Choosing the Right Video Platform for Your Business

At the time of writing this piece there are regions of the world that are in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This means that individuals and businesses with something to sell or offer are finding new ways to communicate to their audiences and video is becoming more and more popular. Even those who have been good at using various digital platforms are increasing their activities to ensure that they remain visible. Personally while I can understand why people do this, it isn’t always necessary to churn out content if it doesn’t align with your strategic goals. If your business brand suddenly starts creating content or undertaking livestreams without a purpose other than to be seen, it can be overwhelming. During a time of collective trauma it is absolutely OK to take a step back to recalibrate. This is a global crisis and the last thing you and your team (if you have one) need right now is to put more pressure on yourself. If, however you have taken a step back, looked at your communications strategy and can see why you need to communicate with your customer base / audience using video, then take the time to consider which video platforms are right for you. What do you need to think about before choosing a video platform?

Who are you communicating to? Undertake an audience assessment; who are you trying to reach or engage with? If your customers or clients use Facebook or Instagram or even Twitter to actively engage with your brand use the livestream modes on those platforms. There is little point in creating a series of IG lives when you customers engage with you the most on Facebook. Meet them where they are; it not only allows for more authentic communication but also ensures you have a more captive audience when communicating. If you have stakeholders or employees then you will have to change tack and use a platform that allows for more intimate communication like Skype or even WhatsApp Video calls.

What type of message are you communicating via video? If you are conducting a virtual conference or webinar you might decide that Google Hangouts or Zoom might be more suitable as they not only allow for audience participation, multiple participants and presentations they are relatively cost effective. If you just want to have a conversation or simply create an experience with your customers in real time IG Live is a very good platform to use for this. Some of the best uses of the platform from a personal brand perspective have been fitness pros and entertainers (DJs/Musicians). Consider being creative with your livestream - you don’t have to simply sell, you want to maintain trust and reassure your customers.

Is a livestream necessary? You don’t have to host a livestream. In fact it might help not to do one so that you don’t overwhelm yourself or your audience. If you film your videos you can post them in your own time on any of your social media timelines as well as on YouTube, IGTV and Facebook watch for your audience to watch whenever they want. Remember there is already a lot of content “bombarding” people at present - there’s no reason to rush to get attention especially if you know what your goals and intentions are. Engagement matters! if there are lots of livestreams happening at the same time via IG live for example it can lead to some social media users becoming disinterested or bored.

Is it safe? It is really important to take the privacy of yourself and your audience into consideration when thinking about using video platforms; especially livestream conferencing platforms like Zoom. So do some reading and assess the pros and cons of the platforms you wish to use and take regulations like GDPR into consideration.

What are the costs? Some platforms come with a cost, even the free platforms aren’t necessarily free. Let’s not forget that even our data has value. Undertake a cost analysis of all the platforms you wish to use and also consider which equipment you might need, most smartphones and laptops are good for standard videos but you might consider investing in lighting and even a camera depending on your budget and frequency of use.

Why are you using video? This is probably the most important question to ask. Don’t just jump on the video trend simply because everyone else is doing so. Videos are a great content creation tool and a great way to communicate with your audience but you have to ensure that the content fits into your overall strategy. At the same time don’t overlook it just because you don’t feel comfortable using video. Find the right resources to help you to become more comfortable with video. Here is a great video on how to look good in videos.

After you have taken the time to think about what platform makes sense for your business then take the steps to start creating content that adds value in an authentic way during this time and beyond. Don’t forget to share your content; recording videos isn’t enough if you have to share, share and share again and of course let your audience share your content too!

7 Ways That Entrepreneurs can Repurpose Content for Their Businesses

Content creation is a very important part of PR & Communications and significantly helps to build brand visibility.

When it comes to content creation strategy many small business owners and "professional influencers" (employees who use their social media platforms to raise their personal brands and be brand ambassadors for their employers) find it difficult to remain consistent. The fast paced nature of the digital world means that we are under so much pressure to create and consume content that we have very little chance to take stock or consider the impact of our content. It also becomes very difficult to be intentional and strategic if we put so much pressure on ourselves, we end up with digital burnout if we're not careful. But there are ways in which you can still communicate effectively to your audience without becoming inconsistent or constantly feeling overwhelmed but repurposing also works in reminding new followers/members of your audience about your past work. You can never simply assume that people know everything you have done and by bringing it back to life you keep your content live and maintain awareness.

Here are a few simple things you can do to repurpose your content whether it is for your business brand or for your personal brand so that you can remain connected with your audiences and maintain brand visibility:

1. I've already used an example in this post - use your social media posts in blog posts and online articles like this. Not only does it keep your tweets/status updates/instagram posts alive it illustrates the cross-platform capabilities of social media. Social media doesn't have to be stagnant you can use it to inspire more content and reuse it on your sites or even other platforms. Take a look at some of your brand's most popular tweets and see what you can use and how you can use them - whether it's to embed them in a piece like this or use a screenshot on another platform to keep the conversation going.

2. Don't waste pictures! It's absolutely OK to use pictures from the same day more than once - the #Throwback hashtag is also a good example of either resharing a picture you have already shared in a new way or sharing a picture that hasn't been shared in a way that encourages followers across multiple platforms to re-engage with your memories. 

3. Use tools from platforms like Buffer and Hootsuite (find out about more tools via my eGuide) or on wordpress a tool like Revive Old Posts - to reshare old posts and videos. Your videos, blog articles, podcasts etc don't have to remain dormant especially if the content is relevant. Share them regularly to remind your audience about something significant that your brand has done. 

