Engaging Your Audience With Video Webinars… Easy Web Content!
We all think video is cool and that it would be cool to have it for our brand. Am I right? Ok, there may be some of you who are into white papers and that is fine too. But, let’s take a look at some expert predictions for video in 2015, shall we?
Cindy King (Social Media Examiner Director of Editorial Content) published an article called, “28 Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2015 From the Pros.” Three of the 28 predictions involved video, directly. Many of the other predictions involved video indirectly, as a part of the overall content strategy. See below for more details on the specific recommendations. Also, be sure to visit and read the article on Social Media Examiner.
What If I Hate Making Videos?
That isn’t a problem! On one of my interviews (this one for Web Tools TV), Ted Coine mentioned that we are living in the “Creative Age.” Video is a part of that. But, you do not have to be a rocket scientist to make a video. Already, YouTube has many ways to make videos. But, YouTube is not the only game in town. One that I would like to highlight here, is ClickWebinar Video.
Don’t let the “webinar” part throw you off, ok? It is true, it is a webinar platform. So, it is a great tool for providing valuable live training to your team and/or community. Now, let’s dig deeper into its value for providing you with video content for your site. You will see, later in the article, how unique this content is and how it can help you even with any video fears you may have.
As you know, Facebook has its own thing with video uploads instead of relying solely on YouTube. This is all the more reason that you need to start creating your own video content and getting people to share it on Facebook, then on Tsu (revenue sharing), and other places on the ‘net. By creating your own video content, you are the king of that content and all links point back to you, instead of just random youtube videos.
Why Was It That I Should Care About Video?
Let’s go back to the Social Media Examiner article. It isn’t the only article out there that predicts video as a major player in 2015 (See also Top 10 Business Predictions for 2015 on Forbes). However, there are three key references to video in just the Social Media Examiner article alone.
Social Media Examiner: Heidi Cohen
Video Becomes the Content of Choice (Tip #1)
This prediction comes from Heidi Cohen, of HeidiCohen.com. Even Facebook has realized this, with upping the game with their hosted video. And, Facebook is not the only authority out there. There will always be a place for written content, but video is becoming easier and easier (one of the points of this article!) and as it becomes easier, more and more people are doing it. You definitely don’t want to be left behind on this trend! There are so many tools and strategies that, “not knowing how to do it,” is no longer an excuse.
Social Media Examiner: Michael Stelzner
YouTube Declines as Social Networks Embrace Hosted Video (Tip #4)
This prediction comes from Michael Stelzner, CEO of Social Media Examiner. It would seem obvious that YouTube cannot hold the 100% share of video anymore. Obviously, they do not have the 100% piece of the pie because there are already other players out there, like Vimeo. Add to that the 6 second videos of Vine and the 15 second videos of Instagram and YouTube’s piece of the pie is not the whole pie. However, with Facebook setting the lead, the concept of “hosted video” becomes easier for marketers to wrap their heads around and actually move forward with the next steps. Facebook is actually helping out all other networks by giving the consumers and marketers the option to upload a video to the platform directly. This will break any habits of only having the option to paste in a YouTube url.
Social Media Examiner: Bryan Kramer
Video Creates Engaging Experiences (Tip #27)
This prediction comes from Bryan Kramer, of BryanKramer.com. Bryan nailed it. That word, “engaging.” While we appreciate logos and static images (hey, I use the SocialWebCafe logo in a lot of places!), we really want to see the human being. We love to watch people. We love to see their expressions, hear their thoughts, observe their body language, and really get to know who they are. Or, at least, we like watching people (hopefully not to a level of stalking people!).
There is something about the engagement of human beings (I should know! I’m a trained I/O Psychology Coach!) -Deborah E. Anderson
The best way to engage is in person. That is why you get that “on fire” feeling when you attend conferences and you feel you are invincible and ready to conquer the world in your business. But, when “in person” isn’t possible, it is the video that is the next best thing. And, it is here for you in 2015!
You Convinced Me. Now What Am I Supposed To Do?
Let’s go back to the webinar idea. Not only are webinars a great way to motivate your team, but also a great way to motivate your community! Add to that, that it is also a great way to capture human engagement and the human expressions that are key to video content. Yes, it is true that you could do it with Skype, but Skype (as cool as it is!) does require a bit of know-how to edit the final product. (Depending on the recording software you use for Skype, it is not necessarily ready for prime time right after the webinar presentation call.) You could also do it in Google Hangouts, but why not consider an all-in-one package that has all the buttons and doodads that you need, to get the job done (i.e. like ClickWebinar). I would love to recommend, er, a certain competitor, but they tend to be more complicated. My mother taught me to only say things nice, so I will leave them unnamed, for their sake.
A Couple of Benefits That You May Have Missed
Ok, I love the ad lib approach. In fact, we got quite a few kudos on the interview (below) of Matthew Holden and MavSocial. Both Matthew and I have a love for that ad lib approach to interviews (and conversation!).
However, I also realize that that is not everybody’s style, to just go “off the cuff” like Matthew Holden did, and as I did. Some of us need some “time to think” before the next sentence we speak (especially with the fear of an audience, camera, and all that accompanies it). So, the advantage to using a webinar type setting is that you can be thinking of the next thing that you are going to say WHILE the another person is talking or sharing a question! Hey, even the time it takes for two or three people to talk. That way, by the time it comes to you, for your turn, you will really sound brilliant because you have had all of the time to think about what you were going to say and how you were going to present it! When people walk away from a video where you maybe said less words, but had that time to prepare, they are going to think you are wise and authoritative! Isn’t that what you want? With a webinar, all you need to do is find one or two co-presenters and a couple of engaged students and you have content!
Hopefully, I have got your juices flowing on ideas of how to start creating videos for your brand, even the brand of YOU. Hopefully you have seen how you can maximize other people’s “gift of gab” while you look professional and enhance your brand through video. Also, you are not limited to these types of videos, but this is a great place to start. You can always add to this as you become more and more experienced at the craft. And, don’t worry, you don’t have to become an expert like me. You can probably excel beyond that, just with some creativity and maximizing the use of even other people’s thoughts and sharing on YOUR video webinar content.
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