Online Marketing Without Video?

You may just find yourself out of business in the next couple of years, if you are not doing some form of video in your online marketing! Take ACTION now!

If you're around my age (a baby boomer,) you've most likely heard the song "Video killed the radio star," but these days, someone could rewrite that song to say "No Video Killed the Entrepreneurs Business!" I know that may sound a little extreme, but if you're not utilizing video, either live or pre-recorded, you may find yourself becoming one of those statistics, the experts of 2021, and beyond are predicting will be out of business within the next 2-3 years.

If you're camera shy, here' the best 3-word solution you'll ever get..."GET OVER IT!" It's simply not an option any longer.

Let's take a dive into the different types of videos you can (and should) be doing.

Here are just a few examples:

Live Video: Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn (by application only) and Twitter Fleets.

Pre-recorded Video: Animated Promotional Videos, Your saved Facebook Live videos that you can download and then upload to other channels, Longer-form video (usually a little more professionally produced) for YouTube, but more genuine and authentic on the other platforms. Even there, you still want your personality to shine through. Be yourself. Be authentic and genuine. When using Long-form videos, you still want to keep it rather short, between 3-15 minutes. People don't have time, or the attention span, to stay tuned in for long, unless they were looking for a how-to, training video.

Short-form videos: These videos are usually between 15-60 seconds long. They can be in the form of Instagram Stories, Instagram Reels, TikTok Videos, etc. They could be ephemeral (lasts 24 hours and then disappears, unless saved to Highlights) They can also be very simple, like giving short, actionable tips, or very complex where you dance in sync with others, or by yourself or the ones where people snap their fingers and BAM, they're in a different outfit. Make the fun. Do them often. Having 5-10 stories a day, is NOT too much.

Many people think that videos have to be super professional, have music, transitions, overlays, etc., but in fact, people are looking for authentic, genuine, people that they can relate to and/or approach. They don't even mind if you make a mistake or two. It makes you seem more human.

And then there's the myth that you have to have all types of expensive equipment and editing software. To be honest, you can do some phenominal videos, long and short, right from your cell phone or laptop/desktop as long as the quality of the audio and video is decent.

Going live on the native platforms (live from Facebook, live from instagram, etc) is always the best choice. The social platforms love it when you use all or many of their features. There are actually a host of third-party apps, like Zoom or Streamyard that allow you to go live on Facebook and/or YouTube right from their platform. Check it out. 

Speaking of third-party apps, if you are absolutely petrified to go live, there is an app that allows you to type out your script and then send it to your phone, so you can read the script and don't have to worry that you are going to leave something out, or get side tracked, etc. It's called BIGVU, and it's super affordable. You can do as many takes as you like until you are satisfied with it, and then add some background music, a lower third, and your logo. It takes it to a more professional level, and while it's not going to be pushed out as much as a live video, it is far better than not having your face on the screen for people to get to know, like and trust you.

So there you have it! Are you ready to go live? Perhaps you would rather use a teleprompter and do a pre-recorded video. If you are not willing to share your face with the world, you may wish to have an employee be the face of your company, or at the very least, do animated or promotional videos.

Lights, Camera, ACTION!