It’s a new year and you’re…the same person honestly. New year, same you. Maybe you’ve made some changes, but the essence of who you are is probably pretty similar to what it’s always been. Making changes is good. We all like to improve, master new skills, develop new talents, or just generally improve our life. But we need to remember who we are and what our center is as we move forward with new endeavors and improvements in our lives.
So what does any of that have to do with marketing?
It’s actually pretty simple. The world is constantly changing, and how we do marketing is part of that. Every day it seems a new social media platform, tool, or technique pops up and we find ourselves considering if we should adopt it. Take a video for example. Video is a very popular content format these days and so a lot of us are rushing out to film videos for YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, or any other platform that pops up.
We find ourselves looking at other videos, trying to replicate what other people are doing and what seems successful. Soon after we start feeling bad, we hate what we’ve made, and we feel bad when we wonder how the return on investment will turn out. Why do we feel this way? Because we aren’t being authentic. We’ve been talking a lot about authenticity in your brand and content lately, but we haven’t talked about video.
Here are some tips on how to make authentic video content you can be happy about.
Make What You Want
That funny video, “The Top 10 Mistakes Your Falafel Maker is Making,” is getting a lot of likes and comments. We should make one just like it. It’ll be great. The video will go viral and we will be the best ABC service provider/manufacturer ever!
We’ve all done this in one form or another. Trending content is so tempting to replicate because it worked. Maybe your ideas and your personality actually lend themselves to that kind of content too. That’s not the problem. The problem comes when we make content we hate because we think it will get us likes and shares.
Trust us when we tell you that the content you hate will be obvious to your viewer. You shouldn’t make videos just because you think you’ll get reactions. You should make videos you want to make. Granted you should be providing some kind of value for your target audience, but you won’t do that making content you hate. Make what you want, plain and simple.
Keep it Simple
We’ve all seen those incredible videos done by true artists. They’re inspiring and engaging. You could just sit there and watch them all day. Hey, those are the videos you want to make! This is where we stumble because most of us don’t have those skills and it will take time to build them. What do we do? We make videos anyway, with bad graphics, and cheesy music, and it looks almost like a parody of the video we wanted to make.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Because we’re chasing the trends and trying to do what we think will work. Learning takes time and we want a quick solution. How do you avoid these nightmare videos? Keep it simple. A plain, clean, simple video with something easy like a banner or logo placed on it is more effective than badly produced videos that serve more as a joke. Do what you can do well, and work on learning more polished skills.
You could also consider putting some money into your videos. Maybe you hire a professional videographer or pay for a service to add subtitles to your video. Whatever you do, keep the video simple and to the point. If you want to add extras, find an expert to help you. Remember, a good video is good regardless of the added polish.
Just Be Yourself
Have you ever made the video where you got all dressed up and snuck into someone else’s office so you looked more official? How about the one where you stand by a marina because marinas equal success?
These videos are the result of us trying to be something we think the customer wants us to be instead of being ourselves. What would our parents think? All of those years we were told to just be ourselves and we’re sitting on camera ignoring it. More to the point, do you think you’re fooling your potential customers? In this age of mass information access, you’re not fooling anyone.
Turns out that the advice our parents gave us was actually the best advice ever. Being yourself is honest and at the core of being authentic in any content creation or life. The single best unique selling proposition you have for your potential clients/customers is you. You are the brand. It’s your company. Be yourself. Warren Buffet, one of the wealthiest people in the world, lives in the same modest house in Nebraska that he bought in 1958. He’s being himself. You should too.
Your Stingray Branding Team
Stingray Branding is the number one source for your digital marketing needs. Our team of subject matter experts brings a vast array of knowledge and experience to drive your marketing to the next level. No matter the size of your business, or your industry, we can help you. If you have any questions or just want to see how we can help, contact us here. We’d love to hear from you!
