If you have a smartphone, you have the capability to create a video, but why create a video?
Short answer:
To have an impact..
If you are a business owner, supporting a charity, trying to draw attention to your kid’s bake sale, or privately hoping to breakout as an influencer in the world (actor, social media influencer) you have to curate and publish your story to have impact.
We have the tools and you are the story. Honestly, the only thing stopping you, is well, you.
Let’s see if you NEED to make videos, cosmos quiz style:
1. Do you watch TV (ever)?
2. Do you consume more video > read?
2. Are you trying to bring attention to a cause or create an impact?
2a. Are your customers or beneficiaries on social networks or do they consume video?
3. Do you secretly desire to be paid thousands of dollars to use products you already love and respect?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, video is a format you must embrace.
Here is the logic:
#1 — you are a consumer of videos (probably more than straight text …), and so people like you will benefit from your videos.
#2 People love videos as much as text, but videos are faster to share a message
#2a We need to go to where our audience is … they aren’t going to come to you.
#3 People have envy for the actor / superstar life, and the video influencer is the gateway for everyone with talent (in every single skill — video games to bow ties) to enjoy these benefits
LOGICALLY YES make videos, emotionally …
It makes so much sense to create videos that on first glance, we can’t believe we are not making them already at scale. That is until the moment arrives.
AHHHH, concerns and counters:
- I have nothing to say || False, if you share your day with another .. then your life has intrigue, passion, skills, and story that would appeal to many.
- I am terrible on camera || OK, yes, some of us ARE actually terrible but that struggle and fight is often inspiring and powerful to others to see. The repeated recording actually will help you develop comfort and perhaps find a new more confident outer voice.
- The quality of my video / story telling isn’t what I envision as appropriate to my “brand” or my audience || Quality is subjective and more often than not, the audience doesn’t care. It is great to have low-fi and high-fi videos. Frankly the quality of your video will match the current value of your brand, not your imagined future value. (Let that sink in for a moment) …. (Go one) … If you could afford a post production video editor or a videographer to follow and film you, you would and it would because your “brand” was generating the capital or was financed to support that quality. Consumers of your videos will be glad to receive your content regardless of the fancy compilation, but they will never be consumers if you don’t release it.
That brings us to the next one…
- I made videos but haven’t released them || This is the result of ego and worrying about what others will say. Flat out, you are worrying about another person’s opinion AND / OR not capable of taking feedback that’ll allow you to grow and transform in your craft.
- I don’t know what to say / I am just rambling || OK … so you rambled, shared a mix of ideas and experiences that don’t fit a single target group… ok, so? If you had it all figured out, you would have done so based on a pile of historic data and consumer feedback. Instead we are the start of a new journey, the path we find ourselves upon and the path where we land will likely be totally different. Isn’t that part of the fun, to see where it all goes? Life isn’t meant to be a deadlock.
Ok… fine, you’ve exposed me. I am in .. what are some beginner lessons you can share:
1. Be consistent — record, story, and post consistently for your audience
2. As you find new topics and energy, experiment! Maybe you end up creating mini cuts of your videos because your audience is attracted to that type. Maybe you keep giant videos that include your whole day — fitness, business, friends, and work… or the opposite — they become just short clips for each topic.
3. Be authentic — share where you are; what you are learning; what you are sharing and why. People are incredibly attracted to those that are willing to share.
In the end … you don’t need a VLOG. You don’t need a YouTube channel…. You DO need to make videos and distribute them. You have the privilege of making an impact, but that is only possible if you create.
Choose to have an impact over being comfortable.
Give bigger
The world will be better with you
Stats and Facts
#1 By 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic (Source: SmallBizTrends)
#2 Facebook generates 8 billion video views on average per day (Source: Social Media Today)
#3 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others (Source: RendrFx)
#4 90% of users say that product videos are helpful in the decision process (Source: Hubspot)
#5 Social video generates 1200% more shares than text and images combined (Source: SmallBizTrends)
#6 Video posts on Facebook have 135% greater organic reach than photo posts (Source: Social Media Today)
#7 Including a video on a landing page can increase conversion rates by 80% (Source: Unbounce)
Full disclosure:
This is as much for me as for you. I have strong reservations and emotionally have felt every reason to avoid the camera. I have seen the incredible impact of video on my charities and passions, and so … with that knowledge I share the awesomeness with you, and continue to encourage my own action forward.