Video is fast becoming the preferred way that decision makers like to learn and make buying decisions, so have you jumped on the bandwagon yet?
I got started with video marketing last year with the good help from Brad Tollefson and the amazing women at Cimera Video — both based in the Seattle area. I’ll confess. Figuring out how to use my own video camera isn’t my best event. In my case, engaging experts to shoot and edit my videos was the easiest way for me to get the mission accomplished in short order. And, I have since been studying under the capable guidance of Steve Washer to gain even more confidence in my DIY video skills.
What have been my results to date? They have been excellent, and here are a few specific examples I’ve been able to take the bank:
A client from Ireland watched one of my videos and sent me an email to tell me that watching the video helped him know right away that I was someone he could trust. He bought my book, reviewed it favorably, and has become a powerful advocate of my work.
Another student in my group webinar series watched my videos before making the decision to enroll. She actually called me on the phone to tell me that she knew right away that I was the right trainer for her. She could just feel it and experience it by the way I shared information, examples, and encouragement in a short video.
Speaking invitations to a great many events have come my way from those who have watched my videos to know for sure that my content and delivery style is a perfect fit for their needs.
Since selling books, enrolling people in my group webinar series, and welcoming perfect opportunities to speak are at the top of my priority list to help my business grow, I can tell you without question that video marketing packs a punch.
Google the names noted above if you are looking for quality resources to help you get your video marketing game on in this New Year. I’ve worked with all three folks and can speak to the quality of their work, and my business thanks them for it! If you’d like to see some of my videos for BIO WOW NOW, here is a link to make that easy.
And, if you have already created some sassy how-to videos and would like to enter to win VIP tickets to Brendon Burchard’s Experts Academy, the deadline to enter is January 22, 2012. You can get all the details about this contest at this link.
Video is the preferred way that millions of people around the world prefer to receive information. Learning how to create videos that speak to our ideal clients so we can connect and do business is a great way to “Broadcast Your Brilliance” and advance your success. It’s just that simple.
Steve Washer is a guest blogger here at Authentic Visibility from time to time, so I want you to pay attention when he posts because he can add a lot of secret sauce to your success recipe. My husband Steve and I just graduated from the SellonSite DIY Video Course taught by Steve Washer. I have one word for it. Wow.
Steve has a delightfully authentic tone of voice and great content to share to advance your success. Click on the link above to experience Steve’s teaching style and content for yourself. And, if you decide to enroll in his program, you will save 30% when you do because you are an Authentic Visibility Blog Reader. Just follow the link above, watch and enjoy, and take action to make your best video marketing moves with Steve Washer as your guide. The course starts on January 11, so you’ll want to jump in in time to benefit.
Life really change change forever with the crash of a bike. In August of 2000, Brandon Harney was stuck by a car while riding his bike. The accident proved fatal for him, and life-giving for 52 others. Yesterday, Dave Ebberson — the recipient of Brandon’s pancreas — drove from Ephrata to Seattle to be part of a “floragraph” decorating event that took place a BECU Headquarters in Tukwila to honor Brandon’s gift of life.
Shirley Harney Taylor and Ebberson put the finishing touches on the art piece made from 100% natural materials that will soon be winging its way to be showcased on the Donate Life America Float in the 2012 Tournament of Roses Parade. Brandon’s “floragraph” will be among 72 such images proudly on display to earn the attention of millions of viewers. The intent of the float is to raise awareness about the importance of organ and tissue donation. Shirley has been ad advocate for the important work of LifeCenter Northwest since Brandon gave the gift of life to so many others when he passed away. She has worked for BECU for 25 years. You can watch the KOMO TV 4 coverage by visiting this link. Share generously.
Here are some key takeaways from Steve’s video that you can take to the bank when you apply them to your video marketing advantage:
Video marketing isn’t about communication, but rather it’s about infection.
The lion’s share of business goes to companies that know their customers’ pain better than the customers do.
Directly address your customers’ deepest fears and hopes.
I love it when friends, colleagues, and clients of mine are seen, heard, and celebrated for the magic they bring to the marketplace. Now, the key is for Steve to leverage his good news to make even more magic happen.
Here are a few tips to help Steve leverage his good news, and you can apply these suggestions to your own advantage if you have something to crow about.
Share your news with influential bloggers who can reach an even wider audience of people who will be interested in your tips and the prospect of benefiting from your expertise.
Share the good news via social media and invite people to Re-Tweet. Video is engaging and persuasive, and it can go “viral” to everyone’s advantage.
Make the news relevant to your people. Yes, it’s exciting that you’ve won an award. What is cooler is that you’ve shared information they can use to make the most of video to grow their businesses. This is a hot topic, and everyone needs to know more about that.
Share the video in your next ezine or blog post.
