I talk to scores of well-intentioned entrepreneurs who realize they should definitely be doing more marketing videos for their businesses but, as the saying goes, the path to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Intending to produce more business videos and actually creating those videos is NOT the same thing. And the culprit is usually time – the great equalizer.
Making game-changing videos can be painfully time consuming, but there are several strategies that can help you work smarter, not longer. Based on my experience writing and producing hundreds of videos, here are my tried and true time-saving tips:
1. Focus on Goals Over Gadgets
The biggest mistake – and often the biggest time-suck – is getting caught up in video gadgets and the latest bright, shiny object. “What camera should I use?” is not the question you should be asking! What’s the goal of your video, and what’s the best way or the best tool to achieve that objective?
I’ve seen too many video newbies spending countless hours trying to figure out some groovy new software, when they could have created the same video using a much simpler tool they’ve already mastered. Use the right tool for the job – and use the easiest tool whenever possible!
2. Know Your Why Before You Fly
Closely related to the first tip above, you’ve got to know why you’re creating your video – before you dive in! If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, then an hour of prep time can save you hours once you start taping.
It’s called “pre-production” for a reason. Adequate planning and preparation before you fire up the webcam or press record will save you hours of frustration once you move into the production phase.
3. Find Your Video Sweet Spot
Another notorious time thief is when we get bogged down doing the “wrong” type of video. I help my clients find their video “sweet spot,” meaning the appropriate video platform for their specific goals and their personality.
Most people “default” to on-camera, talking-head videos. But their “sweet spot” may be another type of video altogether – like animation, or a narrated PowerPoint video. When you create the best kind of video for you, video marketing becomes a lot easier!
4. Tame Your Technology
Even if you must venture outside your “sweet spot,” you should still commit to simplicity. Don’t make your project any more complicated than it needs to be. Avoid the temptation to use a fancy, super-techie video camera when an iPhone or iPad will do just fine. We tend to want to make video harder than it has to be. The KISS (keep it simple, stupid) rule applies here!
5. Done is Better Than Perfect
Finally, you’ve got to know when to let it go! Perfection is the enemy of the good, and never has that been more true than with online video. Obviously, we want to produce quality video and put our best face forward. But at some point, you’ve got to yell, “That’s a wrap!” and send your video out into the world. Never let your video languish on your hard drive because it isn’t absolutely perfect. Get it done and get it out!
Video has become a powerful and pervasive marketing tool, and it’s quickly becoming a “must have” for your marketing mix. Fortunately, the tips above will take the “overwhelm” out of video, and help you create great videos more quickly and easily than ever before.
Are you still struggling with online video? Spending too much time on your video marketing efforts? Check out Lou’s latest self-study course, the “10-Minute Video Trainer.” It’s designed to get you moving and grooving with video in just ten minutes a day! Check it out at: http://www.loubortone.com/save
