I’m going to be honest here (as I always am), video is not my favourite form of media. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I can easily get lost in post after post of social media videos – mouth-watering, easy-to-cook vegan dishes, cute dogs doing the stupidest things, wedding fails and everything else that’s thrown my way. But when it comes to actually using video in my business for marketing purposes, well, let’s just say the enthusiasm is not as high.
Video for me is hard-work. My internet speed for uploading videos or even doing live videos isn’t great. Not to mention that I rarely love what the camera does to my face when it’s recording it (what’s that about?).
I’m most definitely a much more confident performer on other mediums (podcasts and blogs) and it’s no coincidence that I was a BBC Radio journalist for almost ten years, but not on tv!
That said, I know that video, when done properly, is a very valid form of marketing. Especially as over the years, video marketing has moved away from being something only used by big brands and businesses, and has become 100% accessible and easy-to-do for anyone with a business and a smartphone. Videos no longer need to be glossy, professional and fancy. Simple and amateur work just as well too.
I’m going to run through some different ways that you can use video in your celebrant business, for those of you who like the idea of putting videos out there or who are interested in using different media to present your thoughts and opinions.
But as usual, I bring my easy-does-it, no-nonsense approach to video use, as I do everything else! If you don’t want to do videos, don’t do them! And if you do, do! But I think it’s good to weigh up or work out if video is for you or not, by taking a look at the ways you can bring video onboard in your business.
1. Live videos
So live videos are basically you broadcasting live and direct on to your social media platform of choice. Most people tend to use Instagram and Facebook for their live output. Of all the types of video output to choose from, live video is my least favourite. I don’t know about you, but for me, most of the time when someone I follow goes live, the timing of their video is usually inconvenient/annoying/pointless/. Delete as you please.
I read somewhere recently that more people watch the recording of live videos than they do the live video itself! This doesn’t surprise me at all. I rarely switch over to a live video when notified, unless it’s Oprah, Beyoncé or Michelle Obama (none of whom do live videos may I add!).
Occasionally, in my Celebrants Collective FB group for members, I will do a live video to start off the week with a motivational message or to do a group check-in, but the only reason I do it as a live video is because of my terribly slow internet (I live in the countryside). If I were to record a video and post it, it would take a long time to upload. Even a short 5 minute video could take up to an hour to upload! Whereas when you do a live video, it posts immediately after transmitting it, which is better for me, time-wise. So that’s something to bear in mind if your internet is as poop as mine.
The questions you need to ask yourself about live video, when it comes to marketing for your celebrant business are:
Who is this live video for?
What’s the point of it?
Is this the right time to go live?
Would this be better as a pre-recorded video (see below)? Or on a different medium altogether (blog post, social media post or podcast!)?
Live videos are meant to bring immediate information to certain groups of people, in your case, people who follow you on social media. So you need to weigh up whether the information you’re sharing needs to be shared in this way and whether it’s serving the purpose you want it to serve.
2. Recorded Videos
Now, this is where I get excited! For me, recorded videos have all the advantages of what live videos might have but allow you to share a video in a more organised, structured and timely way.
Making a quick video for your social media platforms gives you great content that you can share on a number of platforms and it allows your followers to consume it at their leisure. Take my business wife Claire Bradford’s Thursday Thoughts. Every Thursday, she shares a video on her platforms of, yes you’ve guessed it, her thoughts on a Thursday, which actually range from a variety of subjects and issues.
Claire records a very simple video of her talking, which she tops and tails with an animation of her business logo. Her videos are really effective and because she posts them every week, her followers know what to expect and when to expect it, rather than the randomness of a live video.
Also, a pre-recorded video is more forgiving. You can re-record it if you don’t like what you’ve done or said! Or edit it, if you’ve got the skills. If it wasn’t so excruciatingly painful for me to upload videos, I’d do more of them on my own platforms. And even though Claire tops and tails her videos, which makes them look really professional, you don’t have to do that. A simple piece to camera is perfect too.
Celebrants Collective Members can access a fabulous video tutorial ‘How to make yourself a little bit famous with smartphone video’ by ex BBC reporter Penny Haslam, who explains how to make awesome marketing videos on just your phone. Watch it here and make notes!
3. Client communication
Another great way to use video is as a means to communicate with your couples. Some celebrants are quite creative about how they use videos in this way. One member sends out short personalised welcome videos to her couples via text message or What’s app, which is a really nice touch. You could do this at any point of your work process with your couples and families. Especially if you have a little break during the planning process with couples, a little personal video is a nice way of letting them know you’re thinking of them and there if they need anything!
Others have a welcome/thank you/next step or explainer video included in their client emails, which can be a fun and more of a unique way of getting across useful or interesting information. Including short videos in your client communication is a great way to build a good relationship with your couples and to show off your personality and knowledge. And the best bit? Nobody but your clients gets to see these videos!
4. Promotional/Professional videos
And lastly, a great way to use video in your marketing process is by using video which is not your own!! Let the professionals do all the hard work for you! There’s nothing like having snippets of professionally-made videos on your social media feeds.
Make sure to get well connected with the videographers that you work with or are due to work with. Get their details, follow them on social media and keep a look out for videos of weddings that you’ve worked on together. Even if you don’t make the final cut of a trailer or you don’t feature much in a video, it’s a great way to have some professional videos that you’ve been involved in, featured on your platforms.
So there you have it, some useful ways of using video on your platforms, if you want to get a bit more creative with how you market yourself and what you do. And if video isn’t for you, great! You can invest your energy into your tried-and-tested, more preferred forms of media!
Ps. If you’re interested in getting your hands on Penny’s awesome video for smartphone tutorial as well as all of the other amazing webinars, tutorials, and resources, becoming a member will allow that, and so much more! For just 10 Euros a month (15 from September for new members), you can access our treasure trove of resources and celebrant support. Take a look here.