Get in touch with your local business journal to find out if a column about making the most of video to build business would be of service to the readers. Follow up, get to YES, and make your submission so your stellar guidance can travel far and wide to more of the right people. If you want to learn how to pitch an article the media can’t resist, I’ve got a sassy audio file posted here to give you the high points.
Don’t stop with the local business journal. Consider reaching out to specific trade journals — perhaps Investment News or Speaker Magazine — to make the same suggestion. Tailor the trade focused submission to meet the needs of the readership, and extend a golden lasso around a much wider audience of perfect people who will want to engage with your expertise via your group programs and other services.
Now that you’ve won this award, you can update your bio to say you are an award-winning entrepreneur. Mention the award you won so it doesn’t read like puff. Proof is so much better than puff, and “specifics are terrific” as my buddy Liz Goodgold likes to say.
A press release that explains how to be among the rare few who use video well to make their impact and offers the specifics about how to do that could be very useful and earn some readers. In the “boilerplate” paragraph at the end of the release, mention this recent award as a way to reinforce your credibility. Be sure to offer a call to action in this final paragraph that guides readers to opt-in to your ezine or call for more expert guidance.
Consider placing an advertisement on Help a Reporter. This media query service reaches 200,000 people — many of whom are quite serious about getting known to get paid. The folks at HARO tell me their emails boast a 60% open rate. Learning how to use video to achieve that is likely on the minds of many of these fine folks. You can purchase a one-time ad to reach the entire list for around $1500, or you can purchase a segmented list — say, for example, just the business audience — for around $300. This ads are the first thing you see when you get the query feed, and they are written in a pithy style that is a close match to yours, Steve. This might be worth a really good effort because video isn’t going away, and you are leading the pack for doing it well and right. After all, you just won an award for this, and the proof is in the delivery. You are the master at this.
Since overwhelm can be a challenge for business owners who are feeling the joy of their accomplishments, let me stop with just these nine ideas for inspired action.
Remember, one good thing leads to another. One day you are seen, heard, and celebrated for delivering high impact advice on a video that helps you win an award. The next, you could be seen, heard, and celebrated everywhere your ideal clients pay attention so they will want to beat a path to your door to compensate you for helping them to have what you are having. Aren’t you intoxicated by that prospect? I hope so! Rock on, my friend. Rock on.
Oh, by the way, are you interested in learning more from Steve Washer and benefiting from his talents to your business building advantage? Visit his site at www.brainyvideo.com. Tell him I sent you. I know that will make him grin.
Today marks the debut of new guest blog series about video marketing from my good friend and colleague Steve Washer. I know you’ll love his tone of voice and be inspired to learn more about the wow and the how behind adding video to your marketing mix to show up at your very best so you can do more of what you love to do in the world. Take it away Steve!
There’s a huge misunderstanding about marketing in the conscious business community. It has a name: authenticity.
So it’s no surprise that many in this community hate marketing. But given the importance of marketing to keep your business profitable, wouldn’t it be nice to learn to love it as much as you love working with your clients?
Let’s put this in a moving pictures context where the issue comes up most often.
Movie-makers work very, very hard to create an image that shouts out to the emotional centers of our brain. Sometimes their messages are quite loopy, but nestled in the confines of a warm and fuzzy image, those messages become extremely powerful and unforgettable.
Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not:
“You do know how to whistle, don’t you Steve? Just put your lips together and blow.”
Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark:
“I hate snakes!!”
Those films and others conjure in us a world of thoughts and feelings that make us laugh and cry and wonder and yearn.
Yet in each case, the moment was carefully crafted by artisans of the first order working at the top of their game. They did it, not to manipulate you, but to make you feel something, or to change your mind. Those feelings are real. And that’s a noble goal.
So how does a marketer use video to create the same effect? Many internet wags go all school-marm on you if you say you want to make a video that doesn’t make you look like you’re strung-out on crack. Why?
Well, simply because it’s not “authentic.” This betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the word “authentic.” Worse, it can destroy your efforts at video marketing before you start.
Let’s take the typical example of a businessman who makes a webcam video. Usually these can be described as “Raw, Unfiltered, Uncensored, Visceral.” Doesn’t that sound like something you would like for your business? Authentic, right? Well, consider the implications.
“Raw” means his worst appearance. Hair unkempt, clothing the same, shadows that make him look like a vampire, and a background that screams in another language.
“Unfiltered” means he was unsure of what he wanted people to know and so he confused his viewers.
“Uncensored” means he kept in all the mistakes and wasted his viewer’s time.
“Visceral” means he bypassed the logic and emotional centers of the brain and spoke directly to the brain stem, neutering any thoughtful message, leaving his viewer with an undefined yet slightly queasy feeling.
Ah, but at least it was “authentic.”
There is a better way
Take a tip from Nancy Juetten. You can do video simply and in a way that won’t embarrass you. It just takes a bit of learning and conscious awareness. This is where you have it all over the un-conscious businessperson.
