I started doing videos for two main reasons – because I enjoyed making videos (love the entire creative process!), and because it was a direct way for me to access my authentic voice.
Back in mid 2009 I had a horrible case of writer’s block. Well, not exactly writer’s block. The problem was more that my writing voice was’t me – it was still that voice of a formal, fancypants lawyer. I didn’t know how to write as me yet.
But video went around that lawyer voice to access the real @ElizabethPW. In a video, it was just me talking, just as I am with any of you, face to face. It was a direct way for me to find and communicate my realness, my own voice, until my writing caught up with the rest of me speaking my truth. (Took about 6 months, btw.)
If you’re here, you may not be that excited about making videos. And, you may be lucky to have no problems writing in your authentic voice.
Here are more 7 reasons to consider adding video to your website, blog, sales pages, or programs:
Videos speak one-on-one with your viewers. Video feels like a one-on-one, intimate communication between you and the person watching. They are alone, and as they watch you speak, they have the experience of being alone with you. There is no other communication that is both leveraged AND intimate.
Most businesses & blogs don’t have video. It’s an easy way to differentiate you from the other people in your field.
People LOVE video. Here’s a quote from mashable.com: “online video is surging as 8.9 billion videos were viewed by 120.3 million U.S. citizens in July (2009). That’s over 1/3 of the entire U.S. population.” Unlike podcasts, twitter, and other technology popular among tech-geeks (like me), a large percentage of your audience already uses videos. And with high speed internet access quickly becoming the norm, they are able to easily access video.
Video is visual. Many of your readers are visual learners, like me. While we can read text or listen to audio, we learn best by video … and your auditory learners will of course also learn from the auditory portion of your videos.
Video tells a story. Of course, we have all heard the cliche of “a picture shows a thousand words.” Well, the reason it is a cliche is because it is true. Your body language, the setting of the video, and a thousand other non-verbal communications are passed as you speak in just a 3-5 minute video.
Videos are fun to make. Once you get over the learning curve, videos are surprisingly straightforward to create. I can quickly make exponentially more video content than content via articles or special reports.
Video engages and bonds with your viewers more than any other method (except face to face communication). There is nothing that bonds with your viewers more than video — with the sole exception of meeting them one-on-one, in real life (IRL). And obviously, you can’t meet with each of your clients/customers/readers/prospects on a daily basis!
Here’s the thing – video does not need to be as scary or difficult as you may think. Really.
If you can write an article & post it to your blog, you can make a video.
But if you’re really nervous about it, either check out 4 Weeks to Video right now, or make sure to sign up for my First Dibs list below to learn about when I launch my new suite of video tutorial programs, including the new Quickstart and the new Advanced modules.
And if you have any questions about making videos or whether it’s right for you, feel free to ask them in the comments below!
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I'm Elizabeth Potts Weinstein, a writer, teacher, and coach.