Video Content: Are You Ready for Your Closeup?

Video content is catching up to written content, and is poised to overtake it, possibly even this year. It is entirely possible that your video content could be the deciding factor in landing a new client. Do you think you’re ready to start your video content marketing? Your competition does…

May I have the envelope, please?

At some point, video phones were. Sure, the quality was grainy and the picture was small, but today, video is anything but. And video platforms spring up all the time. We all know Vine and Snapchat (although some of us would like to forget), but there’s Periscope, Livestream, Chromecast, Ustream, and so on. They all do the same thing, which is record your video, then upload it. How they present it socially is what makes one different from the other.

The Troubles with Video

It’s all about me, me me, and some people can’t stand to look at themselves on camera, myself included. You need a quiet space, 20 minutes or so without interruption, and the background simply can’t have your unmentionables just hanging there. Talking for 20 minutes at a time without fumfering (a real word, in Yiddish, which means mumbling), stammering or losing your train of thought. You don’t have a clue about video editing, and is your content going to be that interesting anyway?

Troubles? What Troubles?

So in the previous paragraph, I outlined a whole bunch of reasons why video is scary, intimidating and unreachable. Let’s take them apart one by one.
Can’t stand to look at yourself – Don’t worry, you’re in good company. It’s a mild social anxiety condition. But if what you have to say resonated with your viewers, you could look like Quasimodo, to them, you’re the most beautiful person in the world.
Quiet Space – This is easier said than done, obviously, but any room with a door that locks will do. Yes, that includes the bathroom.
20 minutes or so without interruption – You’ll have to leave your phone outside, but that’s what voicemail is for. Oh and twenty minutes should net you about five minutes of finished video. Which is a perfect amount of time.
Background – A cheap bedsheet (unfitted) and some clothespins will transform the disheveled bookcase behind you into a pristine monocolor background.

Be Prepared

Write up an outline of what you want to say, and stand it up next to the camera. Read from the outline. Practice reading from the outline. Then, when you’re done, use the outline as the content for your article or post. If you get stuck or sound stupid in your head, take a breath, pause, and say it again.

The Cutting Room Floor

To date, there are only nine movies that were ever shot in one take. Your blog post isn’t going to be among them. Yes, you’re going to have to learn a new piece of software, yes they’re making it easier to use all the time. But you’ll find that there’s no need for segues, transitions, or anything fancy for a good clip, just trim away what you don’t need. It even has a name: Straight Cut.

Interesting Content

I threw this one in as a trick question. Of course you’re interesting! That’s the whole point of your blog in the first place. Come on, get it together!

It’s coming, make no mistake about it. Video is part of the future of content. We will always have the written word, of course; it’s part of our species’ DNA. But the more compelling you can make your content by using video, the better received your content will ultimately be. And don’t fumfer!