Video is BIG! Making weekly videos I share on YouTube and Facebook. Making videos where I share my screen - mainly for training videos

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2 Video is BIG! It s becoming a huge part of the way we consume information and develop relationships with people and businesses and so if you ve not started creating videos for your business yet, in this bundle I m going to challenge you to begin. Video has always been a big part of my marketing strategy. Back when I was building my first business I used YouTube to help reach more people who needed the service I provided - phone unlocking. We asked our customers to send in video testimonials and then I uploaded them to YouTube, along with a discount code that would pop up in the video, then I made sure I gave the videos great headlines with our primary keywords in and all of the meta tags and since then they ve had over half a million views. I quickly realised the power of video and so it s been a key strategy for building the Female Entrepreneur Association. I ve used videos very differently for FEA, including: Making weekly videos I share on YouTube and Facebook Making videos where I share my screen - mainly for training videos Making tutorial based videos for the Members Club, which I share via Vimeo Creating videos on Periscope Creating 3-part video series And doing video interviews via Skype and in person with a film crew I ve come to learn that video is a powerful way to establish credibility, authority and brand awareness. Yes it can be time consuming, yes it can be nerve racking, yes it can be confusing and technical, but it s soooo worth the effort, because when you put yourself out there and share your message via video, it will be seen and heard on a whole new level and even reach a whole new audience. use, to how to create content, to how to share it all and get views. Whether you ve not made a single video yet or whether you re a seasoned pro, I hope you ll pick up new tips and tricks to try out and get fired up about video. Video is such an amazing way for you to be seen and heard, so leverage it like crazy! My aim with this bundle is to share my experience of using video in business - I m going to break it all down and share my tips and tricks, from what equipment I 2

3 challenge for the month #FEAvideochallenge For the next 30 days I want you to make videos galore! Whether that be on Periscope, YouTube, face to camera or a simple screenshare just get creating! If you already make videos, test out something new or up your game! If you re terrified of making videos, then face your fears this month and go for it! We ll be here for you every step of the way! Update us with your progress in the Facebook group by using #FEAvideochallenge 3

4 Getting Started with Video Firstly, let me start by saying that if you re wondering whether video will work for you, the answer is YES. There are so many amazing ways you can use video in business, no matter what kind of business you have. For example, you could: Create a free video series/show to add value and build authority and credibility. Create a video which is all about you/your business as a promotion tool. Create videos where you share your screen and show people how to do things. Use video to share case studies and testimonials. Use video to create a training programme Use video to show a behind the scenes peek at your business (people love to see this!) If you re a coach or trainer then you must start using video to share your message. It will help people to connect and resonate with you in a much deeper way than say a blog post, because people will get to see you in action. If you re in beauty, create videos to share tips, tricks, how-tos and anything beauty related! By providing useful, quality information, you will strengthen and create a connection with your audience, position yourself as an expert advisor on what products/services work best AND improve your SEO (search engine optimisation) by adding relevant content to your online presence (website, social media channels, store, etc..) so people can actually find you more easily! If you re an event organiser, create videos of your events, create videos of your top tips for putting an event together. Again, this will help convey your range of knowledge, expertise and give people a sense of how amazing you are to work with. If you re a fashion designer, show different looks, make videos of your clothes, share fashion tips and howtos. It s one thing for people to see photos of clothing, but it s a different thing to see someone wearing it. Video provides you another layer of presentation and illustration for your work and even the ability to highlight subtle nuances of the design or fabric that you wouldn t otherwise see. If you own a wedding boutique, make videos for the bride to be - how far in advance they should start looking for dresses? How to get organised and plan out your dress shopping, accessories, shoes, your dresses anything that might be of value to your audience. The added value of sharing this type of information could absolutely be the tipping point for people realising and deciding that they want to work with the boutique that not only has the dress they want, but has answers, advice, and solutions to the many elements a bride faces while planning a wedding. No matter what industry you are in, your business only stands to gain by sharing videos, whether you use them to provide general information about your industry, specific details about your product/service or use it to better express your business mission and values and thereby attracting or repelling the right/wrong customer to your business. Getting really clear about how you can use videos in your business is important, because like with everything, you need to have a vision and plan. 4

