Marx Communications: How to Ace Video for Personal Branding

This article originally appeared in B2B PR Sense Blog by Marx Communications on June 25, 2020.

By Wendy Marx

Looking for that next thing to give your personal brand a leg up? How about video? Using video for personal branding has helped many people to expand their brand and reach more audiences

And COVID-19 has created an atmosphere where video thrives. Think about it….now that so many of us are working from home, video provides an excellent way to get your face and name out there.

This is not to say that it’s easy.

I know personally that it’s a struggle to do video. I myself am a videophobe and I get it — putting yourself on video can be downright painful in the beginning. But I’ve been slowly easing myself into the video stream. And, to be honest, each time I do it, it becomes a little easier.

Take, as an example, this video I recently made to celebrate receiving copies of my new book, Thriving at 50+.

Why do I push myself to create video? Because of how vital it is to my personal brand.

Consider this…

According to one study, as of 2020, 92% of marketers rated video as an important part of their strategy — this is up from 78% in 2015.

And results show that video is being consumed at an unprecedented rate. It is predicted that by 2021, consumers will spend an average of 100 minutes per day watching online videos! This, coupled with the fact that 88% of marketers noticed a good ROI for their marketing efforts, makes video a slam dunk for your personal brand.

No matter what statistics you look at, video is constantly outpacing itself year over year. We’re finding new reasons to use video in our marketing and personal branding.

The big takeaway here is that video is the top format among consumers and marketers alike — and if you don’t incorporate it into your strategy, you risk missing out.

But now how do you go about leveraging video for personal branding? Let’s consider 6 ways that can help you get started with video.

6 Ways to Use Video for Personal Branding

1. Follow Video Best Practices

As with anything, we can learn from those who have gone before. There are some thing to do — and not do — that will ensure the success of your video. These include…

• Keep your video short so as not to bore your audience.
• Have a clean background — no clutter to distract people.
• Use adequate lighting. If you don’t have good natural lighting, look into investing in good lighting equipment.
• Act naturally.
• Use gestures.
• Smile

2. Choose Topics That Add Value

It’s always good to go into your video with a game plan. Consider what is on the mind of your audience? What common questions do they ask? What do they want to know?

Here are a few potential video topics that might inspire you…

• Introduce yourself.
• Discuss an industry trend.
• Show how to do something.
• Conduct an interview.
• Show what a day at work looks like.
• Update everybody on what you’re doing during the pandemic.

As with any piece of content you create, you want to add value. If you can show your worth to your audience, you can be sure that they’ll follow you for more helpful information.

3. Make Sure You’re Camera Ready

The one thing about video is that there’s nothing to hide behind. But there are things you can do ahead of time to make sure that your video doesn’t contain anything you don’t want it to.

One of the best things you can do before you hit record is to look in the mirror. Make sure your clothes have no wrinkles, your teeth have nothing in them, your hair is neat… all of this helps to boost your personal brand image and helps you appear professional.

In addition to your physical appearance, make sure you know what you want to say. If your video is littered with “ums” and “uhs” and you have that deer in the headlights look, people will wonder if you know what you’re talking about. A great way to counteract this is to come prepared and even do one or two run-throughs to make sure you’re ready.

4. Leverage Social Media

There’s nothing like social media to boost exposure for your video. Take Facebook as an example — users on this platform watch an average of 8 million videos per day! Think about what that could mean for your videos.

When you use a social media platform, make sure that your video is compliant with that platform. For instance, if your video doesn’t fit the dimensions of that network, your video won’t appear correctly and could potentially turn away viewers. Check with each social network to make sure you have the right dimensions and edit your videos accordingly.

5. Go Live Whenever Possible

Live video has quickly picked up popularity since a few networks released the feature a few years ago. Now virtually every social network has this feature and audiences have shown a preference for it.

Granted, the idea of going live for the world to see is a little daunting. But with the right preparation, there’s no reason why you can’t rock this format as well. This preparation may include…

• Having your talking points on hand.
• Doing a dry run.
• Prepping any guest speakers ahead of time.
• Testing your audio and internet connection.

Remember to use the features that come with live video as well. For instance, many networks have a comments feature where your audience can message you in real time. You can use this to field questions and interact with your viewers. This kind of interaction boosts engagement and makes your live stream a good experience all around.

6. Wrap Up with a Call to Action

We often think of calls to action as being a “blog thing,” but videos are a great

After listening to you, your audience is most likely at the height of their engagement. A call to action is a great way to develop their interest in your personal brand.

For instance, you could use the last few seconds of your video to mention your latest book or an offer that they can download that will help them in planning their next step. You could even invite them to check out another video, your blog, or your website.

Your video has a lot of prime real estate where calls to action can really thrive. Don’t pass up the opportunity!

In review…

I hope this post has inspired you to create your own amazing videos! Give it a try! Using video for personal branding is a great way to connect with your audience!

Let us know in the comments how it goes!