I remember the first testimonial I received after starting my business in 2011. I was really excited by the prospect of it, thinking it was going to be amazing. But when it was emailed through to me I felt really flat. To be honest the testimonial was bad. It was along the lines of:
‘Mark was really great, he’s a great guy and did a good job’
Not what I wanted, and certainly not what I expected.
Since starting the Video Toolkit I’ve tried to find ways of improving every aspect of the videos I make and the ones I help other people make. That’s why I teach 6 simple questions to get a solid testimonial:
Who are you and who do you serve?
What were things like before you started working with us?
Why did you invite us in?
What happened as a result of working with us?
What surprised you?
How would you recommend us?
I go into even more detail in this week’s episode of The Video Show, check. it. out.
It’s always good to try new things, especially when it comes to video. I’ve been getting a bit too comfortable on the sofa lately when it comes to The Video Show. By constantly changing what The Video Show is, gives me the opportunity to try new ideas to see what will work for you.
For the next few weeks and months, I plan to shoot one ‘Vlog’ video each week, which will show behind the scenes on a particular shoot, or go into detail on a particular subject. Alongside this, I want to host one live video every week. This will involve answering your questions (pre-asked and live).
What I love about Live Videos
I really enjoy hosting live videos because it gives me the chance to work on presentations skills. I have a box of questions ready to go, but as I pull each question out I only have a few seconds to come up with an answer. And when the questions come through live I have even less time.
If you want to start to really learn your subject matter, and really improve your presentation skills I’d recommend trying Live video, whether it be on Facebook or YouTube. Good Luck!
There’s a lot of upsides to vlogging, you get a lot more exposure, you can show viewers some very interesting behind the scenes stuff and you can experiment with creativity. That’s why I’m attempting to make one vlog every week and then expand into a few more if I can/want to.
Alongside this, I plan to make the regular FAQ videos, but turn them into Facebook Live or YouTube Live videos. The reason I’m doing this is to have a regular LIVE show and so I can engage with the audience as and when questions come up.
In this episode, I manage to do both types of videos. I start the day by chronicling my day as I go in and out of meetings (it’s all very exciting) and then finish the day with a LIVE video. Although I enjoyed making this behind the scenes video, it allowed me to be a bit more creative and think about how the video would be helpful to the people watching. I did find a few things difficult. For example finding the time to shoot video throughout the day was tough, as well as being able to talk in front of the camera when there are a lot of other people around. I know that it’s can be done, and it will take a lot of work. But at the moment I feel like a bit of an idiot talking into a lens when there are other people watching. (To be honest, they’re probably not paying me the slightest bit of attention)
So, do I have what it takes to vlog? Only time will tell.
Last week I invited one of our newest Video Toolkit members; Carol Graham to talk about why she joined the Video Toolkit and tell us about her business. First of all, she was up for it, thinking it would just be a conversation on the regular sofa. But at the last minute, I saw the latest ‘Carpool Karaoke’ video and decided that it would be fun to have our conversation in my trusty car.
It was really interesting talking to Carol about her business. Having worked with her a few years ago in 2013, I knew a fair bit about her business and how it works. But especially how she was having trouble with communicating her message. Carol is a psychosexual therapist. So she works with couples and individuals and helps them with their relationships and their sex lives. Obviously, this is a tough subject to get across on video, at networking and indeed in everyday conversation.
Carol’s reasoning for joining the Video Toolkit was that she had watched the Video Show since April 2016, when we launched the Toolkit and thought that it could be a good idea. But it wasn’t until July this year, that out of the blue she signed up. Over the next few weeks and months, we plan to work with Carol to help her practice her message and work out how she can pitch her business without putting people off.
This episode is a really interesting conversation about how we’re going to do that. So if you’re worried about how you can get your message across, or you’ve been putting off trying out video for sometime WATCH this episode then sign up to the Video Toolkit by heading to www.videotoolkit.co.uk.
I talk about this kind of thing all the time. Many people are worried about making their first video, conscious about how they’ll look and how they’ll be perceived. So I’ve decided to look back at my first video that I made to promote Red Book Productions in 2011 (maybe 2012).
The first video I made was called ‘Why Flim’ (mainly because that was a page on my website and I had no idea how to change it). But my main problem was that I did not under any circumstances want to talk in front of camera. I was worried about how I would sound, what people would think and the barrage of abuse I’d be likely to receive if I ever posted a video.
But eventually I did get over my fears and in this episode (117) I go into detail looking back at my first ever video.
The main reason that I’ve done this is to show how awful your first video will look next to your latest video. (Yes, believe it or not, your first video is always the hardest) I try to learn something new from each and every video I make, I always want to improve. I often look back on videos that I made even a month previously seeing things that I’d change now.
The trick is to get started and pick up small improvements each and every time you make a video. Notice things you can improve in terms of:
Presentation – How can you present better? Remember your lines? Be more energetic?
Lighting – Was there a shadow in the background?
