Ready for the movies?

If you’re running a consulting business or a coaching practice, or if you’re a leading a professional services firm, there’s a lot you can do to promote your business and your brand using video.

In the last post, where I started talking about the use of video,  I dealt with how to build your brand using video:

Build Your Celebrity status – Make a Video

Today, I’m focusing on the content of your video.

When you create your video you’ll need to pay particular attention to this, because it’s the content of your video that really matters. That’s why I’m specifically dealing with ways you can use to make your video script professional and interesting.

What makes a good video script?

Writing a video script is very similar to creating a presentation to be delivered to an audience sitting in front of you. You need to help people to follow what you’re saying.

In the last post I explained that the structure of the video script would be quite straightforward. It’s built around three tips.

However, if I’m going to maintain interest, and help people to follow the “story”, I need to ensure that the three tips fit together logically and the script flows from one point to another. When you read the script, let me know if you think I’ve done this.

In these circumstances I tend to offer a tip to begin with that reduces anxiety. If people are worried about the topic then I set their minds at rest.  This presentation is all about using social media to build your business.

My first tip is:

You don’t have to be on all the social media platforms.

A lot of people worry that getting involved with social media is going to overwhelm them. This tip reassures. When I’m speaking on the best ways to use social media in business I often start by telling the audience that I give them permission not to be on social media at all. They don’t have to do something just because other people do it.

In this video presentation the second tip is: be consistent.

Again, it’s not a technical tip. It’s one that people understand, and welcome. It’s one that makes sense. It also helps people to bring a structure to what they do on social media. That’s what’s lacking in so many businesses. I get people thinking about their online and offline presence with that second tip. It’s bringing these together which is the main point of a lot of the work I do with businesses.  Therefore, I really want the audience to associate this great idea with me.

The final tip is to encourage people to be patient. Once they’ve realised they can do something useful with social media, as I’ve hinted in tip two, they may want to get started right away. I’m encouraging caution in tip three.

How to write a great video script

I’m always careful to place my tips in a context. Advice is only good advice when people know how to use it. Therefore, the video script is placed in the context of better business communications before I mention any of the tips.

Clearly I hope people will take the advice which is.

• You don’t have to be on all the social media platforms.
• If you are going to get involved with social media, then be consistent in your approach.
• Don’t expect to get everything right and to get great results all at once. Be patient.

Note that my points do flow together. I could have written them in a paragraph rather than using bullet points. However, I’ve demonstrated their consistency and utility by summarising them in a way that brings the ideas together.

That confirms to me that the script will work.

Now it’s your turn. I’ve reproduced the script below with all the spaces I use to enable me to read it easily on camera.

• Does it flow?
• Is there a clear structure?
• If you know me, could you imagine me saying this?
• If you don’t know me, could you imagine someone delivering this script in a natural way?

“Margaret Adams here.

I’m an expert in business communications and social media marketing.

I help businesses to become famous in their niche.

The result is that customers will think of them first when they’re looking to buy.

Today I’m sharing three tips to help you to build your fame online so that you’ll be the person they remember.

My first tip

You don’t have to be on all the social media platforms.

Make your decisions by finding out where your customers are. Follow them to the social web.

So, if your customers are on Twitter and LinkedIn, you know where to apply your efforts.

Once you know this, make sure you can use that particular platform well and then go for it.

My second tip is about consistency. Be consistent.

Some people encounter you in person first and then go to your website. Some people will find you first online.

Make sure your online and offline images match.

Don’t give people a surprise by being different online from how you are in the real world.

I work hard at this at Margaret Adams. co .uk. I make a point of writing as I speak. In the real world I speak in the same way as I write. . It really helps to be consistent.

My final tip is to ask you to be patient.

Business success takes time.

You won’t get hundreds of fans for your Facebook page immediately.

You have to generate interest first. Then build trust and finally build relationships.

So be patient and keep working.

Those are my three top tops to help you to build your fame online.

That’s all from me, Margaret Adams. Thank you for watching.”

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