There are some very stereotypical excuse people use for not doing video. Even those who know they would benefit from it, often ignore this form of media to connect with their audience.
Why?
The reasons are the same as the excuses people use. The reasons are to do with things like visibility, being out there, in the open, for people to judge. Mix in some fear of being called out and exposed. The good old imposter syndrome is as underlying factor.
Almost always.
People rarely say that though. They won't say they are afraid of the level of visibility they will have to accept when doing video. Let's face it. Nothing exposes you more than being on video.
Before we throw away completely, any lingering idea of doing video to grow your following let's bust some of the excuses people use.
The "I'm camera shy" excuse
You don't want to get in front of the camera because you find it intimidating. You take one look at that lens and you feel like you want to throw up. It feels so silly to talk to a device and not people.
You think people have to be born for the camera and that's just not you. If you look at the pros whose videos pop up on Facebook all the time, you feel like you are not made for video. You will never get to that level of confidence and that camera will never love you.
Myth busted: No one was born for camera. People simply learn how to ignore that lens. Just like people learn how to brush their teeth or make their cereal in the morning. There is no secret knowledge or superpower.
People who get on video recognise the power of it to reach their audience with it. They decided that their desire to share their stuff on video was bigger than their fear of being seen.
My tip: Record some video messages to your friends and send them. Use your webcam or your phone camera. You can also do "fake lives" to your Facebook profile to practice the platform.
Set your profile privacy to "Only Me" for the video. No one will see it and you will be able to get the hang of the buttons and features. Try both your computer and your phone if you can.
The "I don't know what to say" excuse
People who say this usually have a lot to say. In fact, too much. They don't know how to pick a topic to talk about. They also feel they don't have the right to talk about their field of expertise because they don't feel expert enough.
This also happens when your niche is too broad or you have a few niches you are tryign to talk to at the same time. It took me three goes over 18 months to get to the niche I am working with now. And that's about the norm for the average solo entrepreneur.
Myth busted: Let me tell you who an expert is to me. Someone who knows more about a topic than I do. When people follow you, they do that because they believe they can learn something from you.
Be that something as basic as how to best position yourself for a relaxing meditation or something far more complex, such as giving your clients the best Tarot reading ever.
When you know your "thing" inside out and left to right, it might be difficult to break it down to bite sized topics that are suitable for video.
My tip: Keep it simple with your topics. At least at the beginning until you establish the level your audience is at. Create yourself a simple intro for your videos so that you have something familiar to kick off with. Pick a basic topic you can talk about in your sleep.
The "I don't have the right equipment" excuse
Technology is no longer an issue for video content producers. Forget studio and lighting Hollywood style. Smart phones, even the cheaper brands, have great quality video and audio tech that will make your videos look and sound professional.
Myth busting: Even webcams, in-built or external, for your laptop or desktop computer will give a pretty decent quality your audience can enjoy. When someone's video is substandard nowadays, it's because of other factors.
Low quality internet connection or environmental factors such as background noise or low light conditions have nothing to do with having the right equipment.
My tip: Talk to other people about what they are using. You'll be surprised by the zero or low cost solutions out there.
From blue tac to desk lamps or even window lighting, people are creating videos that don't cost them anything other than a few minutes of figuring out the best set up with what they already have.
The "I don't know how to edit videos" excuse
Recorded videos are great and they can make you look and sound really swish. They used to be all the rage before live video features appeared on almost all social media platforms.
When you look at those picture perfect recorded videos, no wonder you feel like it's not in your reach to produce something like that.
There are marketing agencies who turn around some big $$$ creating excellent quality highly produced videos for their clients.
That's not you.
And that's OK.
Myth busted: If you don't do recorded videos, there is nothing to edit. It's that simple. Live videos have been added to Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn for a reason.
They give content creators like you the opportunity to compete in a market where the expression of individuality is a key element to grabbing your turf.
My tip: Get comfortable with doing live videos. They are far better for engagement and connection with your audience than recorded videos. No editing required unless you want to look at repurposing your live videos.
The "My audience don't watch videos" excuse
This is a biiiig misconception and people use this like a get out of gaol free card. My audience don't watch video so I'm not going to create any. I've had clients who tried to convince me about this.
I'm not buying it.
Unless you have asked every single one of your audience personally and they have told you that in no way they will ever watch any video content from you, I'm calling you out on this one.
Myth busted: Maybe some of your audience aren't watching videos right now but you can't possibly speak for 100% of your audience. That includes your future audience!
Trends change and for the sake of growth in your enterprise, you need to consider not just your current followers but future ones as well.
My tip: use videos to reach new audiences. Experiment on your Facebook page or in groups to see what type of engagement you get with your videos. Give it an honest go. Not just a half-assed one that will only prove that video isn't for your audience.
There is a good reason why YouTube is now the second largest search engine, right behind Google. People use it to find videos on everything. And the most searched and watched videos are educational and how-to videos.
Facebook recently introduced Watch which is a platform for high quality shows and open to indi producers.
While they are far away for those who are looking at getting themselves into the Facebook livestream routine, it shows what media that platform is looking towards.
Video might not be your thing and it's OK.
You probably won't be one to jump on live to connect with your audience. Ignoring video altogether however is a big mistake that can cost you the growth of your business and consequently, your income.
Here are my 5 top tips to connect better with your audience when you do live videos on Facebook:
1) Introduce yourself at the beginning of your videos.
2) Tell people what you're going to talk about in you video.
3) Don't make people watching you already wait until you get more people watching.
4) Stick to the point. Deliver the content you promised to deliver to your audience, without faffing about.
5) Look at your camera, not your screen. This will make you keep eyecontact with those watching.
Need some help getting started with your Facebook live videos? I have just the thing for you. This checklist will make it so much easier for you to get it all done and get it right.
Powered by Story Chief
