Does your personal brand matter?

Does your personal brand matter?

Is hair and make-up that important?

To be honest I’ve never given the subject that much thought. I have regular conversations with Evelyne Brink who is an expert of presenting on camera, she’s an advocate of hair and make-up but done in the right way.

In our conversation, Evelyne told me that if you’re a woman and you wear no make-up, you’re likely to appear tired and messy. Contrast that with too much make-up and you look like you’re going out to party! So the key is to fall a little bit in the middle, so you look smart.

For men, it’s a bit different, Evelyne gave me a few tips, for example, my own brand is being quite casual, so it wouldn’t make sense for me to appear on #TheVideoShow in a suit, but maybe I could put a little wax in my hair to tidy it up, and put a bit of concealer over the bags under my eyes.

Watch the next few episodes to see if I take her advice!

Planning 260 Episodes

Planning 260 Episodes

How do you plan The Video Show

I was having a conversation with a customer last week about how I plan each episode of #TheVideoShow, she asked if I script each and every episode and write each word out, or if I make it up on the spot.

To be honest, it’s somewhere in between.

I tend to have a few ideas already written down, typically my ideas come from:

– Being asked a question by a viewer or somebody I meet.
– Something happening in the news (remember the banned Philadelphia Advert?)
– Something comes up in conversation.
– A problem that I, or somebody else is having.

I then take the title of the video and break it down into 3-5 points. For example, for this week’s video I wrote:

– Ways I come up with ideas.
– How I break down the script.
– How that differs with customers.

Then I shoot the video, if I need to look at the points I can glance at my giant whiteboard next to the sofa where I sit. For me, it’s important not to over-script these videos because otherwise I’ll be reading not presenting. And that’s not a good look.

The way this differs with my customers, is that I have a 1 hour video call with them the week before the shoot, and we go through the 6-8 videos we’ll be filming. Go through the points we want to cover, and then they have a week to plan and practice. When I show up on the day, we go through the plan again and then… shoot!

You can watch the video I made about making videos right here:

And if you want to make sure you never miss a video, fill in the form on the video and and you’ll receive a monthly round up of #TheVideoShow sent straight to your email inbox.

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The Rise of Original Content

The Rise of Original Content

The Rise of Original Content

When you think ‘Original Content’ you’d probably think Netflix or Amazon Prime, but businesses are getting in on the act.

Recently, companies like Mailchimp and Wistia have started to produce their own ‘Original Content’ by setting up in house studios where they create films, series and podcasts aimed for their audiences.

But where does this ‘Original Content’ differ from normal ‘content’?

The main difference that I’ve noticed is in the budget, there is a lot more time and money spent in creating these productions, they’re a lot more polished, they tend to be longer than your average 2-3 minute video and aim to attract an audience at a different time of day.

Mailchimp’s ‘Mailchimp Presents’ aims to compete with Neflix and Amazon Prime by creating content for business owners and entrepreneurs to watch when they’re not at work, by creating content about their audience. There are series such as ‘Second Act’ which follows 5 people who choose to go on a new path in their career, as well as ‘Taking Stock’ a series about stock photographers.

It’s content like this and Wistia’s own ‘Brandwagon’ (a talk show for marketers) and ‘One Ten One Hundred’ a series about how different budgets afford different levels of creativity, that really help build brand recognition. (I personally am hooked on Brandwagon, watching each episode as it’s released, and then listening to the podcast version when it comes out a few days later.)

But how can smaller businesses create content like this?

Firstly I think you need to invest in the right creative people, whether it’s a videographer who can spend a few hours a week with you creating new content, or somebody editing your podcast for you, it’s worthwhile spending the time to find the right people to help you create the best possible content you can. Gone are the days when you can stand out by creating a video from the front seat of your car, because everybody is doing it.

Do what you can with what you’ve got, and try to create something outstanding.

Video Backgrounds

Video Backgrounds

One of the first things I notice when I’m watching any video is what’s in the background. Especially if there’s something messy, distracting or out of place. A great example would be cables coming out of a TV, a pile of paperwork or any general mess.

 

You may have recently noticed that I’ve put some effort into making the background in The Video Show constant. I’ve had the Chesterfield for a while, but a few posters and wooden boxes in the background and it looks a whole lot better than a random background or white paper background. 

 

In this episode of The Video Show I discuss the importance of the background of a video, how you can make yours look amazing and how Evelyne Brink creates great backgrounds for her clients. 

 

Do you have a set background in your videos? If so, how do you arrange it? Is it always set up in your office? Or do you re-build it every time?

 

The full interview with Evelyne is below.

