Video is 2011s hottest trend in personal branding. The development of technology in smart phones and portable videos with instantaneous access to upload video to the Internet has accelerated this trend across many social media and marketing platforms. According to ComScore, a global Internet information provider that analyzes consumer behavior for successful marketing, sales and trading strategies, 170 million Internet users in the United States watched online video content in February 2011, averaging 13.6 hours per viewer.
So how can you utilize video in your personal branding efforts? Here are 17 creative ways that you can promote Brand "You":
- Biography/Story Telling :
Tell your brand story, explain your unique promise of value, and stand apart from your competition. - Email:
Make your emails more personable. Send a video email instead. - Reality:
Film from a documentary angle and show your client what a day in your life is really like. This is a great way to add some humor to your videos. - Employee Introductions:
Set up an interview format and highlight the reasons why your employees are the best at what they do and able to help your clients. - How-To:
Establish your credibility with short, instructional videos. - Product Demos:
Let your customer take a virtual test-drive of your products and services. - Dear Abby
A fun way to answer frequently asked questions. - Special Events:
Highlight your awards, employee picnics, client appreciation parties, and so much more. - Behind The Scenes:
Similar to the reality angle, give a behind the scenes tour of your speeches or special events. - Testimonials:
Interview your raving fans. - Client Thank You:
Thank your raving fans. - Video Brochure:
Pull your clients in with emotional marketing and highlight the benefits they receive from your products. - Tours of Location/Facility:
Take the viewer on an open-house style tour of your facility. If you are a Realtor, take them on a tour of your open house. - Contests Announcements:
Generate excitement with the announcement of your most recent contest. - Video Courses/Workshops:
Video take your workshops and sell them online to create additional streams of income. - Vlog (Video Blogging):
Add video commentary to your blogs. - Creative Advertising - Show your video advertisement on your website, at sponsored events, on your local cable network, and of course your social media outlets.
Keep the conversation flowing What did I miss? How are you incorporating video into your personal branding strategies?
Using videos to promote your brand and product can be extremely powerful, i believe not many companies and bloggers are using it to its full potential. Great list of some ideas we can all use to create some stunning videos for our brand. I like of “behind the scenes”. Showing your customers, what work environment you have, and giving them a true picture of your company.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting, Wasim. I also like the ‘behind the scenes’ idea because it demonstrates a level of transparency. Ultimately, people want to know that they can trust the person that they are buying from and being transparent about who you are and giving them a true picture of the experience they can expect from you will only boost that level of trust.
Great post. Lets face it, most of us are lazy. Much easier to watch video than read a long story. Plus, there’s something more real about video, doesn’t seem like there’s any where to hide. Whereas with words, you can sit and craft them all day long. And always great to put a face to the message. Business interaction seems to be much more easier once you’ve put a face to a voice, email, etc. Makes it more personal I think.
Great point, Louis. I think what we have witnessed with the rise of the email and texting is that some people hide behind their words and mobile devices. How many times have you received a text message or email when a phone call would have been more appropriate? Hopefully with the popularity of video we will bring a more 3-d feeling back in to our communications. Thank you for your comment!