4. Re-share clips from audio or video interviews  - similar to resharing your pictures why not share clips from any audio interviews or if you have videos as part of your comms strategy share clips across social media to remind your audience about that content. Remember that the purpose is to reinforce the idea of community building with your stakeholders (customers/clients/colleagues/industry figureheads). 

5. If you have spoken at an event or created a presentation you can use a platform like SlideShare on LinkedIn to publish the slides to share after the event or simply write a summary of the event. If you're feeling lazy you can use an event hashtag to collate all the social media conversation (usually twitter) about your talk and embed them into a post with a short review about the event. 

6. If you are building your personal brand as a subject matter expert you can use blog posts to create Guides (internally and externally).

7. If you have a newsletter (you should have a newsletter by the way) you can repurpose old blog posts and use them for content. You can also use blog posts for podcast and video ideas too which is another example of the cross platform nature of content. 

The lesson here is to not let good content go to waste. You are surrounded by so many great ideas which you can use for yourself as the brand ambassador for your business/organisation or for the business itself. 

How Business Owners Can Prepare For Their First Media Interviews

Being invited to undertake a media interview in whichever form it takes is exciting and it means that your business’ media relations strategy is working but quite often business owners do not prepare in a way that allows them to make an impact with their interview.  If you are invited to be interviewed on television, radio, magazines, blogs, podcasts or any other media platform, it is crucial that you are prepared. Many businesses and entrepreneurs seek media profiling as a way to enhance their brand visibility and credibility, so getting a media interview right can really ensure that you build and maintain your reputation within your industry.

Here are a few tips to help you prepare for your first media interview:

Media training – it is definitely worth investing in an expert to media train you before you undertake a media interview, this is particularly important for any video or audio interview but you may find that you need to seek advice on making the most of written interviews too.  Do not underestimate the value of getting the right training before you step into the spotlight. Ariatu PR offers media training services as well as an eGuide which is more indepth than this piece.

Be ready for the response – Remember that everything you say whether it is written or recorded can make or break your brand particularly in a digital age where interviews can have an even wider reach than ever before, you can go viral for all the right reasons or you could even have a PR crisis. Be ready for any level of exposure – good or bad. Whilst you might not become famous, there is a possibility that you might receive a lot of attention in a short space of time so make sure that you prepare yourself for any newfound attention. Take the time to assess the motives of the media channel that is sharing your story or interview too; some have good intentions but some also see your story as part of their  media cycle and you should not take it personally if they do not support you after the interview.

Take a moment to review yourself – if you know that you will be the face of your business or you have become a subject matter expert in your sector then make sure you take the time to review your performance, watch/listen/read – don’t bury your head in the sand because it feels embarrassing. If you want to do better then you need to know better, and knowing better means reviewing your progress and undertaking critical analysis and being open to feedback. You should also consider investing in your personal brand and public speaking skills as they can help you when positioning yourself for media interviews.

In this video I provide even more tips and guidance on preparing for a media interview.

How Entrepreneurs can Improve their Relationship with Social Media

Entrepreneurs and social media haven't always been the best combination and it is such a shame. I have always encouraged my PR clients and anyone who has sought advice from me in business to get to grips with social media. All entrepreneurs should get to grips with social media as a means of promoting their businesses as well as a way to showcase their own personal brand. By understanding social media, entrepreneurs can understand which platforms work best for them, what to use and what not to use for this business brands. It also gives them the opportunity to share their own stories without having to necessarily wait for traditional media to profile their businesses. Social media is powerful and not understanding or liking it is no longer an excuse to not use it because when used correctly social media can lead to more business. Social media has been known enhance reputations as well as damage them so understanding its power is essential.

According to research by Dr. Molly Wasko and Carlene Cassidy of The UAB Collat School of Business, many business owners are hesitant to jump onto the social media bandwagon. Their infographic sheds light on why entrepreneurs hesitate when it comes to using social and how they can overcome their fears by easing into Facebook, Twitter and other social media worlds:

University of Alabama at Birmingham Online

How Entrepreneurs can use Social Media Without Losing their Minds.

Too often people complain that  they can't keep up with social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter but when using social media for business remember that your intention has to be clear, you do not have to be on every single platform in order to make an impact. If you focus on the platforms that your customers/clients engage with you the most on and the social media platform which can make an impact on your business brand you will see that using social media can be a great way to raise your brand visibility. It really is not complicated but some people spend too much time trying to over-complicate things. Remember that there are plenty of tools out there to help you to automate and manage your social media platforms find one that suits your needs; here are just a few recommendations:

• Buffer - A dynamic multi-platform social media platform, very easy to use and great for automation

• TweetDeck - Twitter management platform which allows you to manage multiple accounts, really good if you are a big twitter fan

• HootSuite - Social media management platform which allows you to manage multiple accounts.

• Dlvr.it - a powerful automation platform which allows you to share content

• Commun.it - a community management platform which allows you to engage with your follows and monitor your list of followers/who you follow.

Much like anything in life once you learn how to use  a platform and get into the habit of using it (mindfully) you will start to see an impact without feeling overwhelming. Remember you control social media, don't let it control you!

In this video I provide some straightforward advice on how to use social media mindfully without becoming overwhelmed by it!

Watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_jvIvmyI0VkF2J8ef3MV8-7xCS2br4qJ

Buy this eGuide on "How To Use Social Media Effectively".

Originally published: http://www.ronkelawal.com/2017/04/how-to-use-social-media.html