What does sharing your personal story have to do with making more money in your business? Find out in this week’s episode of “Let’s Talk Video”!
Today’s viewer question comes from Jennifer, an entrepreneur in Vail, CO. She writes:
Hello Jaime & Steve,
I definitely want to start using video to promote myself online. I understand that using video is a process, and there are different types of videos that I can use for different reasons. If I were going to get started now with just one video, and then continually add more and more videos as I grow my business, what is the most important video to get started with and why?
Thanks for your question, Jennifer. We’re very happy to hear that you are planning to use videos to promote yourself online!
Watch the full episode below to see our answer:
We can tell you that there is one video that we recommend that every entrepreneur use. It’s a specific type of video that we think any business owner can benefit from, no matter what type of business they’re in, what products or services they’re selling, or how their website is currently structured.
Make A Specific Goal
But before we get into that, know that we believe that EVERY entrepreneur should have a very well thought out online video strategy. Before you attempt to put together ANY videos for your business, you should come up with a strategic plan. This should include creating a variety of different types of videos, each of which accomplishes a very specific goal that moves your business forward.
One of the biggest mistakes we see entrepreneurs make in their videos is not knowing what they’re trying to accomplish. As a result, they end up wasting valuable time and money! Creating videos without clear intention doesn’t serve their business.
The ‘Brand Story Video’
Jennifer, one video every entrepreneur needs is a “Brand Story Video”. Simply, a video that tells the story of your brand. It’s the perfect video to use on the “About” page of your website. “About” pages are typically the second most visited page of any website, behind the home page.
The “About” page is where visitors go to learn more about you and your company or brand. This includes your education and training, credentials, past work experience, etc. It also includes what your personal or company mission and values are. Having a Brand Story Video is a creative tool for communicating your story in a way that helps your viewers to feel emotionally connected to you and your company.
Make Yourself Stand Out
There are so many people who are putting themselves out there in the world and trying to sell their products and services online. What separates one person from another is your personal story, and your ability to connect with your audience. While many entrepreneurs now have beautiful websites, only a small percentage of them are currently using video. However, we know that video adds value to a website, and really gets viewers engaged with a brand.
When people are making a decision about who to work with, whose products or services to buy, they are looking at your company and trying to figure out how to distinguish YOU from the next guy. If all they have to go on is seeing your website and comparing it to someone else’s website, they will likely choose the one that offers them a connection with the person behind the brand.
Tell Your Story
If you have a video on your website that introduces you to your website visitor and tells them about your journey, viewers will be able to easily relate to you, and your ideal clients will be able to easily identify you as someone who they believe can help them accomplish their goals.
Another thing we know to be true about sharing your story with viewers is that when you open up about the personal details of what you’ve been through, some people will resonate with you and your story right away, feel connected to you, and feel like they want to get to know you better… and others won’t. There WILL be those people who you just don’t click with, and who don’t have a strong emotional bond with you because of what you say. And you know what? Either way, that’s really good news.
The people who do love you, and feel strongly connected to your story, will become your best fans and followers, and turn into your most ideal clients and customers.
They will become your loyal audience, who will watch your videos, read your blog posts, and follow you on social media. Those who don’t mesh with you will fall away quickly and probably are not the right person to do business with. That’s good news for you too because time is money and many entrepreneurs are unfortunately short on both!
Be Proud And Confident
So we want to encourage every entrepreneur to use your personal story! Use it as a tool to grow and transform your business. To succeed in a big way, you have to put yourself out there in a big way. And that includes being transparent about what you’ve been through, and what you’ve had to overcome.
And those are all things that help and inspire other people to want to learn from you and follow in your footsteps. Having access to video to tell your story is one of the most powerful tools an entrepreneur can use to uplevel your business.
So Jennifer, in our opinion, the brand story video is a great place to start your online video journey.
Thanks for your question, Jennifer. We can’t wait to see your brand story on video soon!
If you got great value from the information in this video, please leave us a comment below. Tell us: how has using your personal story on video helped you attract your ideal clients and customers?
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If you have a question that you’d like answered on an upcoming show, please email it to us at: LetsTalkVideo@GeffnerProductions.com