My 4 year old is awesome. Of course she is…she’s my kid. I bet you feel the same way about you kids, your nieces, nephews and so forth. 
She has been watching cooking and cake decorating videos on YouTube since she figured out how to use an iPad (half her life now). Now whenever we make food or she plays with her toy kitchen, she pretends she’s on video and narrating her own cooking show.
I envy her confidence and her enjoyment in the spoken word and being on camera. I’m the exact opposite. I am most comfortable at a keyboard. I am very camera shy and I soon forget what I planned to say. Not to mention the weird things I do weird things with my eyebrows. But with my fingers the words just keep flowing and flowing. So even though I recently started a food blog that I’m enjoying immensely, there are no videos there. Seriously, I’m waiting until she’s a bit older and can start doing videos for me. I absolutely can’t wait!
But isn’t this a problem? It’s 2013 and I’m not making videos? The horror!
I’ve heard…and you probably have too…advice that says you should be publishing video, you have to blog and you’d better well have a podcast on iTunes. In short, you must use every medium possible to get your message out there.
Well, if you’ve known me for any amount of time, you’ll know I think that’s just hogwash.
Here’s the thing. It’s your business and you get to do it on your terms. When you publish content online, you have much more freedom and you should use that freedom to shine with what you do best.
It’s not like you’re running a little store in your neighborhood and you’re at the mercy of the demands of the customers in that neighborhood only. No…you’re publishing content that can potentially reach the the WHOLE world (although you are only trying to please a small segment of that world) and that means you have a lot more leeway in determining what’s best for your online business.
Here are a few guidelines I like to provide to help customers and clients decide what kind of content they should publish…
Ask yourself:
- What type of communication are you most comfortable with? Do you excel at writing and get tongue-tied when you speak? Do you love taking photos instead? Or are you comfortable with just about everything? Do more of what you’re good at and don’t post so-so content because you think you should.
- What does your audience want? This is important, but the great thing is you can carve out your own audience. Just because another blogger in your niche, for example, publishes a lot of videos, does not mean you need too. There are billions of people on this great earth of ours, so work to attract those that appreciate your unique message.
- Can you hire guest contributors, use PLR or ghostwriters to fill in the blanks? Just because YOU don’t personally like creating a certain kind of content format, doesn’t mean you can’t provide it through another source. As I’ve said, I’ve already got plans in the works for a cooking show…it just won’t be me in it!
So if you’re feeling overwhelmed thinking you’ve got to create all different kinds of content…do yourself a favor and stop it. You’re interrupting your creative process. Stick with what you like and what works best for you. That doesn’t mean you can’t experiment and improve your skills as you grow – in fact, stretching your wings is a very good thing – but don’t fall to the mistaken belief that there are rules for the type of content every business should publish.
Thank you for saying that out loud! I’m so tired of hearing, “You gotta do video, you gotta do a podcast, people need to hear your voice.” Like you said, “Hogwash!”
My pictures are all over the net, some of my silliest faces even, so it’s not like people can’t see me. Wanna hear my voice? Hmmm, well, maybe one day, but not today. LOL.
I think if you don’t want to do video and you do one, people are going to see right through that. Why put yourself and them through it?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I can’t wait to see your daughter’s cooking show. : )
My videos are boring…I love to take photos, but not of myself. I’ll be sticking with what I do best, but will continue to work to try new things and explore my creativity where it suits me and benefits my audience. Have a great weekend, Patti!
LOL! I agree that you have to pick and choose the things that you like to do best.
I don’t think people are necessarily saying “you have to do video”, I think in most cases people are just saying, “hey, here’s another form of digital content that’s pretty hot, so you might want to consider using it in your marketing.”
I think we’re seeing more people favor video because of the research, stats, and results that back it up – it’s grown like crazy in just 2 years, and the growth of mobile is helping that I think (researchers are saying that 2013 will see 73.3 million mobile video viewers ). And really, if people are reading about the topic of video, it’s usually because they’ve already been thinking about exploring it for themselves.
And heck, you don’t even have to be on camera. Over 60% of people prefer to learn from over-the-shoulder video (PDF is over 70% – that means video learning has been creeping on on those who like to learn via PDF). So you’ve really got to stay on top of your market and make adjustments, otherwise they’re more likely to find someone else who can give them what they need.
But I’m biased because I like using video, and the feedback and conversions I’ve gotten because of it tip the scale in favor of video
Certainly…not disputing the popularity of video in any shape or form…and this definitely isn’t a don’t do video post. It’s an “I generally don’t do video and this is why” post…the why being the key part of the information. If someone makes great videos, but is a bore at writing, I’d say focus on video and don’t knock yourself out with writing.
