A great friend once advised me, “If you are going to have a blog, you’ll need to post … like a lot!”
I think about it frequently, but then like many of you life always finds a way of distracting me. There’s work, family, exercise (yes, I do exercise), hobbies, television, film, social media and down the rabbit hole we go.
Plus, what on earth do I talk about? Don’t get me wrong, I’m a talker so I have plenty to say. But what topic do I choose to bore you with? I could easily get on my pedestal and tell you how it really is and shake my finger at you.
My partner in crime has told me I should use my blog to instruct people on how to do things better in my craft. You know, show you how to take better photos, teach graphic layout, the art of editing. Great idea, that way I can teach everyone the trade and then no one will ever hire me.
Anymore, video pros have become a dime a dozen. I’m sure you’ve got hundreds in your neck of the woods. And I guarantee you personally know at least 3. You’ve been to their sites, seen their work. After a while, it all turns into white noise.*
So let’s take a look at this whole scenario. I could give you my hard sell approach about how if you aren’t using video to promote your business, you’re failing. I’ll spare you that lecture but frankly you are doing yourself a dis-service not having video as a part of your marketing strategy.
I’ve been advising a lot of people lately about the concept of having video in their lives. And sure, you can use your phone to record yourself on camera, or take some pictures and drop music underneath. Your friends will probably tell you it’s great, and honestly it probably is. But here’s a thought: when is the last time you watched something and thought, “WOW, this is really outstanding?”
I’ll tell you mine. I was watching a friend’s tutorial on how to build a solar system and the commercial preview was about a mattress. Yes, a mattress. The talent was dressed in a funny outfit dropping plates of glass on a bed with eggs on it. Time after time the eggs all shattered until voila, the last mattress saved the eggs. I was hooked and I spent the next 15 minutes watching a video about a product I have ZERO intention of buying. Now here is where I snare you in my trap, this video was produced by a professional video company.
We live in an era of thousands of hours of video being produced every single day. Much of said work is self produced. Sometimes it works, but here’s what I want you to consider. In an age where there are unlimited sources of entertainment to consume, how do you make your video stand out in a crowd? Well, you use a pro.
I’ve worked in this industry for over 20 years, and I’ve made this sales pitch hundreds of times and I promise you “use a pro” has never been more true. Everyone has a video. I get it, spending money on a video that in the accounting books nets zero profit seems absurd. But consider this, what does having a poor quality video give you?
Example: Think of the last lawyer commercial you saw. Are you laughing? OK, now, would you hire that lawyer to defend you in a trial? See where I am going? The concept of “there’s no such thing as bad press” is just plain dumb. If your goal is to have someone use your services, why on earth would you give them a bad impression of yourself? People have unlimited options for someone to provide them services. But if you really want to succeed you should use someone who knows how to tell a story.
So my friends, let’s summarize what we’ve learned. Use a pro, hire me and we will all be happy. Seriously though, next time you are considering adding video to your efforts, and we did cover why you should, talk to a business about what you think you need. If the first thing they ask is “what budget do you have in mind?” My advice - RUN!
If they are excited to learn about your story and goals, want to talk about what you are trying to achieve, you are on the right track. I can tell you that there is always a way to make a good product on any budget. It might not be “Avengers Assemble” great, but it will be good and effective. And I’ll even throw in some eggs.
As a great man once said, “Until next time true believers.”
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*Indicates industry jargon. Feel free to use in social settings to impress your friends.