 

 

Making Regular Content

Making Regular Content

It can be hard to find the time in your schedule to make regular videos. In this episode of #TheVideoShow I talk to video coach Evelyne Brink about how she finds the time to make videos regularly, and I give my ideas too.

In my opinion, a lot of the problem is people don’t have fun making videos. It should be something that’s enjoyed and looked forward to.

If you’re not getting this feeling on your own, why not work alongside a colleague (or if you’re working alone, someone who also runs their own business). That way you’re accountable to each other, and can have a laugh a long the way.

There’s loads of other tips in this video, so take a look and let me know how you create regular content!

Pattern Interrupts in Video

Pattern Interrupts in Video

In this episode of The Video Show (213) it’s all about pattern interrupts. 

But what is a pattern interrupt? 

If you’re scrolling through reams and reams of video content, but then something different catches your eye, it’s a pretty good chance they’ve done something to stand out. Something to interrupt your regular pattern. 

That’s what I tried to do with my giant head at the start of the video. 

I’m going to try over the next few weeks to keep creating different pattern interrupts in my videos, and trying to notice what other people do in their videos to get them seen. 

What do you think would make a good pattern interrupt? Let me know in the comments below…

What I need to know

What I need to know

In this episode of The Video Show, I talk about what I need to know when shooting a video or a video series for a business.

Often they don’t talk about who they want to target for the videos, so they aren’t sure where to post the videos, when to post them or even who to get involved in the video production process. 

From my point of view it’s very important to find out as much as possible to get the best results. It all starts with what you want the viewer to do, think and feel after watching the video, and we can work backwards from there. 

 

If you have a question for a future episode of #thevideoshow, post it in the comments below.

 

FAILED Behind the Scenes

FAILED Behind the Scenes

I’ve tried time and time again to create a behind the scenes video myself. But I always get stuck because I’m obviously concentrating on creating the content I’m there to create, and shoot the videos I’m there to shoot. 

I’ve managed to get it down to three potential solutions:

1. Create lots of little social media videos, where whenever I get a few seconds, just make a short video on my phone and post it directly to my various channels. 

2. Turn those little videos into something bigger. This would mean making an over-arching behind the scenes video and being quite general in why I’m there and what I’m doing. 

3. Get someone else to do it. Hiring another video company to make a video for me and then using that footage to create a great looking behind the scenes video. 

What do you think? Post your solution in the comments below!

 

Do I need to worry about props?

Do I need to worry about props?

Do you need to worry about props and set decoration in your videos?

Well I’d certainly say do your best to make the background tidy. At least at first. This goes along with my rule: ‘Make small improvements with every video you make’.

With every video you make look at it after posting and ask the question: ‘What can I improve on?’. This might be something as simple as how you’re presenting, it could be what you’re wearing, it could be the camera or the lighting. But it could be the set or the props you’re using. 

Look at your set, and think about what’s distracting? What could make it look more professional? What would make it fit in more with your brand? Then over time fix it until the background becomes as much a part of your videos as you. 

The quickest way to build trust

The quickest way to build trust

There are loads of different ways to make great content, blogs, articles, podcasts, animated videos, but in my mind none build trust in quite the way that video does. You may feel I’m being hypocritical by writing a blog about this subject, but I’m actually repurposing all of this from a video that I made which you can see here:

The best way to build trust with video is to have a person in the video, ideally you. By putting yourself in the firing line you’ll make it easier for people to connect with you, to realise who you are and what you sound like. People take both audio and visual cues from a conversation. It’s a bit like when you’re reading a text, you can’t quite grasp the tone of the message, and if you’ll often project your own feelings onto it. It becomes a bit easier if you can hear them, but it becomes even easier if you can see them as well. 

That’s exactly why you’ve got to bite the bullet and appear in your next video. 

So, a few things to bear in mind that might give you an extra bit of confidence. When people first meet they look at four things:

1.What you’re wearing

I wouldn’t go so far as to say ‘Dress Smart’ but I would say ‘Dress for the occasion’. Make sure you’re wearing what people expect you to be wearing.

2. The location you’re in

With video, you’re entirely in control of the location, so make sure the background is distraction free, it’s well lit and the focus is entirely on you.

3. Whether your posture matches theirs

A bit harder to do in video form, but use your common sense. Don’t slouch, don’t swing your arms about like a moody teenager, be natural. 

4. If you mention a mutual acquaintance 

This is a good one! You can mention people they’re likely to have heard of to underline a point you’ve made. If someone you both like/know and trust, they’ll be quicker to agree with you as well. 

Keep an eye out for my future Video Shows. I’m always looking for ideas for future episodes, if you have a question for a future episode, put it in the comments below!