5 So take some time now to think of ways you could use video in your business. If you came up with more than one way, in the space below write down the type of videos you want to try creating over the next 30 days: Now you know what kind of videos you want to create, just take a moment to think about the message you want to weave throughout each video. It s so important to do be clear about the impact you want to have with your video, because it will help guide you when you re creating the content. For example, with my weekly videos, my aim is to inspire and empower women to build successful businesses. So whenever I go to make a video I always have that message at the forefront of my mind and make sure that it s the aim of my video. So what s your message? What impact do you want to have when someone watches your videos? 5

6 What measurable results would you like to see come from your video? (ie newsletter sign ups, page views, social likes ) How will you know your videos achieved this result? Having a clear understanding of what you want to achieve will help you refine and tweak your videos based on how well they meet your desired outcomes. For me, creating videos has always been about adding value, so I measure this by the response my videos get - whether I get s and messages from people saying how much they enjoyed my videos or new subscribers, because people love what I m creating. I use these things as a sign that I m on the right track. One of the biggest lessons I ve learned about creating videos is that you can t always foresee the amazing things that will arise once you put them out there. Over the years my videos have brought me so many unforeseen opportunities, like being invited to do two TEDx talks, because the organisers stumbled across my videos and thought I d be a good fit. A friend of mine began making videos this year and at first felt a little deflated at the fact that she wasn t getting many views per video (because it takes time). However, a couple of months into creating videos she received an from a big company who had discovered her videos and loved them and asked her if she d be interested in creating videos for their platform. So trust me, when you create videos and put yourself out there you never know what amazing opportunities are going to come your way. 6

7 Planning In this section: How long your videos should be Using call to actions How to structure your videos Creating intros & outros Now that you ve made a decision about what kind of videos you re going to create, it s time to plan them out. Creating weekly or regular videos can be overwhelming, because it takes a lot of time and thought to produce them. I have definitely found myself panicking on more than one occasion because it was Monday night and I hadn t managed to prepare anything for my Tuesday video and all my creativity and ideas had deserted me! It s not a fun place to be and the only way to make sure that doesn t happen is by planning! Even just having a long list of video ideas and topics is a relief. So, take some time to brainstorm video ideas and use the following to help you: What tips could you share? What are the questions you get ask most frequently? 7

8 Could you interview other people? If so, who? Can you demonstrate amazing ways to use your products or service? Could you do reviews of books, products or services? Could you make how-to videos? Can you share your experiences/lessons you ve learned? Try surveying your audience to find out what they d love videos on. Maybe you could ask them what their biggest frustrations are at the moment, that relate to what you do, or how you could help them, or if they had a magic wand what would they want to improve. This won t necessarily work for everyone, but if you do have an existing audience, it s worth asking. You can also use social media to ask questions and do some digging, I do this frequently on my fan page. Keep an ongoing ideas folder for potential videos - I have a project set up in Asana for my videos, where I keep a list of ideas for future videos and constantly add to it. 8

9 Once you ve got your list of video topics it s time to get planning out what you re going to say. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO SAY IN YOUR VIDEOS? If you re creating regular videos to add value to your audience it s good to keep them short, between a couple of minutes to around 10 minutes. People are busy and so short, but valuable videos work well, this of course depends on your business and your goals. Keeping your videos short will also keep it manageable for you and your ever growing business to do list. If you attempt to create regular videos and each video is 20+ minutes, it s going to take up way more time, and seem more daunting so might not be very effective for you. My videos mostly range from between 5 minutes to 12 minutes. Sometimes they re longer. I would attempt to make shorter videos (between 3-5 minutes), but I never manage to squeeze what I want to say into such a short space of time, it s a real skill! So with your video being short, you need to really think about and plan out what you re going to say, because trying to make a video without knowing what you re going to say is hard! You ll probably end up waffling or being all over the place and just feeling like you can t do it. I find it helpful to do the following: Determine the headline Think about the transformation or realisation I want people to have by watching the video Plan out my intro Plan out my tips/strategies/messages/stories to share Create my ending + call to action 9