Pablo Picasso said that “art is the lie that tells the truth.” You have to be able to hold two opposing concepts in your head simultaneously to get that one, but truer words were never spoken when it comes to marketing with video.
Am I saying there is no place for the webcam? Not at all. If you use it with the right strategy. The Blair Witch Project proved that you could rough up your image to great effect. The key is to stay at the level of conscious awareness, and know how to get the effect that will stimulate the feeling you want to give your viewer.
But what about all those internet gurus who tell you to use highly degraded videos? Um, what they’re not saying is that they were already millionaires before they started using video. And it’s not likely that you have the same markets they do. If your business depends at all on personal relationships, like coaching or the helping professions, the “ghetto” video will usually be of very little use.
Bottom line: if you want your potential clients to embrace your authentic image, give them an authentic image that is embraceable.
Resource Box
Steven Washer, the vanilla chai video guy, is Headmaster at BrainyVideo and Video Marketing Coaches. He teaches entrepreneurs the easy and effective way to reach their ideal clients with video strategies that create an authority presence for them in their space.
Today is the last day to benefit from the gift of the 2nd Annual Publici-Tea™ and Book Publishing Summit as a virtual workshop experience. In early 2011, this summit will be turned into a product available for purchase at my DIY Publicity Store, so be sure to opt-in today at www.publicitea.com to enjoy the entire presentation as my holiday gift to you and everyone you know, complete with PowerPoint slides, audio files, and more.
Today’s final highlight video showcases the Rock Star Status Reality Check. Tune in and see if you are ready for rock star status! Treat yourself to the entire video series in sequence.
And, if preparing and sharing your story in the New Year is among your highest priorities, it will be my pleasure to guide your journey. Bye-Bye Boring Bio is a great place to start. Patrick Snow is happy to coach your book from your head to paper so you can welcome multiple streams of income. It’s all within reach, provided you take the best next step forward to make it happen.
My holiday wish is for the gift of the “virtual Publici-Tea™ workshop experience” to be enjoyed by 100,000 people around the world who sign up at www.publicitea.com between now and Christmas. If you reach for the moon, you just might land on a star!
That is my wish for everyone out there who is ready to take action to get known as the experts they know themselves to be.
With that said and to inspire you into action, check out the video series in the post immediately above — created by the amazing Brad Tollefson of VLST Media. He really is a fantastic storyteller with video as his medium of choice. You’d do well to engage him to capture the magic of your events in the New Year. Just a suggestion …
Today’s video features Book Publishing Coach and Best Selling Author Patrick Snow inspiring the audience with tips and insights to turn your areas of passion into books that fuel your prosperity.
Video #4 features event guest Amy Woidke who chimes in with enthusiasm about the next steps she intends to take, based on the inspiration she gained from both me and Patrick.
Video #3 featues glowing comments from Date to Mate Coach Katherin Scott and Femme Finance Radio Host Debbie Whitlock.
Video #2 gives a powerful shout out to our event sponsors. It takes a village, and I am so glad to have these fine folks in my village: Debbie Whitlock, Diane Bridgwater, Gina O’Daniel, Cindy Tyler, Sarah Schosboek, John Wheeler, Zita Gustin, and Craig Cross. Check it out below!
The first wish shares a sassy sound bite from Executive Business Coach Sue Clement about “the vacuum cleaner paradigm.” It’s not enough to have a vacuum. You have to plug it in and push it around if you want to scoop up the dirt. The same holds true for earning expert status. You have to get your story together and share it if you want to scoop up a world of opportunity for your business.
Check out the highlight video created by Gina O’Daniel of O’Daniel Designs from the 2nd Annual Publici-Tea™ and Book Publishing Summit, held last Friday, December 10 at the beautiful Seattle Design Center. Patrick Snow and I delighted our guests with useful tips, resources, and inspiration to finally get our books done and to step up, stand out and SHINE as experts in our fields.
If you missed the live event, be sure to visit www.publicitea.com before Christmas 2010 so you can benefit from the two content-rich audio files, the PowerPoint presentation, the Rock Star Status Reality Check, and more. It’s my holiday gift to you, provided you opt-in before Christmas. I’ll donate 5% of net profits from any sales made to the DIY Publicity Store between now and then to Rise N Shine.
Isn’t it time to step up, stand out and SHINE in all your brilliance to make 2011 your best year ever? Let me hear you say “YES!” If not now then when? If not you, then who. If not this, then what? Yes is the answer.
Today, my guest blogger is Gina O’Daniel — a talented graphic designer who also has quite a talent for video production. I’ve engaged her to create a sassy video to capture the magic that unfolds at the December 10 Publici-Tea™ and Book Publishing Summit. I can’t wait to see what she and her team create!
If you’ve been shooting video and asking yourself how you add it to your Facebook wall, you will love Gina’s step by step explanation. And, if you get into any difficulty, post a question here so Gina can respond to everyone’s collective benefit.
