Video has been big for quite a while now, even the most cursory promenade through the wastelands of social media will give you access to a whole range: from over-produced adverts to shaky selfie videos, and everything in between. The democratisation of technology has made filming and editing more accessible than ever – so long as you can afford or borrow a smartphone and get internet access, you’re pretty much good to go.

In the world of business-to-business, video is still trickling its way down. Back in 2017, I highlighted a few law firms that were bucking the trend by producing videos that were contemporary, imaginative, or relatable. They were the exceptions in a sea of dull talking heads created more for the ego of the speaker than with an audience in mind.

making a video with a friend for business

As regular readers of my work know, I am a huge fan of employee advocacy because it’s a really effective way to engage your staff, increase the credibility of your firm, and as a bonus get some fabulous organic reach. LinkedIn videos created by staff and shared on their personal profiles can be a very effective way of building up their reputation as a thought leader in their field, while also promoting the company they represent. This also works for solopreneurs, freelancers, and other members of that family, who need to establish their credentials.

Sounds great right?

Of course, as you can imagine, it’s not that simple. Everyone has an inner saboteur determined to get in the way of new approaches like these.

This is why I’ve come up with a list of 9 common objections, along with their solutions. If you have more to add to the list, feel free to comment!

I don’t have the skills

This is a hangover from the times when technology was less accessible. Today, you don’t need the skills. Truly. If you have a smartphone, open the camera app, go for the selfie option so you can see yourself, and then press play. That’s it. You can then post it directly on LinkedIn or any other platform of your choice.

Of course, if you want to edit out your ‘ums’ and ‘erms’, add subtitles, or any other changes, then you will need to familiarise yourself with editing tools. The good news is that these are easier than ever to get to grips with. To edit from your mobile, give FilmoraGo a try.

I hate my face

hate face filming

This is more common than you think. Hearing your own voice recorded, looking at your face, these can be difficult things to overcome sometimes. I can assure you that others do not hate your face, and they’d much rather look at it than a powerpoint slide.

If your hatred is too much, then stick a post-it note over the screen of your phone, so that you can concentrate on what you’re saying rather than on what your face is doing.

Hearing your own voice recorded, looking at your face, these can be difficult things to overcome sometimes. I can assure you that others do not hate your face, and they’d much rather look at it than a powerpoint slide. Click To Tweet

I have nothing to say

Everyone has something to say. If you are struggling with inspiration for your videos, then a content calendar is your friend. Here’s a method I find helpful:

Come up with a list of broad themes related to your business.
Type one of those themes into Answer the Public
Look at the questions and search terms that come up
Create 6 questions for each theme.
Those will be your videos

I am no one

You don’t need to be a celebrity to create a video. You are you, with your experiences, your quirks, your unique take life. That’s much more powerful than getting ‘real-talk’ advice from a born millionaire on his yacht.

You have a voice and a right to use it. You are allowed to take up space. You are enough.

You have a voice video

If you are having these doubts, you more than likely are someone worth listening to, because you don’t speak up enough but you sure are thinking a lot. As readers of this blog know, I’m an introvert and like to create content that helps fellow introverts. If you are one too, then it’s likely that you only speak when you have something meaningful to contribute to the conversation – imagine how powerful that would be as a regular video series!

I don’t know where to post it

As with all things, “it depends”. It depends on who you want to talk to, and which platform you use the most. For all things business, LinkedIn is going to be your friend, but that doesn’t mean the other platforms aren’t a valid choice either.

You can test this out: create a video and publish it natively on various platforms (natively means you upload it on each site, rather than sharing a link to the video). After a few days, go and see how each of them perform. I would rate this one by engagement – have people commented or messaged you more on one platform rather than another? That’s the one you should persist with!

I don’t know who will be interested

More people than you think.

You won’t know until you try and the people it interests might surprise you.

I don’t have the time

If you’ve done the groundwork and come up with a content calendar, then creating basic videos shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes to create and upload. Of course, if you want to edit them, that can add time, but there are some shortcuts:

You could outsource the editing to someone
Use Rev to create your subtitles for $1 a minute of video, it’s then very easy to add them to your video

I don’t have the equipment

As mentioned above, all you need is a smartphone. I would add to that: and somewhere quiet to film in. If you’re working in an open plan office then you’ll want to find an alternative spot to film – perhaps you can borrow the meeting room, or do a video outside?

If you want to up your filming game though, here’s your entry-level equipment:

A tripod with a light ring. It’s a two-in one bonus – you can position and stabilise your phone, and your face will be evenly lit.
A microphone. The RØDE range is very popular but there are other options. Find one that you can plug directly into your phone for minimal fuss. This is particularly necessary if you are filming outside or in a noisy environment.

I won’t be able to commit

As mentioned above, creating videos doesn’t have to be a huge commitment, especially if you keep things simple. You will need to set yourself a realistic goal of you want to be able to keep it up.

‘Realistic’ is going to be different for everyone – I would recommend once a week, especially when you’re getting started.

Conclusion

Ultimately, there’s only so much one can say in reaction to these self-sabotaging sentiments. You have to want to create videos, or none of this will work!