How Business Owners Can Overcome the Fear of Making Social Videos
I saw the above post on LinkedIn a few weeks ago. The fear this person describes is palpable and widespread.
But on the other hand, here’s a #truthbomb about digital marketing now and into the future….
First-person video is one of the best content types for impressions and engagement.
That’s not just my opinion. In another recent LinkedIn post from Maya Meyouhas, she shares LinkedIn algorithm optimization tips based on research from Chris Donnelly and Will McTighe. One of Donnelly’s and McTighe’s conclusions she highlights is that videos have 4.8x the reach of text-only posts; and they have double the reach of image posts.
Based on this — and on my own focus of including a heavy mix of first-person videos in my content strategy, and the results I’ve seen from it — I’ve concluded that business owners must overcome any fear they have of making videos for social media posts.
Expertise-showcasing videos are mandatory today because, let’s face it, we don’t live in the perfect world where all your leads come through a filter of Zoom calls with you and/or in-person events where they can most tangibly experience what you’re like and the value of your words.
How to get past hatred or fear of shooting direct-to-camera videos of yourself as a business owner
The simplest and most impactful advice I can offer is, as with many things in life, to just do it. Then do it again and again.
You’ve probably read what I said just above in other places when it comes to making videos. It’s good advice because it’s a truism. Every entrepreneur before you who wanted to build trust in the quickest and most authentic way had to get off the proverbial sidelines and shoot some videos.
When you go into it, know that not only will your first videos suck when it comes to presenting yourself and the information you want to convey — but also that other entrepreneurs who have traveled this path had horrible first videos as well. I certainly have some duds out there, like this one.
More tips to overcome the associated frustration or fear
Don’t let the prospect of a big time suck deter you. Start by only building in time to shoot 1-2 videos per week. And if you focus on a short tip or message per video, that’s less of a script to write — which means less time for shooting. A video that’s under 2 minutes — a great length in terms of being able to share it on all social platforms without needing to edit it down for a particular platform, as well as for potential paid ads or placement on a page on your website — is one that you can easily script and shoot within 1 hour.
Don’t stress about how you script your videos. Use the system that works best for you. You can write it all out — which is what I do, in combination with tip #5 below. You could also write the overall message you want to get across in only one sentence and then expound on that for a minute or two. Other options are writing out a short paragraph or a bullet list.
Pretend that the small dot on your phone when recording, which shows where the camera is, is someone important to you. This could be someone in your business, your spouse or partner, another close family member, or a good friend. If you can, in your mind, change the device you’re recording on to a person’s face, it makes a world of difference to your breathing, posture, and demeanor — which translates to a more confident-looking final video, especially for viewers who don’t know you at all.
Is not being original or compelling enough part of your fear? Don’t worry about it! I’ve shared tips that haven’t been put into the world first by me, and that’s OK. It’s all about packaging your expertise and your take on topics that are important to your buyers in a way that reflects your personal and professional values.
If you’re used to Zoom or Google Meet, try recording on one or the other (or both) instead of on your phone. An advantage of phone recording is that the resolution is often higher than a Zoom or Google Meet recording. However, when you’re just starting to make your own videos, it can be intimidating to see yourself reflected back to you on your phone’s Camera app. If — in your work — you’re on Zoom or Google Meet a lot with leads, clients, employees, etc., jumping over to record a video on either platform can be an easier emotional step to take than starting with phone recording. (Not to mention, with phone recording, you often need additional equipment like lighting, which can make you feel even more like you’re the talent in a formal studio.)
One more tip when it comes to your mindset…
Look at every video you publish and share as an investment in your business. Or think of yourself as a gardener, watering seeds that will sprout into seedlings and eventually into plants.
On LinkedIn I’ve had weeks where old video posts got the most impressions over the past 7 days despite them being old content; and where I get website visits from quick-tip YouTube videos I posted a long time ago. To expand on the gardening metaphor, you don’t know what will bloom (ie, go viral), or when, so it’s best to push as many of your ideas out there as you can, when you can.
Related post
In this post, I talked about first-person videos. Another category of videos to prioritize for your social media (and other platforms) is third party-verified subject matter expert videos. In this blog post, I define this video category and share how you can knock out one day of a week’s worth of social media content by building a small library of these videos.