10 You may wonder if all of the above elements are necessary for each video you produce and the answer is almost always YES. In order to really maximise on the few moments of attention you have captured from your audience, it is essential you follow a succinct framework that not only makes it easier for you to create content, but also enables your audience to follow along easily and understand and remember why they are watching (why = the value you are providing) and what action to take if they love it and want more (CTA = Call To Action)! Which is the whole point! let s plan one out now What s the topic? What s the headline? What s the aim of the video/transformation you want people to have when they watch it? 10

11 How are you going to open your topic? You don t have long to grab people s attention, so make the opener compelling. I tend to always open by introducing myself and FEA, so that people know who I am and what my business is. Then I say the name of my video series, so that they know I make regular videos and then I launch into the topic. Here s roughly what I say, Hi it s Carrie here from the Female Entrepreneur Association and welcome to the 10-minute masterclass, your weekly dose of inspiration to build a successful business Some people like to open with a question or statement relating to the topic of their video, which hooks people in and then they ll introduce themselves. Do it whatever way feels best for you. What tips/strategies/messages/stories etc. are you going to share? 11

12 How are you going to wrap thing up? Are you going to do a summary? Are you going to set people a challenge or get them to take action? Make sure you add in a call to action to get people to subscribe to your channel, list and to like, share and leave a comment. In order to get people to leave a comment, ask them a question that refers to the topic you ve been talking about. I tend to say a similar thing in every video, because it helps me to be more efficient creating them. For example, I really hope you ve enjoyed this video, if you did I d love it if you could hit like and share it with anyone else you think might enjoy it too and be sure you leave a comment over on the website and share... which strategy you re going to try out first/ any experiences or tips you have on this topic/ any questions you have and I ll make sure I answer them and I ll see you again next week for another 10-minute masterclass. 12

13 In the past when I ve created videos I ve found it helpful to write out the blog post first that goes along with the video, so that way I know exactly what I need to share in the video. Often I d find that as I d write the blog post I d think of more things I could include in the video or think of a better way to position it all. You could give it a try if you find yourself struggling to think of what to say in your video. I use a teleprompter when I write out scripts now, which is where the script is displayed in front of the lens of the camera. It s such a time saver, because I don t mess up as much when I have the script there to guide me! Having a teleprompter is a really great thing to have if you re going to do a free video series, which leads into a launch, because you can be very strategic. In the section below I ve listed the teleprompter I use. I ve also written out complete scripts for myself in the past too. I find this can be really helpful so that I create succinct videos. intros & outros To give your videos that extra wow factor you could add in an intro and an outro. This is something that you can create once and then edit them into your videos. My intro let s people know that they re watching the 10-Minute Masterclass with Carrie Green, your weekly dose of inspiration to build a successful business and my outro gets people to subscribe to my channel and list. When I got started I just used an intro from imovie and then I created a better one using PowerPoint (you can put a few slides together with transition and then using Screenflow or QuickTime to record your screen, you can play your presentation and film it and then use that as your intro video), but since then I ve had one professionally created and that s what I now use. You don t have to have a fancy intro, but it can sometimes be a nice way to set the scene for your video and add a more professional look to them. As for my outro, I made that using Screenflow and in this bundle you ll find a video tutorial showing you how you can make one too, so check it out. The intro and outro aren t 100% necessary, but I think they make your videos look really polished and first impressions count. 13

