You may be seasoned in your profession, but new to digital and social media marketing – and of course by now, you’ve heard that video is all the rage. How does a newbie effectively use video marketing without being a pro at it?

A Few Things That Will Help

First, let’s go over a few fun facts then we’ll go over a few pro tips to help you get on your way.

Fun facts:

• By 2019, global consumer Internet video traffic will account for 80% of all consumer Internet traffic. (Source: SmallBizTrends)
• Video promotions are now equally as popular as photo promotions on Facebook. (Socialbakers)
• Facebook generates 8 billion video views on average per day (Source: Social Media Today)
• Bonus: Facebook Live gets an average of 6 times more visibility than regular videos. So don’t be shy. Go Live!

Now on to some pro tips that will help you cash in on the benefits of using traditional and live video as part of your social media marketing efforts.

The first 10 seconds make or break your video. Viewers’ attention spans are very short on social media. We only get about 10 seconds to get and keep their attention. So make those seconds count. Your goal should be to hook the viewer. So be informative, motivational, inspiring, humorous, engaging or entertaining right out of the gate.

The goal is to tell and not sell. Yes, your ultimate goal is to sell courses online, but use the video to tell an interesting story. Use it to talk about your products, services, expertise in a way that is both engaging and informative for your audience. Don’t come off over exaggerated and fake-like. Focus more on storytelling in a manner that highlights your expertise, the needs and pains of your audience, and how you want to help them. Speaking of helping them — use video to do that! Don’t just jump on with the intent of making a sale. Use the platform to help them with things they may be struggling with. Highlight pain points and things they can do to ease them. Suggest pro tips of your own that are of value to your audience. Remember, this is your moment to show off. This is your moment to shine. You’re the expert. Bring them valuable information that makes them not only appreciate you but leave them wanting more. An added bonus is all of this is sharable. This gives your content a chance to go viral or even semi-viral and gets more eyeballs on your business and material. It’s a win for all!

Keep it short and simple. Again, attention spans are shorter these days so you want to get in and get out. Say what you need to say and be gone! Don’t drag it out. Make sense?

Try to find good lighting. If you can’t afford to purchase professional lighting just yet, don’t fret. Try to find the best lighting you can. Test yourself in several places at various times of the day. The main thing is, don’t look washed out. This will turn people away. Being in your best lighting will help attract viewers to your videos. Believe it or not, it makes a difference.

Test sound. Make sure that your sound is coming across clear and not too low or high. You want to make sure that there’s no feedback and that you’re not sounding muffled. Test your sound before going live or shooting any kind of videos.

Use keyword rich and catchy headlines and titles. Once you’ve decided on your content try to include SEO keywords. This will help your video be found when users are searching for content related to your topics. Also, try to fit in the benefits of watching your video. Example, if you’re selling a course on trademarking and you’re going to talk about the pros and cons of DIY trademarking, you could name your video just that “The Pros and Cons of DIY Trademarking-The Top Things You Need to Know”.

Make sense?

Be creative. Don’t be afraid to switch things up. Hypothetically, there’s a woman who owns an online accessory boutique. Instead of just posting pictures or videos showing her products, she does a QVC-like Facebook Live event regularly. She goes all out. She started in her home and has since grown and expanded her business to a storefront location. Her audience loves her videos. She was the first to successfully do this and since then, many boutique owners have tried to mimic her unique marketing approach — and with good reason. The high quality of her products and unique video marketing allow her products to fly off of the shelves! Consider how your online training business could benefit from a similar concept.

Don’t be afraid to add your own spin on things! Double down on your difference. It could make all the difference between you standing out or becoming a wallflower.

Additionally, don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Don’t be afraid to bomb. It happens to the best of us. Just jump in there. Remember, you KNOW YOUR STUFF. Be confident in that and trust the process. The more that you do this, the better you’ll get. Lastly, don’t let the numbers get to you. You may only have one person show up for your first live video and that person may be your parent. Don’t fret! It gets better. Just commit to getting out there and showing the world what you’ve got! Word will spread naturally if you follow these steps. You can do this!