Written by: Carmel Murphy, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The first time I tried making a marketing video, I cried. It took me 26 hours to make it, and I never even published it! Creating video is easier said than done when you’re unsure of what you’re doing. When you don’t know what to say or how to edit them to make them look and sound professional. When you’re beating yourself up that you should know how to do it by now… but it’s just taking sooooo much time to learn!
It wasn’t until I got to the other side of that embarrassing video that I realised three things would definitely help me next time…
And I’ve been using these for years ever since!
Here are my top 3 things to make video marketing a whole lot easier:
1 A Clear Strategy
Two things ring true in all my clients – confusion and overwhelm with marketing, sales, and growing their business online. They’ve bought endless courses. Attended countless webinars, workshops and events. Spent thousands of dollars trying to find answers. And are deeply frustrated by marketing promises that never eventuate for them. And that’s not to say they haven’t tried. And it’s not to say the packages and programmes weren’t filled with valuable content. It’s simply often challenging to translate someone else’s system to your unique business circumstances!
Finding a strategy that works for you. Your circumstances. Your business. Your available timeframe. It’s vital for long-term sustainability and ENERGY levels. Marketing quickly becomes soul-sapping and exhausting when the content you create and publish does little to boost your bottom line.
That’s why I’m passionate about basing any online marketing strategy on the foundations of video content. If you were to prune away all the options and create only ONE type of marketing content. Video is a no brainer.
Since about 2010 video marketing content has been on the rise – and the cost has reduced significantly over the last 12 years (you can simply use your phone or inexpensive online video makers). Now with social media becoming one of the key ways to get your message infront of your prospects – all the research statistics prove video offers the most leverage! In fact, a video in a post increases traffic from search results by 157% (Prosperity Media) and Google’s research shows that 6 out of 10 people would rather watch online videos than television (Biteable).
Of course – now you’ve decided to focus on a video strategy, the next step is to understand two important things:
The first is knowing the difference between content marketing, and direct response marketing. And then deciding what type(s) of videos, you will create for each one - because there is a difference!
Content marketing is all about being present online, building likeability and trust in prospective clients and buyers, and consistently priming and seeding your message. Direct response marketing is about moving prospects through your sales funnel. There is always a call to action at the end for what you want someone to do next.
So, a simple video marketing strategy will have two ‘arms’: Prime & Seed Content and Direct Response Content.
You can then choose what FORMAT of video will best suit your message (and skill level) for each one. Some prefer simply picking up their phone and going live. Some will enjoy the creativity of animated and kinetic text software. Others will like sharing their screens and recording voice-overs. The thing to know is it doesn’t matter which one you choose. The most important thing is you DO IT and understand WHY you’re doing it!
Ask yourself: What am I trying to achieve with each video?
That’s where you’ll start each and every time you create one.
2 Uncomplicated & Inexpensive Tech
“But I’m no good with tech.”
“I couldn’t do that!”
“That would take me hours!”
“I don’t know which one to choose….”
These words shoot out of business owners’ mouths in a flash. Little do they know – I used to say the EXACT same things when it came to growing my business online. It was limiting beliefs such as these that were keeping a lid firmly DOWN on my income!
So, what did I do to overcome the ‘tech-fear’ holding me back? I found someone I could trust to show me. The quickest way to the money… is to find someone already doing what you want and get in their flow of wisdom!
The best thing I learned in this process – was a user-friendly online video maker and editing suite. And it wasn’t an exorbitant price either! I didn’t fork out thousands of dollars for software with so many bells and whistles I wouldn’t use 99% of the time.
There are many online video makers and apps to choose from, and doing some research will help you choose the best one for you. Just remember simplicity is key. Video marketing should take minutes. Not hours. Not days. Choose one with ready-made templates to fast-track the creative process. Choose one with a library of stock photos, stock videos, stock music at your fingertips. Choose one with an ACTIVE support service that can answer your questions any time of the day.
Now – when it comes to the equipment involved in video creation – it’s easy to blow your budget and think you have to buy fancy lights and screens and cameras and microphones…
But you don’t. At least not straight away. Because remember it will depend on two things:
What TYPE/FORMAT of video will be the easiest for you to learn fast.
WHY you are creating that video in the first place!
Your strategy determined in 1 above will decide what purchases (if any) are required.
Keep it simple. And keep all that extra energy you could be wasting trying to learn tech you don’t need for the most crucial part of your video – the MESSAGE!
3 A Magnetic Message
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This is what scares the bejeesus out of many people. The ‘writing’ side of video creation. The message.
The ‘what the heck am I going to say?’ question propels procrastinations and squashes any sense of momentum.
The intriguing thing is – most people know their message inside their heads. But when it comes to articulating it clearly, confidently, and with undeniable influence. They freeze. Go blank. Gobbledygook rushes out – as they try to overcome their uncertainty with false authority. And let me tell you this – if you’re unsure of your message, you can bet your bottom dollar your prospects are too!
The KEY to successful marketing is knowing your message will connect and resonate with your target market. Whether video. Text. Audio. Or images. Each component must be carefully selected to appeal to your ideal prospects.
How can you ensure this happens?
There are two things to do, and please DON’T skip over the first one. You’ve likely heard it before. But without out it, you will forever be stuck in the exhausting ‘spray and pray’ cycle. You want to KNOW your message is magnetic to the right people… BEFORE you waste any more time creating content!
The first thing to do is get REALLY CLEAR on your ideal client/ customer. And not just their basic demographics and interests. But their deep psychological drivers and buying motivations. Their needs, wants, fears, challenges – and their most intimate desires.
But, what do you do with this information once you’ve collated it?
Print it out and keep it in prime position on your desk. Stick it on the wall. Make an avatar board with images and keywords, and phrases. Do whatever it is you need to do to NEVER forget WHO your message should be targeting.
The second step is to find some video script templates and formulas to aid the scriptwriting side of video marketing. Now scripts don’t have to be long. Nor do they have to be complicated. But do find some formulas based on proven influence and persuasion principles. Some that have been proven to work. And that is easy for you to SEE where all that information you now KNOW about your ideal prospect can slot into place.
THEN listen back to what you said or jotted down.
You’ll find you DO know your message. And you can turn those ideas into simple sentences that are now perfectly targeted to the audience you can help the most.
If all else fails, find someone who can elicit this information from you. Get them to ask you the questions required to fill in the script. Now you’re simply talking to a friend. The language you use will be much more friendly and inviting than the stilted gobbledygook your panicking brain throws up!
And again – remember WHY you need the script in the first place. Is it for content marketing? Or direct response marketing? This simple question will always ensure you’re creating the correct type of video for the right intention!
What next?
I get it – it's easy to read about it all in an article, but you're probably wondering HOW you can do all of this for your situation right now. In the limited time, you have to do it!
If having someone help you define your target market, message, refine your marketing, and put it all together in a video script that gets you more leads is of interest to you. I want to offer you my help.
Simply use this link: Build Your Video Marketing Strategy, to book an obligation-free session with me, and together we'll figure out how you can start leveraging video marketing to your business growing advantage too.
Carmel Murphy, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Carmel Murphy is known for being an out-of-the-box thinker and an expert in human behavior, marketing, and business strategies. Carmel’s passion for people, curiosity, know-how, business acumen, and background have come together to develop unique programs around marketing, copywriting, and videos designed to create higher conversion and increase sales and profit in business. Carmel coordinates, hosts, and delivers membership programs, workshops, and events to teach business owners how to build and market a sustainable online business.
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