The point is to find your own audience and do it in the area you really shine in. There will always be audiences who prefer video over text and then there will be audiences who prefer text over video. And with all those remarkable video stats, we must remember that a large number of web users are also consuming a heck of a lot more text. It’s also important to look at what type of video people consume. Are they watching twin 2 year old toddlers doing Gangnam Style or are they consuming the type of videos we are trying to create? But one day, we might be in the world of science fiction where there are no keyboards (hubby tells me it’s coming!), but I think we’re a ways away from that.
There are people out there who definitely say you “have to” do video or [insert content format, social media platform, etc. here] – all the time. You “have to” , “you must” etc…are some of my least favorite phrases when it comes to distilling business advice. It makes me cringe almost as much as the word “correctly”. There is no correct, there are no musts and there are no absolutes. It’s one of the awesome things about running a business on your own terms.
hee hee – I absolutely agree!
You DO have to look to your own market to get answers, I mean, the stats are meaningless unless they apply to your own market.
But I do want to throw out this stat from MarketingProfs, Content Marketing Institute & Brightcove, “58% of B2B marketers rate videos as the most effective content marketing tactic.”
For me, I tend to feel more of a connection to people when I can see/hear them because then I feel like, “Hey, they’re just like me. They’re not perfect and unreachable. They babble and make mistakes too.”
Videos are like the next best thing to meeting someone in person
I think the connection for me comes when I get to “see” a real true piece of a person…that can come through text, photos and video. Personality and depth shines through in so many different ways when people communicate well. I think that’s all simply a matter of personal preference though. I watch a very small handful of videos in a week and I’m more likely to watch those twin dollars doing the Gangnam Style dance than a video on a blog or sales page.
It’s all preference, like I said, so I put no stock in my opinion.
That’s an interesting stat, but consider first of all that’s a B2B marketing study only, so doesn’t apply to many online businesses (although a similar B2C study might have similar results). Still, the same study/survey actually found blogs were chosen by 59%. I don’t know what “blogs” means because that could be any format of content. Articles on their own websites scored 53% and 50% for articles on other websites. Reports scored 59%, ebooks 55% and email 58%. These are all in similar ballparks.Even so, it’s important to remember it’s based on people’s opinions of what they’re doing, rather than any hard data. Finally, consider the study included 61% of respondents who had 10 or more employees and only 39% with 10 or fewer, with no identification of solopreneur (to use Kelly’s lovely term) type businesses like many of us have. What you can invest in and do well certainly changes when you have a larger team to draw from.
If anyone is interested in the study, they can download it here: http://mprofs.com/cm2013report
“Here’s the thing. It’s your business and you get to do it on your terms.”
Amen to that!
That’s exactly what I’m doing. Sure, video might get me more subscribers and more sales, but I just don’t enjoy doing video or podcasts and the whole point of being my own boss is so I can do things I LIKE to do.
Thanks for this post, Alice.
Peggy
Well, any content in any format will only get you more subscribers if it’s good content, right? Video or any other type of content isn’t magic.
There’s an old saying “when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail”.
For some markets, the PDF is still the perfect means of teaching/communicating. I personal love the written word. I like to print the PDF and sit out on the back patio with the birds and squirrels. I like taking a Hi-liter and and marking the important points; try doing that with a video – works about as well on these flat panel monitors as whiteout.
On the other hand, some markets simply cry out for video. I like video for technical material where it helps to see the presenter’s monitor. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth ten thousand words.
Now if your avoidance of video is because it’s outside of your comfort zone, then that’s an entirely different matter. I think the technology (i.e. Camtasia) can be a bit overwhelming at first. And most of us don’t like the sound of our own voices – that’s natural. What’s important is that you push yourself to step outside that comfort zone and open up new worlds.
Perhaps you can start with a simple video such as “why rats make great pets”
Bruce,
You make some great points and where video makes sense, it is something that can be done by a guest contributor, staff etc. Just because one owns the business, it doesn’t mean they have to be on video, right?
In the b2b market, I’ve actually done quite a few videos. Lots of screen capture and a few with me in them. I’ve also had others contribute videos. I prefer to make videos that have a purpose…having me just sit and talk in front of the camera doesn’t make much sense when I can produce a much better piece of content in written format.
Again, this isn’t an anti-video post…it was encouragement to find the medium that works well for you and resonates with your audience. And interestingly enough, with exceptions, we’ve cultivated an audience that prefers to read. Our video content isn’t as readily consumed. Now one could argue it’s cuz our videos suck (hey, they’re not perfect), but I’ve found the same lack of interest when we post videos by any producer.
