Vickie Sceifers

So if you’re fairly new to this whole “social media” thing, you may not be seeing the results you had hoped for quite yet. The problem is, you don’t know why, and the more you search for answers, the more answers you find. There is just so much information out there, it’s almost impossible to wade through it to find the most useful bits.

So stop wading for a moment and let’s get back to basics. The first rule to a successful social media campaign is engagement. Keyword being “SOCIAL.” That means go out there and meet people; relate to them on a personal level, not just a “buy my X”. It is when people get to know you and like you that they will feel more comfortable buying from you. Repeatedly, if you do it right.

Duplicate Yourself

And one of the most effective ways to engage people is through video on your website. Since you can’t literally be everywhere on earth at the same time, and speak to everyone at the same time, having video on your website is the next best thing. With video, you CAN talk to everyone everywhere at once. The new currency of customer loyalty is people buy from people. Put a face on the business. Let the consumer see who you are. You’re a real person, not a faceless entity just out for their money.

Back to video, it is through video that you can put a face, a name, a personality on that business. You are approachable, a real person. Even if you are P&G. Now, if you’re thinking, I can’t do video; it’s too complicated; I wouldn’t know what to say; I don’t have the right equipment; I’m having a bad hair day…and on and on. Well, there’s an answer to every one of those excuses, but the first hurdle is to make the decision that you are going to do video. Final answer. All the other excuses (er, reasons), can be resolved if you are determined to embrace the power of video.

So here’s where you start…

Make a welcome video. Most computers these days have built in cameras, so use that. If you’re on a PC, you most likely have Movie Maker. If you’re on a Mac, you probably have iMovie, Photobooth, or Quicktime Player. If you’ve never opened a video program before, I recommend starting with Photobooth. It’s a simple click to record, click to stop recording. The quality isn’t the best, but let’s work with what you have. Be sure you are sitting close enough to your computer so that the built in microphone picks you up well. This is not the most ideal circumstances, but it’s the best way to get started, with what you have. No excuses, no delay.

Here’s what you say…tell who you are, what you do, how you can help, and call to action. You only need a minute or so. You don’t need to explain your whole business plan or go into great detail about anything. Keep it simple.

My name is Vickie Sceifers and I’m a video producer. I show people how to use video to promote their business. Call me at (513) 360-8776 for a free consultation.

Simple. To the point. Now granted, there could be a little more substance than that, but just start with this. You can always add more to it later. It is more important that you DO IT than that you do it perfectly.

Here are a couple tips to help you avoid the need for editing

  1. If you’re recording with your computer, and there’s a big red RECORD button, when you press that to start recording, do not move your hand; then when you’re finished recording, you can just click it again to stop and there’s shouldn’t be any definable action in the video.
  2. Before you start recording, poise your mouse over that button so you can click it without looking. Now look up at your camera. SMILE. Click Record, count silently to 3, then begin speaking. When you’re done with what you want to say, pause for a 3-count again, then click Stop Recording. Depending on the ability of your computer, the 3-count is important to avoid any buffering delay. Hopefully you’ll end up with a video that doesn’t need editing. (If it’s pretty good, but there are ends you’d like to crop off, I’ll cover that in another post.)

Well, we’re off to a good start. You’ve got a video. Next post I’ll cover what to do with that video. If you’d like a little more help, feel free to leave a comment below.