14 Equipment Make sure you watch the video that goes along with this section, because I show you the equipment I use. I think it s really important to make your video the best quality you possibly can, that being said you can get started with a minimal amount of equipment. When I got started I just used my laptop to film. In my opinion it s better to just get started and improve as you go, than spend a fortune on getting fancy equipment and taking ages trying to get things figured out before starting. It worked just fine! Sometimes I think it s easy to freak out about getting started with videos, because it feels like you need so much equipment, but you honestly don t. Over the past few years I slowly upgraded my equipment, so that I could improve the quality of my videos, even though it s perhaps not that noticeable to viewers! I would mount my laptop on a few boxes and books to make sure it was in a good position and then using imovie (I have a mac) I would record my videos, looking into the built in webcam. here s what i use Recording using my laptop I use my laptop whenever I m filming interviews for my weekly videos and I sometimes use it to create quick little videos for sharing updates. When I m filming myself speaking to the camera I use QuickTime (available on Mac or PC) or imovie (for Mac) to record it, and when I m recording interviews I use Skype and Call Recorder to actually record the call. I have the Logitech C930e webcam that I use along with an inexpensive app called Webcam Settings that allows me to edit the settings of the webcam, to adjust the brightness, zoom in or out, edit the sharpness etc. I also have a tripod for my webcam, so that I can position it at the right height. I also use the Blue Yeti USB microphone and have a boom mount to position it and a pop screen to improve the quality of the sound on certain words I say. This works well when I m making videos by myself, but if I m doing an Skype interview I find that it doesn t work quite so well, as it picks up the sound of the other person speaking through the speakers and causes an echo. So I find either Apple headphones work well (but you have to make sure your hair or clothes don t rub against the mic) or use your external mic and wear headphones, so the speaker sounds isn t picked up by the mic. Finally, I use an LED light to help make sure I look bright enough. I think this is one of my favourite investments, because it makes a massive difference. Firstly it really brightens up the video and secondly it s really good for making my skin look flawless, if I have spots the lighting will often make them invisible, *amazing*. 14

15 Recording using my Canon EOS 7d Mark 2 The quality of the videos I shoot on the Canon far exceed the quality of the videos I shoot from my laptop. That being said I still don t think it s that noticeable for viewers! I use the Canon whenever I have a video to record where I ve written out a script and I m using the teleprompter with it - this is an amazing little device I have, which allows me to read my script while looking into the lens. It s been a huge help when I m creating videos. It enables me to film my videos faster and be more succinct. camera s mic, which works well - I sometimes need to increase the volume a little in the edit. Again, I use is my LED lighting to make sure the video is bright enough. Canon s are expensive cameras and so I wouldn t really recommend spending the money on buying one for filming videos unless it s something you know for sure will work well and is going to become a core part of your business. I either use a RODE lapel mic when recording with the Canon, that plugs straight into it or I just use the Filming using my iphone In the past I ve also made films using my iphone, which works well. The quality and sound are great and if you are planning to film in a noisy place you can get a Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier Microphone for Smartphone, which will plug straight into your phone. I personally use Google Drive and have the app on my phone, so once I m done filming I upload the video to the app. Using the stand also helps when I make Pericope videos (which we ll be talking more about in this bundle!). You can also buy an inexpensive phone stand, so that you can position properly. I have the BESTEK Universal Flexible Arm Gooseneck 360 Degree Rotation Adjustable Clip Clamp, which is available from Amazon. 15

16 equipment list Filming: Webcam: Logitech C930e Canon EOS 7D or 5D Laptop - QuickTime (PC & Mac) or imovie (Mac) Audio: Rode lapel mic Rode Smartlav+ Lavalier Microphone for Smartphone Apple headphones, with mic Blue Yeti USB Microphone Mic suspension boom Pop screen Lighting: LED lighting Extras: ipad Teleprompter Kit ipad Teleprompter App Ecamm Call Recorder for recording Skype calls on a mac Pamela for recording Skype calls on a PC (see more here) Or Google Hangouts for recording interviews Or Zoom (but videos are displayed quite small in recording) Or Screenflow for recording your screen (mac) BESTEK Universal Flexible Arm Gooseneck 360 Degree Rotation Adjustable Clip Clamp (phone stand) Camlink tripod for webcam 16

