We see it all the time from businesses we work with in and around Edinburgh. We'll quickly pull together a short behind-the-scenes video and post it on socials, only to discover that it significantly outperforms the real video itself. Why is that?
Well, most people go through a transformation the moment that little red recording light starts flashing. They go from being friendly, relaxed, and funny to being serious, nervous, and boring. Something about the knowledge that they're being recorded changes them completely into an almost unrecognisable person.
So what can be done about this? The only way to retain the "real you" in front of the camera is to intentionally practice. The more you get used to being recorded, and the more intentional you are about retaining your character, the more natural you're going to appear. This will help to massively improve both your engagement with your audience/customers and your overall reach.
Got questions? Check out our learning hub, or email us at [email protected] today.
Storytelling is so powerful. We go the cinema to watch stories unfold before us and we get lost in the characters and their lives.
How are you allowing people to fall in love with the characters behind your business? What is the "story" that your brand is putting out there? What are your values and how do they come across to your team and your clients? Are they cold, corporate, and lifeless? Or do people connect and engage with them because there's a humanity that comes through in the way you're showcasing them?
Maybe it's time to take a look at the story of your brand and how it's being perceived by your team and your clients. And if it's not being perceived in the way you intended it to, how could you go about addressing that?
As humans, we really don't like our options to shut on us. We like leaving all of our options open, juust in case! Holding all those doors open though, not only drains your energy and your time, but it ends up leaving you less able to be there for the things that really matter.
Maybe you're spending hours each week on an email marketing campaign that only three people are receiving, in the hopes that one day someone will fall down your carefully constructed sales funnel. Maybe you're spending too much time editing every stray hair out of your social media posts, or writing endlessly long, detailed captions that no one ever reads. Maybe it's time to stop bashing that square peg into the round hole and try something different.
So, what doors are you holding open just in case? Perhaps it's time to close some of them, to make way for better opportunities down the line. You never know what's just around the corner!
Is the content you put up on socials educational, promotional, inspiring, or entertaining? As business owners, we naturally lean towards putting up promotional content. This is completely understandable as, after all, businesses are there to make money!
The problem with this is that social media isn't a sales funnel, it's a social medium. It exists to connect people with each other, not with businesses. If all your posts involve promotional content, such as updates on the latest products or services you're offering, you're missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your customers. Most people switch off and scroll past as soon as they realise they are being sold to, whether or not it's a paid ad. So how do you get around this?
Be real and add value to people's lives! Have you ever noticed that outtake videos or behind-the-scenes pics do way better than salesy promotional stuff? This is because people see that you are genuinely trying to connect with them, and they will love you for it! There's a time and a place for promotional content, for sure, but it should only ever be surrounded by engaging, inspiring, educational, or entertaining content.
Sometimes business owners come to us and say, "I know I should be making content, but I have no idea where to start!".
Coming up with content ideas can be really challenging, even if you feel like you've got a lot to say. And even when you do come up with some ideas and you stand in front of the camera ready to record, suddenly you draw a blank.
To ensure you're not drawing a blank when the cameras start rolling, it's so important to be prepared. Take some time to sit and come up with the most commonly asked questions your customers come to you with. What do they want to know about your business? What do they want to know about your industry?
Where are the places you get asked the same questions over and over again? Your sales process? Your social media pages? Use this as the basis for your content, and soon you'll have a stack of valuable content your customers will love!
People ask us all the time, "How do you gain enough confidence to go on camera?".
The answer? Practise!
We work with so many different people who have never really been on camera before. Sometimes they're awful. Sometimes they're amazing. At the end of the day, the only way to improve is to keep getting up there and making videos.
The more you do it, the better you'll be, and the more comfortable you will become. During the first few shoots, the lights and the cameras can be pretty intimidating and overwhelming, but after a while, you won't even really notice it anymore.
So rather than waiting, and risking falling behind the times by not engaging in video, start the journey today!
Consistency in content is important because people want to know you're there, that you're still alive!
There's nothing worse than going on a company's website and seeing their latest offer, "Fresh for 2020", or checking out their social pages and noticing that their latest post is from 2017. It doesn't exactly fill you with confidence and leaves you wondering why they're so out-of-touch.
Ultimately, keeping content fresh and updated fills your prospective client with confidence in you and your brand.
Now it's also important to take into consideration what that content IS, of course, making sure it's of a standard that reflects both your brand and your offer. But don't become SO picky that you end up never posting anything at all. Keep posting, updating, and making sure your customers know you're still alive and kicking!
If you need any help coming up with content, send us an email today at [email protected].
