m inviting you to join me.
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