17 Filming Setup Now you re ready to get making your videos, how exciting! In the last section I mentioned that you really don t need to invest in fancy equipment at the beginning, because if you have a decent laptop, you should be able to make good videos. However, something you cannot skimp on is your set (meaning the space and background you are standing/ sitting in while recording). Your setup is important in reflecting and communicating your brand to your audience, so take some time to think about how you want your videos to look and feel. Try and film in a space where the colours and objects work well with your brand. If you don t have a space like this then consider filming against a plain background or purchasing a backdrop - you can get one from Amazon. Be mindful of what is behind you when filming. Do some test runs and look for distracting things like open doorways or pictures on the walls that create odd tangents to your head or body. Review the test video and scan your eyes all around the frame of the video for anything at all that might draw attention away from you and make corrections to the set. We ve all seen the photographs where people look like they have a tree growing out of their head, you want to make sure you don t have anything in the background competing with for your audience s attention. If you are going to use natural light, try sitting where the light will shine on you, rather than from a window behind you which can create a silhouette effect. Same thing goes for ambient sounds - that trickling fountain that is so relaxing for you will be a major distraction or annoyance for people watching - don t give them a reason to stop watching. You just need to be creative. Put some pictures up, light a candle, buy some flowers - do whatever would resonate most with your brand. The little details go a long way. Like I mentioned earlier, make sure that your video is well lit, so that people can see you. lighting If you don t have any special video lighting, try to find the brightest spot in your home/office. Throw open as many blinds/curtains as you can (ideally not behind you) and grab as many lamps as you can find, you might even remove the shade as long as it doesn t cast any strange shadows in the frame. The brighter the better. Be mindful of overhead lighting, which is not very flattering, and watch for strange shadows cast. That s why ideally the best solution is to film in a room where you can control the natural light, by closing the curtains or blacking out the windows and then use lighting equipment to brighten it up - that way your lighting will be consistent. However, when you re filming using natural light be mindful of the light changing. If it s sunny and then a cloud comes part way through filming it can really affect the video. 17

18 your voice When I first started making videos I quickly realised that I sounded really unenthusiastic and bored. There was hardly any intonation in my voice! I couldn t believe it, because I was just being me. But the camera needs more. being you When you re filming you need to up the anti. You ve got to be more YOU. Up your enthusiasm, up the intonation in your voice, let your excitement shine through. This is something I had to practice and still do. Ultimately though, you still need to be you. Whatever you do, don t make videos trying to be someone you think you need to be. Don t think you need to be more serious, more professional, more crazy, more fun people will be able to tell that you re not being authentic. For me what helps when making videos is looking into the camera and imaging I m making a video for my best friend. Someone who knows me and who I can be my true self with. Maybe do the same thing when you re making your videos. Once you ve made your video, ask the people who know you to have a watch and ask them if you re coming across as you. making mistakes When you re filming you re probably going to make lots of mistakes. I make mistakes all the time!! And it s fine, you can edit them out. If I make a mistake and know I want to continue I ll stay really still, so that when I come to edit it doesn t look too obvious. If I make lots and lots of mistakes in one take, I ll start again, because I know if I don t the editing will be really hard. just go for it In the past I ve even used my mistakes as bloopers at the end just for fun! People love to see the real you - the one that s not perfect! When I first started making videos I would cringe watching them back, because I wasn t used to seeing myself and I can t even begin to tell you how nervous I was when I sent out my first video to my audience, I honestly thought people would laugh! But it s been one of the best things I ve ever done. If you ve got something to share that would be of value to other people then you have to step up and share it, and video is the perfect way to do that, because people will get to know you. You ll naturally position yourself as a leader and create credibility for yourself if what you share is valuable and good quality. So get filming if you haven t started already! 18

19 Editing Your Videos I love video editing, because there are so many cool things you can add which will help to make your videos look that little bit better. I have a mac and so edit with Final Cut Pro X, but I started out using imovie, which comes free with you mac. If you have a PC then you can use Camtasia to edit. They re all pretty similar. Every time I edit my videos I follow the same process, I made a video in this bundle walking you through how I edit my videos using Final Cut Pro X, so definitely check it out, but here s an overview: check the sound quality When editing your videos you want to check to see if you need to adjust the background noise - can you hear anything in the background? If so, you will be able to reduce the background noise and this will make a big difference to your audio. You can also increase the loudness of the audio, if you feel that you sound a little quiet. Making sure your audio quality is great, is so important, because people won t want to listen if it s not. delete what you don t want Once you ve done that you can go through the video and cut out any bits where you messed up or any weird pauses, erms, that kind of thing - basically anything you don t want to be there. As I m watching through the video and deleting I also make a note of key messages shared and the timing of them, so that I can create images to overlay to help highlight the message. 19

