Every week as @SmallBizLady, I conduct interviews with experts on my Twitter talk show #SmallBizChat. The show takes place every Wednesday on Twitter from 8-9 pm ET. This is excerpted from my recent interview with Donna Maria Coles Johnson @indiebusiness She is an attorney, podcaster, award-winning small business advocate and the leader of the Indie Beauty Network. With her husband, she also co-owns Indie Business Media, LLC, http://www.indiebusinessblog.com, a company that provides video production and social media training for small and independent business owners.
Smallbizlady: Why Is Video Important For Establishing And Expanding Your Brand?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Statistics show that people are watching increasing numbers of video clips online, and for more extended periods of time, than ever before. Over 50% on online traffic is video and nothing establishes your credibility and expertise better than video.
Smallbizlady: What Does Video Do That Other Forms Of Media Cannot Do?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Video shows you in action. It engages all of the sense of the audience to provide a full experience of what it’s like to engage with you. Video shows your leadership qualities. People like to follow leaders. Perhaps nothing shows that you are ready, willing and able to lead than videos that share your expertise and make you visible to the entire world. Video makes you stand out. How many people do you know who are good at what they do, but who are not willing or able to lead with video? There are plenty, and taking the lead to beat everyone in your field to the video punch will set you apart.
Smallbizlady: How Can Video Help Me Expand My Brand?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: If you put your videos on YouTube and/or Vimeo, you can set them to “share” mode. This allows other people to cut and paste the embed code for your video and play it at their sites. With so many people looking for quality content for their blogs, but unable to create it all themselves, it’s the perfect way for you to help other people while also expanding your brand.
Smallbizlady: How Do I Make Professional Video If I’m Not A Professional Videographer?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: While your videos do not always have to be professionally produced, they must always be professional. For promotional projects designed to advance your professional interests in major ways (including seeking business financing, pitching your book or seeking a job), a professionally produced video is often best. But for everyday projects — sharing your ideas, telling your customers about a new success tool you discovered, sharing your personal commentary on a topic of importance to your audience — so long as you appear professional, the picture is clear and the audio is good, you will be fine.
Smallbizlady: What’s The First Step To Producing Quality Videos?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: First, just get comfortable using your video camera. Read the instruction manual and start trying things out. Ask a friend to record some test videos in different parts of your home or office (or outside) to see what light you look best in, check out the audio quality of the camera you are using, etc. If you don’t know your equipment, you will not be able to control your equipment. Get to know your camera first, then move on to other things.
There are many camera options to choose from. Today, many still cameras and smart phones come equipped with video options. I use a Flip and a Vado, both of which are handy and lightweight so I can pull them out wherever I am and be shooting a video in a matter of seconds. No muss, no fuss.
Smallbizlady: Once I Know My Camera, What Do I Do Next?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Know your audience. I don’t care how good a video is, it your readers don’t care about the topic, you’ve just wasted a ton of time. Know your audience first, then start brainstorming about topics that lend themselves to video and which your readers will care about. Make a “top 10” list and begin to keep notes about what subjects you can cover on video.
Smallbizlady: Once I Decide On Topics Of Interest, What Then?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Make some practice videos, again trying out different convenient locations in your home or office. For each topic, think of a short intro, 3 points to share, and a call to action. That’s all you need.
Smallbizlady: How Long Should My Video Be?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: This will vary depending on the topic, but generally, 3 minutes is quite long enough. Don’t feel like you must go that long. If you can say what needs to be said in 30 seconds, that’s plenty. The shorter, the better.
Smallbizlady: What Do I Need To Know About Lighting?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: Most of this you will learn as you practice, but the first thing to remember is that almost nothing spoils a video shoot as much as poor lighting. An important tip is to shoot video with the light source behind the camera, shining on the subject. If it is an outdoor shot where the sun is shining, make sure the sun shines on your subject and not on your camera lens! If all else fails try to shoot in soft light provided by shade. This always looks natural, and natural is always good.
Smallbizlady: What Do I Need To Know About Audio?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: If you can get a video camera with an external mic input, use that. If not (and don’t let lack of external mic stop you!), keep the camera’s internal mic as close to you as possible to get good audio.
Smallbizlady: What Are Some Of The Most Popular Topics For Video?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: First, be fun and entertaining. Everyone likes to laugh so if you can make someone smile, you’re halfway there no matter what the topic is.
Other than that, the secret to good media of any kind is to tell a story. So, tell stories about how you help people, or stories about your latest products, services or exciting collaborative projects. If you manufacture products, take people into your manufacturing area and show them how it’s done. (Make sure your manufacturing area is clean and presentable!) Take your video camera with you to trade shows, conferences and other events and capture interesting people on video.
If you can find people of interest to interview, you’ll be creating exciting content for your site while also building your intellectual property library. This increased not only your brand, but also the value of your business!
When you post your video to your blog, be sure to include text around it. I understand YouTube will soon be allowing embedded text links in video and this will be helpful. But remember that people do not always want to watch a video at the moment they come across your post. (Consider that they might be in an environment where turning up the audio would be inappropriate.) If you don’t include text, they’ll never enjoy the information you are sharing. Including a textual summary of the video gives your audience another option, and options are always good for the people you serve.
Smallbizlady: How Do I Maximize The Spread Of My Video?
Donna Maria Coles Johnson: One way is to makes sure to allow sharing so people can paste an embed code easily to share your video. Also, make sure your video is viewable on mobile devices. This is easy to check when you post your videos and ask friends to watch them from different mobile devices, from basic to maximum sophistication. If people are confused or frustrated, they won’t watch your video, and that’s not what we want!
If you found this interview helpful, join us on Wednesdays 8-9 pm ET and follow @SmallBizChat on Twitter.
For more tips on how start or grow your small business subscribe to Melinda Emerson’s blog Succeed As Your Own Boss.
Melinda Emerson, known to many as “SmallBizLady,” is a Veteran Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach and Social Media Strategist who hosts #SmallBizChat weekly on Twitter for emerging entrepreneurs. #Smallbizchat is the trusted resource on Twitter to discuss everything entrepreneurs need to know about launching and running a profitable small business. Her first book Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months was released in March 2010.
Very nice information.