Grow your brand and your business with video

If you’ve been successful in your field for a few years, you have knowledge to share. Experts in their field are highly regarded for their knowledge. They are also sought out for their opinions and expertise. It’s why, as an expert, you should be looking for ways to share what you’ve learned in your career.

One of the most effective ways to communicate is through video. Video is visually compelling, helps viewers retain information, and has a better reach than text and photos. In fact, Google owns YouTube, which means it’s a powerful platform that easily directs an audience to relevant video content.

If you haven’t considered using video to spread your message and promote your business, it may be time to reconsider. The following ideas will provide you with great opportunities to grow your brand and your business with video. They will also ensure you are sharing your knowledge and insights with a broader audience.

A great way for people to understand who you are and what you offer is to simply tell your story. Video is a powerful way to share who you are and what you stand for. A report from Sprout Social says 70 percent of consumers feel more connected to brands whose CEOs are active on social media. One of the best ways to introduce yourself and what you stand for is with a video introduction that allows viewers to see the passion you have for your work.

As you’re thinking through your story, make sure you talk about the mission and values that drive you, as it’s what should serve as the foundation for your business. From there, tell your story in a way that’s genuine and authentic and you’ll capture an audience that will grow your personal brand as well as your business brand.

Maybe you’ve nailed down a sales strategy that works for your clients. Maybe you have a new product you want to review with customers. If you develop videos that help your potential clients or customers better understand how you’ve built your own success, or about what you’re selling, you’ll be answering the demands of those who follow you.

The great thing about these types of videos is that they position you as a genuine expert to a group of people with specific needs or pain points. Your viewers will continue to return to your social pages and the videos you create to see what else you have to offer. In fact, video is so successful that it generates 1200 percent more shares than static posts alone. It’s not only more engaging, but it drives action from your target market. 

A great way to create valuable content that engages your target market is through free or low-cost webinars. If you dread public speaking, but want to build trust with your audience, webinars are a low-stakes way to get in front of them. If you have knowledge your audience is seeking out, a webinar is a great way to disseminate information and to answer questions your target market wants to know. It also continues to build your brand as a leader and expert.

Be sure to offer a Q&A at the end to answer any questions that allow you to engage even further with your audience and may even help you brainstorm other ideas for more content down the road.

A great way to use storytelling that shows how your knowledge comes to life is through case studies. If you can create video case studies, you’ll have an incredible tool that helps showcase your knowledge and capabilities as a leader. Case studies allow you to showcase data, offer solutions to problems, illustrate success stories, and much more. 

When you’re telling success stories, you could also focus on customer testimonials so potential customers, partners, or clients know how your work has helped them. When customers are acknowledged, it increases their brand loyalty, which can actually translate to more sales for you. If you’re interested in developing these types of videos, get started by planning out the right topics and strategies you want to target with your case studies, then map them out to tell a rich story in the video.

When you start to create a video, think about how you want to use it. You will want to work with your marketing team to find the right places to share your videos. Think about length, format, and even target audience as you work to create your video content. As an example, Instagram only allows short videos, and while TikTok allows for longer content, so consider where your demographic spends their time. Your marketing team can help you determine where the right demographic is for your goals.

Meanwhile, YouTube uses SEO, or search engine optimization, to integrate and rank through Google, so you’ll want to make sure you utilize that technology to show up in the right search feeds. You can also use social media—including LinkedIn, your Google My Business platform, Twitter, and Facebook—and email marketing to share those longer videos across platforms.

With a little strategy and the right amount of planning, video development is a great way to grow your brand and meet your goals as a leader.

Jim Allen is a business leader and entrepreneur who has built one of the top-producing real estate groups in the Triangle. He is President of The Jim Allen Group, which is consistently named one of the top real estate teams in North Carolina and even North America.