A while back I conducted an informal survey of entrepreneurs in my network using Instagram. The reason is because I saw a lot of these people using social media for business purposes, but I also noticed a good amount who seemed to be absent online. Many of these individuals took that first step and created a profile to promote their business but seemed to fall off soon afterwards. The bio area stated: “owner of (such and such) business” but that was extent of it. Aside from a few random quotes, shared content from industry gurus, and a handful of photos from a past training there was nothing in terms of showcasing expertise or building value with their audience.
Since I’m a curious guy, I decided to reach out and open up a dialogue to find out what’s going on and why they weren’t sharing their message online.
Here are a few of the responses received:
- I’m afraid to mess up
- I want to but I talk myself out of pressing the record button each time
- There are so many other people more qualified than me
- I’m afraid of criticism
- I always choke when it comes time to speak in front of people
- I know I’m good but I don’t consider myself an expert
- I always lose my train of thought when I’m speaking
- I don’t know how to deliver my message in under 60 seconds and still make an impact
- I get too stressed out
- I get nervous and always make mistakes and then I get frustrated
- I’m afraid people will laugh at my videos and not take me seriously
Do any of those statements sound familiar?
If you’ve had similar thoughts and realize that this is what has been stopping you from sharing your message with your audience then let me reassure you that you’re not alone. These examples were taken from actual comments made to public posts on my Instagram profile as well as a few private follow-up exchanges through direct message.
The good news for you is, if any of these are still holding you back then that stops today because I’m going to give you a simple method that you can use to overcome these and many other obstacles.
Please note that the specifics of this article are directly related towards Instagram’s standard sixty-second video format. However, this basic tactic can be easily modified and used as a foundation for most other short form video content that you want published across social media.
Standard Instagram videos have a 60-second time limit. A few years ago, Instagram rolled out their IGTV platform that allows users to upload much longer content but for our purposes we are going to focus solely on creating these shorter videos that fit nicely within the 60 second limit. Though brief, this window is just enough time to clearly express a direct message to the viewer without feeling the stress often associated with not knowing what to say next, which makes it a great place to start for entrepreneurs just getting into developing video content.
Sharing your message on Instagram gives you the opportunity to deliver incredible value for your audience and build brand authority. Being new to sharing original content, you can find comfort in the fact that “having enough to say” will never be an issue. Everybody, regardless of experience, can speak for 60 seconds on a given topic. And if you want to be technical, simply starting each video with a warm welcome and closing with a friendly salutation is going to eat up about 7-10 seconds alone, which means now you only have to focus on 50 seconds of actual content!
Is your mind blown yet?
All of a sudden that big hairy scary monster seems just a little less frightening now.
We know that we only have 60 seconds to work with – minus any time for your smiling welcome in the beginning and wishing your audience well at the end – so how do you create a video that your people will find valuable and want to keep coming back for more?
It’s a task made easy when you use the Sticky Note Method, and YES, it’s as simple as it sounds. Your video will consist of the amount of information that you can fit comfortably on a regular sized sticky note. That’s right. All it takes is a commonly found sticky note available at any office supply store and the ability to write a few key bullet points to stay on track.
Here it is in a nutshell:
STEP 1: Jot down a few key speaking points on the reverse (sticky) side of the post. As a personal preference, I prefer to keep the sticky portion on the bottom.
STEP 2: Fix the sticky note to the backside of your phone or mobile recording device so that you can read the bullet points. This will also help to stay focused and avoid rambling or getting sidetracked while speaking.
STEP 3: Press the red record button and make it happen!
If you mess up the first time and need to do it in two takes, then do it in two takes. If you need three takes to nail it the way you want it then do it in three takes. It doesn’t matter how many takes you need to get the premium product. The only thing that matters is publishing a solid piece of video content for your audience.
Practice. Practice. Practice.
We all have to start somewhere. Make this your beginning point and get started today. Pretty soon you’ll get the hang of it and you’ll be creating awesome videos off the cuff in no time at all.
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