I agree that you need to find what works for you and your audience.
I am not a big video watcher but it’s because I don’t like talking head videos (a face talking to me). I’m a visual learner so when I want to learn a new technique or idea from someone I feel is an authority on a topic; I want the videos to contain text, graphs or something that allows me to visualize the ideas being discussed.
When a b2b video has a talking head, I get distracted with facial expressions, the way a person flips their hair and so forth so the ideas or concepts being discussed are lost.
Some of the marketers I follow have great ideas but I always turn to their website and newsletters for the information because they produce talking head videos and it just doesn’t work for me. Luckily they embrace both video and text so I have an option.
So I think not only should a business owner consider whether or not video is right for their business, but they also need to think about what type of video their audience would best respond to.
I think you’ve hit on a very important thing…the content needs to be good. Just because one sets up a camera and starts talking, doesn’t mean it’s good content.
I like the video medium, and though I have achieved zero there as yet, I plan to. However, I do agree with the gist of Alice’s post. You do your own thing, and you chose the thing you are best at. Invariably, those who insist that your future is dark without videos are those who are usually trying to sell you various things, especially some kind of video-related program, software, plugin or training course.
Yes definitely…there is often the motive behind the statements. Still, I think many people who are passionate about the video format, spread the word because they’d had great results. I don’t think it’s always because they want to sell something. They create something to sell because they think they have something valuable to share.
However, there are certainly exceptions to that…of course.
Alice, you definitely just made me feel better at not having done much video yet.
But I say “yet”, because I really do HAVE to learn to create video. Not because everyone else says so, or it’s the “year of the video” or anything like that. It’s because in some cases, video really is the best way to explain or teach something. Like Melissa said, “over the should” tutorials can often illustrate something far better than a pdf with screenshots. It’s just a case of using the media mix that delivers the results you want (like people actually being able to do what you’re teaching).
I find it funny though that so many people promote using video because it’s easier and faster than writing. That is SO far from the truth in my case! I can sit down and write and write (like this comment), but it would take me half the day to do on video. I’d record, listen, and not like the sound of my voice. Rerecord and notice that the sound was too low. Record again, and again, and again until I’m happy. Whew! I prefer the backspace key any day. And forget putting my face on camera. That has it’s own whole set of issues to deal with.
So yes, I’ll still push outside my comfort zone and do some video for my readers’ sake, but it’s not going to be easy!
Exactly and you speak to what Bruce said above…using the medium that works for the appropriate situation. Good for you on stretching your wings!
Sales videos are not always convenient for your customers either. I hate it when I encounter a sales video that you have to sit through for more than an hour just to learn what the product includes and the price. With a written sales page, I can determine in a few minutes if it is something that interests me and that I can afford.
It’s more useful for me, when a video is used to provide a connection with the seller and visual demonstrations; while also offering a sales page the reader can scan quickly.
Even with video training, it helps to know how long the video is and to break it up into a series of videos that you can absorb as time allows. I always prefer to have a PDF or written script along with video so I can quickly refer back to material presented in the video. I may sit through a video once, but I am unlikely to do it again. So product creators should provide scripts, checklists or some other format to aid the user in implementing the lessons the video presented.
In my early training in e-learning, my teachers stressed the three different styles of learning: those who need to see it, hear it or touch it (do it) to be able to absorb it. They stressed the need to provide the information in the various formats so everyone would get it. Yet some internet marketers tend to focus on what’s popular. That may explain why some of us are having so much trouble getting the message. Thanks for a great discussion.
You make a good point, Marcia. While you have your preference, so do other people. We all learn in different ways and when we can cater to other people’s needs, we can reach more people. On the other hand, we don’t need to try to reach everyone and we should do it in the way that puts our best foot forward.
I love video! I’ve been making videos for online since 2008. I have 2 YouTube channels and contribute to 2 others regularly. I’ve taught many others about making videos and I do editing and video marketing for clients.
That said – There are some that are really good at videos and others that I just can’t stand to watch. It’s definitely good to know what your strengths are. I do think that you should at least have a presence on YouTube [the 2nd most used search engine that is owned by the most used] – which you can do without ever putting your face on video.
Sure, but what good is a presence if it’s not getting any views? A well-established channel that get good traffic take a decent effort (unless you luck out an post a photo of your baby biting the finger of your older son
). I’m not knocking it at all, but think we should do things we do well and keep them fresh and updated as much as possible.