Whether you’re trying to grow your business, or grow a career, there’s no better way to build your credibility than with video. Video is visual, aural, and emotional. It captures the heart and soul of the speaker. That is why we connect so strongly through video. Have you ever watched a movie and just absolutely loved a character so much, you felt like you knew them in real life and hated to see the movie end? Now, imagine that you, too, can have that same kind of connection with your audience. Granted, it may not be QUITE that emotional, but because the viewer can see and hear you, a connection is definitely established.
Ensure that trust connection
The emotional connection we’re talking about here isn’t quite the same as in a movie. You’re not looking for love or hate or justice or revenge. You’re looking for trust. Here are six key factors you need to inject into your video to ensure that trust connection.
- Make eye contact. This is the bottom-line foundation to beginning to earn trust. Look straight at the camera and speak.
- Speak slowly and clearly. If you speak too fast, you could come off as trying to hide something, like you’re trying to “sell” before the viewer has a chance to think about what you’re saying. Don’t go too slowly, either. Go at a comfortable, steady pace. Pretend you’re talking to someone in person. Tip: hang a picture of your ideal client from your camera. Speak to that person.
- Be yourself. It’s up to you if you want to memorize what you want to say. Some people can pull that off authentically; others cannot. Either way, just be real. If you try to make it too perfect, you could come across as insincere, and you definitely don’t want that. Be friendly. Remember to smile.
- Include a call to action (CTA), if appropriate. How critical this is depends on the topic of your video, but in some cases it can be vital. You want the viewer to take an action of some sort as a result of watching your video. At the very least, if you are using your video to connect with people, then your CTA could be directing them to like your Facebook or LinkedIn page.
- Include contact info. You want your video to be easily sharable; so you may not know where it will end up. Be sure no matter where your video does end up, the viewer can still reach out to you if they desire.
- Quality production values. This is a tricky one. You can definitely do a great video on a small budget. But there are a few things that are really deal breakers when it comes to building your credibility. Make sure you are well lit. If I can’t see you, I can’t trust you. Use external audio. In other words, do not use camera mic. This can get into a whole other discussion, but if you can’t be heard, you’re wasting your time. And if your audio is not of a quality that sounds at least semi-professional, not like the echo-y sound of camera mic, your product may not be perceived as of quality either.
Feedback Loop
A “credibility video” can be an extremely powerful tool in building your business. And, depending on the expectations of your target audience, your video production values need to match the quality level of your content. That is when it may be a good idea to consider having your video done professionally.
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