20 add the images in Once I know what images I want to add in, I go ahead and create them and add them in. In the video tutorial I made, I show how I do this using Final Cut Pro X. Usually the size of my images are 1920x the standard size for videos. add the intro & outro Next you can add on an intro and an outro. You should have pre-made these, so it s just a case of drag and drop. add in the music Then you want to add in your music - I love using music in my videos, it really adds to the feel of them. I buy all of my audio tracks from AudioJungle.net. They have so many tracks to choose from. Make sure you fade your music in and out, so it s not abrupt, and listen back to your video with headphones and without headphones to make sure the background music isn t too loud (I ve made that mistake before). check it all over Once you ve finished editing, just give your video a quick check over and then upload it! 20

21 Uploading & Sharing Once your video is edited it s time to upload it! There are various different options for this. If you only want specific people to watch your videos, say people who are part of a paid programme, then I would recommend uploading your videos to Vimeo. With a pro account you can set it so that your video is private and only available on specific URLs (your website). Alternatively, if you want to get lots of people to watch your videos then I would recommend uploading your videos to YouTube and Facebook. YouTube is the third largest search engine in the world and so the more videos you have on there, that are well optimised, the more people are going to find you, who are looking for you. I ve made a video about uploading your videos to YouTube, but here s a quick overview of what to make sure you do when you upload your videos. I would suggest that you upload a watermark to your videos, to encourage people to subscribe to your channel (I show you how to do this in the video). When you upload your video make sure that you: Give it a good title, that is compelling and has your keywords in - the words people would type into YouTube in a search, because they re looking for the information that you re sharing. Make sure you include a good description of what your video is about and include a link back to your website and also be sure to include your keywords in the description. Make sure you include your keywords in the tags - again it will help with your YouTube SEO. Then you want to upload a thumbnail image to your videos - you can create images in PicMonkey and try to make them look compelling and display the title of your video in the image in big font, so people can easily see it if it shows up as a suggested video in the sidebar. Next, click on annotations and add any links in that you want people to click on throughout your video. Add any cards you think might be useful/relevant to your video (watch the video for more on this). Once you ve got your settings sorted, it s time to hit public on your video and share it! 21

22 embedding your video I created a video on embedding your videos. You ll want to create a post on your website where you can embed your video. When embedding your video, make sure you adjust the settings in YouTube, so that other people s videos don t get displayed at the end (I show you how in the video). Then once you ve embedded your video go to Google Developer and get the code for uploading a button above your video, so that your audience can easily subscribe to your channel. If I d done this from the beginning I d have thousands more subscribers! Then just like a regular post, you ll want to add a break down of the information and make it really valuable and then share it with your audience via and social media. Don t just post it out once - keep sharing it. uploading to facebook Facebook is really focusing on video posts at the moment, they re getting lots of reach, so if you have a Facebook following it would be worth uploading your videos to Facebook too and you could even turn it into an advert, so that your message will reach more people! When I upload videos to Facebook I usually compress the file, so it doesn t take as long, by using Handbrake. Here s checklist of things you need to do when uploading and sharing your video: checklist Create an amazing title, including your keywords Create a great description, again using your keywords Add your keywords to the tags Upload a great thumbnail image Add in any links and annotations to your videos Set your videos to public When embedding your videos, make sure that you check the correct settings Add a subscribe button above your video on your website Share like crazy :) 22

23 action to take I ve shared with your the key elements to creating and sharing videos for your business - I can t stress how powerful it can be! Seriously, if you re thinking, I really need to create videos/up the anti with my videos then listen to that voice, because it knows that it ll be a good move. You ve got a message to share and video will help you to do just that. So my challenge to you is to take massive action. If you ve not created a video yet, then give it a try this month - create your first video. If you ve been creating videos already, what could you do to improve them? Implement those changes this month. I ve been creating videos now for a good few years and I m here to help you - so if you have any questions at all, come and ask me over in the Facebook group using #AskCarrie. Good luck and make sure you share your videos throughout the month - I cannot wait to watch them. Carrie xx I really hope this bundle helps you to continue to create successful videos. As always if you have any questions let us know over in the Facebook group and come and share your takeaways with us too! need help? we re here for you... Come and say hello to us on Facebook 23