Andy Warhol was right when he said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
Then again, maybe he was putting it too mildly. Today, thanks to social media, everyone has the opportunity to be famous for an indefinite period of time, not just 15 minutes.
Look at Casie Neistat. Or King Bach. Then there’s Amber Mac. Kim Garst. And Jay Baer. I could go on. Funny. Serious. Amusing. Smart. The list of those who have become famous thanks to the emergence of social media is as long as it is varied.
Each of these people has done what every corporate brand and business should be doing on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and elsewhere online. They’ve leveraged both written and visual content to take advantage of these platforms and stand head and shoulders above everybody else when it comes to copping their share of the spotlight.
What they’ve done isn’t rocket science, though. Success in this space is determined as much by tenacity as it is talent. Online video, live or pre-recorded, is incredibly popular, and anyone in business who isn’t doing it today is missing a huge opportunity to realize more customers and clients, fortune and fame.
Unfortunately, most people out there are afraid to be in front of the camera for a multitude of reasons, especially if the shoot has to do with their jobs. But that tune has to change in 2017. Never mind that anyone in senior management should be prepared to take a starring role. If your responsibilities have anything to do with marketing, advertising, PR or social media, you can’t afford to be camera-shy in this day and age.
It’s not enough to simply muster up the courage to be a talking head, either. Forget trying to win an award for best actor, actress or picture, but don’t hesitate to let your guard down and portray the human side of your brand. The authenticity, transparency and immediacy of your videos counts more than whoever has the biggest budget or the most sophisticated production values.
Be yourself…cool, chill. Keep it real. Spontaneous and off-the-cuff. Have an outline in mind before the action starts, but don’t risk appearing stilted and stiff by feeling you have to stick to a script. Too much preparation may result in a product that is simply too polished to believe.
You’re telling a story when you’re in front of the camera. Whether you’re talking about your products and people, services and successes, interests and insights, you’re talking naturally, spontaneously, sincerely and openly. You’re talking about something you have in common with your audience, something they can relate to, something they will gravitate towards and embrace.
According to this Social Times article written by Nicole Teeters…
“It’s increasingly the norm for brands to be active on mediums like Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Live – places where social storytelling is informal and direct. In this environment, brands need to let loose and allow for marketing that is less polished but that will come across as much more genuine.”
The irony is that you need to sacrifice the polish of your videos for the sake of the credibility. DIY recordings are like homemade brownies. Not only are they more appreciated, they’re often even better than those you can buy. Whether you do it yourself or not, though, do it without overthinking it, overproducing it, overrehearsing it. Don’t think twice about doing video on social media.
Note: The original version of this post was published on ClickZ on January 4, 2017. To read the entire post there, click here.
