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The first step is always the scariest. As a new mom watching my daughter explore our world, it opened my eyes to the struggle of newness. While all of us have walked millions of steps in our lifetimes, my daughter has only taken a shaky few. With each one, she learns more. She feels more - and sometimes less - confident. She wobbles. She falls. She struggles to get back up. But she sees everyone else walking around, so she knows it’s possible.
Taking this story into your business, let’s talk about marketing, or as we call them, business development campaigns. These coordinated efforts create awareness, attract new clients and make a business successful. But how do you do it?
We see lots of other people achieve success. They make it look easy and effortless. But don’t be fooled, even they faltered on their first campaigns. But they learned, grew confident and kept moving forward.
Video marketing is a form of content that needs to be incorporated in your business development campaign. As the older workforce retires and a younger one takes over, many prefer to consume content via video.
If you've been hesitant to create videos because you feel silly doing it, we have the mechanics to give you confidence and create a video announcement. Let's break them down step by step.
Video Announcement
With many retirement plan topics trending, it is only a matter of time before one becomes a BREAKING NEWS opportunity.
Let’s unpack how to approach this.
Step 1 | Research
With much anticipation, the new event/topic/research paper/the BUZZ is here. First read about it, attend a webcast and learn the ins-and-outs.
Step 2 | Talking Points
Cherry-pick the information vital to your ideal audience. Let’s say your plan sponsor audience is mostly small business owners with plans between $1 - 5M. Find the information in your research that impacts them and then talk about it. Identify the 3 things most important to them.
Next, you will want to outline your video. Some may opt to go a step further by scripting the entire thing, but depending on your comfort level, an outline is highly recommended.
Spend some time getting the core elements of your video laid out.
Outline
Hook opening line
Your introduction that describes what you do
The vital updates
Call to action (what do you want your viewers to do)
Conclusion
Step 3 | Set the Stage
Decide where you are going to shoot the video. Make sure you have good lighting by facing the light (e.g. facing a window. Never have your back against a window as this creates unflattering shadows). Start your recording by deciding on a sturdy surface. It’s usually a phone so rotate it to landscape. Use a microphone such as a plugged-in lavalier. Interestingly, with video, audio is most important.
Step 4 | Action
Smile. Get into your frame of mind. Press record. Don’t worry: video is editable.
Okay, now do it again.
Yes, video is awkward, especially if it is a new medium for you. Most people are not one-take-wonders. Record your message 5 times and then pick the best one. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. People appreciate authenticity.
Step 5 | Editing
Open your phone, go to the video and trim it. As mentioned, the beauty of video is that it’s editable. Find the section where you looked your best and clearly communicated your message. Bonus tip: if you used a lavalier, the audio is synced and will trim easily.
Step 6 | Peer Feedback
Before taking further steps, send your video to a trusted friend, someone honest who will provide constructive feedback. This step is helpful because your friend will tell you that your video was great or needs a few more takes. The goal is to share content that enhances your professional reputation. So, keep in mind, quality is better when not rushed.
Step 7 | Compliance
Yup, it’s about compliance. Most compliance teams request a written script and a copy of the video recording. So either you write out what you said, use the text feature on your phone or hire a transcription service.
Be sure to include any social media text and/or email copy you plan to use when promoting your video.
Then submit the script, video, social media posts and email template to your compliance team.
Step 8 | Post
The moment is here! Open LinkedIn and click the upload video icon. Add in your social media post. Hit post. Woo-hoo, you did it!
Step 9 | Share
Send out an email to your contact list and tell them about your video announcement. Ask them to like, comment and reshare it too. Generate a lot of awareness by reaching beyond your social media network by using hashtags (e.g. #401k).
Congratulations, you did it! You created a video announcement. How was your experience? Will you do it again? Each time you create a new video, it gets easier and easier. Just like taking your first steps, there are a lot of mechanics involved, but after a little patience and practice, you’ll be running in no time.
Thanks for reading!