4 Steps to Take the Eeeek out of Video

It’s clear to me that participation on social media is no longer optional for dealerships or professional salespeople. Overwhelmingly, however, most are still missing that one key component in their social presence…

Video.

Video offers the most incredible opportunity for visibility, as well as creating connection and building trust, but it remains the least utilized medium in our industry. One reason for this is the genuine discomfort most people experience when imagining or attempting to film a video.

The good news is that discomfort can be easily overcome with these four simple steps:

1. Frame It Up

The opportunity to use video for increased visibility is incredible. Before planning or executing your first video, spend a moment focusing on why you are engaging in this activity. Familiarize yourself with stats like; video is 53 times more likely to make the first page of Google. Online visitors who view product videos are 85% more likely to buy than visitors who do not.

There is an abundance of tangible proof online that demonstrates video marketing delivers results. When garnering the enthusiasm to film your first video, purpose can be a powerful motivator.

2. Begin Faceless

Seeing and hearing yourself on camera can be uncomfortable at first. The best way to combat this discomfort, and not allow it to discourage future video marketing efforts, is to begin faceless.

For your first video, simply try filming a product—like a newly redesigned vehicle—without ever including yourself in the shot. This will allow you to get comfortable recording, while giving you a completed video that you can upload immediately. Even if you hate the first video you create, remember the glorious fact that you can always delete it later. Get this practice in and you will start to create incredible momentum.

3.  Short and Sweet

Video newbies often try filming videos that are longer than necessary. Stiffness is to be expected as you adjust to filming so keep it simple and keep your early videos short—under two minutes. A short video may only allow two or three key points but will likely keep an audience engaged and allow you to begin to get comfortable filming. Long videos also take a significant amount of time to plan and film; too large of a time commitment may discourage future action.

Adhere to the two-minute rule until you are comfortable enough to move on to longer videos.

4.  Ease Your Way In

Once you’ve affirmed your purpose and filmed a short, faceless video, commit further by beginning to introduce your face to the camera. Your face is your most powerful video marketing tool because there is an area of the brain, called the Fusiform area, that makes us hard wired to use the human face as a centralized point for information and our belief in it. So in the case of faces, seeing is believing. Your face will undoubtedly be the most effective way to create a human connection with prospective clients, and ultimately motivate them to buy from you.

To ease yourself into incorporating your face on camera, begin simply by facing the camera only for a video’s introduction and conclusion. The bulk of your video can remain faceless (as in step 2) as you feature the vehicle or topic you’re describing, but your introduction and sign off will incorporate your face. This is a quick, almost painless way to begin to warm up to seeing yourself on camera.

Becoming comfortable with filming video often happens quicker than you might imagine. The trick, as with anything, is to get started and just do it. Follow this process to begin creating video and you will be amazed at how quickly it becomes second nature and begins working for you!

Questions:

What are some trick or tips you have used to ease in to using video?

What kind of success are you seeing from your efforts?

Have some examples you would like to share? Do it here