Background – Was it too distracting? Was it too dull?
Camera – Is it in focus? Is it good enough quality?
Sound – Is there a weird hissing sound? How do you get rid of it?
Once you get started you’ll notice little things you can improve on each and every time you make a video. You’ll notice that after 10/15/20/50 videos that you’ve made huge improvements. It’s just getting that first video out of the way that’s the trick.
We’ve been working the BEA Solutions for around about 8 months now and have created a number of videos to help them stand out online.
Our latest video explains the different services that they offer and to put them into one neat package. I wanted to make sure that everything flowed together, like the different services that BEA Offer, so I wanted this video to be very reliant on editing.
It started with a conversation with Marc where I suggested using the different screens in the office to ‘zoom’ into the next shot, and we slowly pieced together the overall video that you see today.
By using clever editing techniques we were able to put the finished video together.
A lot of people ask me which is more important, professional videos or DIY videos.
Over the last 18 months, I’ve helped businesses make both types of video. There’s the Video Toolkit which launched in April 2016, which helps businesses create their own videos, by teaching shooting, editing, and sharing techniques.
And then there was what I’ve always done, shooting professional videos for businesses.
So which is better? If a business had to choose, which would work better?
To be honest, there are a number of factors you need to consider, they are:
1. Do you have time?
If you’ve got some time to spare and are willing to learn how to make videos yourself then Video Toolkit is the way to go.
2. Do you have more budget?
There’s no skirting around it, Video Toolkit isn’t for people either have more budget or don’t have time to learn new skills. And would prefer for somebody else to make the videos for them.
Recently I’ve noticed there’s room for both.
By creating a small number of DIY videos yourself (e.g. Facebook Live and Social Media Engagement videos) you’re more likely to build engagement on social media channels by being more personal, and then lead viewers to your professionally shot content (FAQ videos, sales videos etc)
I’ve worked with a few businesses following this idea and it’s worked very well. That’s why I’ve set up Video Toolkit Pro.
The ‘Pro’ Version of Video Toolkit is a 12-month program, where businesses can learn to create a small number of regular videos themselves from their phone and spend a few minutes each day interacting with their followers on social media. Then back that up with professionally shot videos that we shoot together over the year.
So if you want to learn how to make your own videos, why not join our growing community: www.videotoolkit.co.uk
And if you feel that professionally made video is the way to go; we’re launching Video Toolkit Pro on September 1st head to http://www.videotoolkitpro.co.uk/join and tell me why you feel video will work for your business.
A lot of people come to me saying ‘I need a video. What next?’
They’re already convinced that video will work for them, they’re usually already using social media to promote their business, and see video as an extension of that. To be honest the first thing I like to find out is what results you’d expect from video, who you’re targeting and how you’re currently targeting them. So I can find out if I can help, how I can help and what I’d suggest as an approach.
I don’t like to rush in and say ‘YES! You need a video on your website!’ before I find out about your business. And the best way to do that is to fill in the pre-production questionnaire which will give me a great idea of what you’d expect from your videos. You can download them here: http://templates.videotemplates.co.uk/videotoolkit/ Then send them back to me if you’d like to see if I can help.
And if you really want to get stuck in head to fill in my video audit. That’s where we really get stuck into the nitty gritty: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/video-audit
Ok ok, it can be quite confusing about what video to make first. Especially if you’re set on making your own videos.
I’d recommend just starting to interact with people online using video. So when somebody comments, shares, or likes anything to do with you on social media. Instead of typing a reply or what most people do; ignoring it. Make a quick video on your phone responding. It shouldn’t be a hard sell, just a response answering a question, asking a question or starting a conversation.
It doesn’t have to be hard, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time, just do it as often as you can when you’re not busy. And you’ll soon find you’re building some fantastic lasting relationships.
This episode is about a few different things. Firstly it’s about my 4sights at 4Networking Meetings in Cardiff and Bristol.
4sights are 20-minute slots in each networking meeting where you get to talk about a ‘specialist field or interesting area of your life’. My 4sights start with how I got started using video and end with 5 types of video that the audience can make right away. But they can be about anything, the only stipulation is that it’s not a sales pitch. Nobody wants to be sold to for 20 minutes, but obviously, by talking about your business, it’s a great opportunity to stand out.
The second part of this epic adventure is about my love of Doctor Who. Because I was in Cardiff, the home of my favourite TV show, I thought it would be good to visit the Doctor Who Experience (for the second of three visits in 2017). Partly because it’s a great day out, but mainly because it’s closing in September. To be honest, I’m not really sure why it’s closing, but for me and many other Doctor Who fans, it’s one of the main reasons to visit Cardiff. To say I’m upset that it’s closing is an understatement.
Hopefully, this episode of The Video Show will give you an insight into why you should be 4sighting or presenting at your local (and not so local) networking meetings. It’s a fantastic opportunity to stand out and make sure you’re remembered at the meeting. If you haven’t done one yet, approach a team member now and get booked in.
