Latest / The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson / Using Video to Build Relationships for Your Business with Julie Hansen
Transcript
- 0:00We tend to be very critical of ourselves when we're doing video.
- 0:03And of course, if we're recording it, then we have opportunity to, you know, fudge with it or
- 0:07redo it.
- 0:08There's a point where you have to let it go and you have to be able to observe your videos,
- 0:14review them without being as so critical as only we are to ourselves and understand that
- 0:20your audience isn't going, why is her eyebrow doing that?
- 0:24That was kind of a weird look she made.
- 0:27Right?
- 0:27So so being a little more, you know, forgiving and more objective with yourself and just You
- 0:33you gotta put it out there eventually.
- 0:36Hi.
- 0:37This is Melinda Emerson, the small biz lady hosted the small biz chef podcast.
- 0:41I want to serve you.
- 0:42This pandemic has been so hard on America's small businesses and on just America in general
- 0:48If you're ready to start your dream business, boy, do I have a great offer for you?
- 0:52I am giving away 1000 copies of my best selling book become your own boss in 12 months.
- 0:58Over a hundred thousand people have this book.
- 1:01It has been printed in multiple languages around the world.
- 1:03And I wanted to find a way to serve America's small businesses in this pandemic.
- 1:08And so I am giving away a 1000 copies of my book All you have to do to get your copy is
- 1:14head over to beginmybiz.com/freeoffer to, you know, sign up for your copy all you have to do
- 1:21is pay shipping, and we will mail one out to you.
- 1:24I am so excited about this.
- 1:26I wanna serve you.
- 1:28Grab your copy today.
- 1:31Ending small business failure.
- 1:34Welcome to the Small Biz Chat podcast with a number 1 small business expert Melinda Emerson.
- 1:40Bolinda's goal is to end small business failure, and she'll give you the information
- 1:44you need to succeed and live the life you dream of.
- 1:48Now here's the small Biz lady herself.
- 1:51Melinda Emerson.
- 1:54Hi, everybody.
- 1:55I'm Melinda Emerson's small Biz the America's number one small business expert, and I'm
- 2:00excited to welcome you to the small business chat podcast I'm very excited about today's
- 2:07show.
- 2:08The mission of the Small Bench Chat podcast is to end small business failure.
- 2:13We are a peer to peer interview show that gives small business owners a way to get invaluable
- 2:19business advice.
- 2:21So let me introduce my guest.
- 2:23Video can put you in front of customers, but it can create a relationship that requires a
- 2:29unique skill set.
- 2:30Luckily, actors, reporters, and other on camera pros have already unlocked the secret to
- 2:36creating personal relationships on video.
- 2:39In today's small business chat interview, actor and video expert Julie Hansen shares key on
- 2:46camera techniques from her new book Look me in the eye using video to build relationships with
- 2:53customers, partners, and teams.
- 2:56To help you connect more and sell more on video.
- 3:01For more information, you can go to Julie Hanson Live dotcom.
- 3:05Julie, welcome to the small fish chat podcast.
- 3:08Thank you, Melinda.
- 3:09It's so great to be here with you.
- 3:12Oh gosh.
- 3:12I am so excited.
- 3:14I was, you know, as a former television producer, when I saw your book, I was like,
- 3:18yeah.
- 3:19I'm glad somebody's breaking this down.
- 3:21So I'm so excited to have you here.
- 3:24Now one of the things that's been really interesting about what we've observed in 2021,
- 3:29I feel like 2021 is, like, the year of TikTok.
- 3:32It might be, like, like, short form short form video is, like, everywhere.
- 3:39And a lot of people have been saying that video is really the future of marketing.
- 3:44And I really wanted to kinda get your thoughts about you know, how important video is gonna be
- 3:49to marketing and sales efforts going forward?
- 3:52Well, you know, it's funny you say that because isn't video the present of marketing.
- 3:56Right?
- 3:57It's not like we're without it.
- 3:59And certainly from from everything that we've read about video and the the results people are
- 4:04getting, why would we not continue to use it?
- 4:07Right?
- 4:08We get higher open rates when there's a a video.
- 4:11Certainly, you know, TikTok and and Insta Reels have been great success stories as far as, you
- 4:17know, getting engagement.
- 4:19So there's there's a a lot of potential with video.
- 4:23And I and I think the interesting thing is, you know, there's still a lot more growth to be
- 4:28had.
- 4:29I mean, it's it's a little too late to be early to video, Right?
- 4:33There's a lot of people on video.
- 4:34There's a billion users on YouTube, but there's still a a window of of time where you can stand
- 4:43out.
- 4:44It's gonna get harder and harder to stand out.
- 4:46So that's something to be really aware of that now is the time to dive in if you're thinking
- 4:51about Definitely.
- 4:52Definitely.
- 4:53So let's talk about short form videos.
- 4:55Now I know there's, like, there is YouTube university.
- 4:58Right?
- 4:58So Let's not get it twisted.
- 5:00YouTube is the king of video, certainly long form video.
- 5:05But our sites like TikTok and Instagram reels putting pressure maybe on YouTube, but I am
- 5:12aware that YouTube created YouTube shorts earlier this year.
- 5:14So it's like, okay.
- 5:16Is there a market for this 15:30 second 1 minute video content versus the 3:5 to 10
- 5:23minute content, you know, that may be prominent over on YouTube.
- 5:28Like, is there is there a difference?
- 5:30Is there a difference in styles that you have to use for the different types of platforms?
- 5:34You know, that's a great question.
- 5:35I and I think, first of all, there isn't a great appetite for short content.
- 5:40It it sort of corresponds with how our attention spans are continually declining,
- 5:45right, pretty soon they're gonna be 2 second videos.
- 5:48But, absolutely.
- 5:49I mean, the proliferation of the different platforms speaks volumes.
- 5:53Like, people wouldn't put money into that if it wasn't they weren't seeing results.
- 5:57As far as the the differences between the platforms.
- 6:00I think you have to think about where is my audience?
- 6:03Where's my audience hanging out?
- 6:04I know that TikTok tends to be a younger audience.
- 6:08You know, it's a broad generalization.
- 6:10But, you know, think in terms of is my audience on TikTok?
- 6:13Are they on insta, you know, which Instagram tends
- 6:15to be, you know, as a 90% of Instagram's audience is global.
- 6:20Right?
- 6:21So those are things to consider before you dive in.
- 6:25Sure.
- 6:26Sure.
- 6:26But but just really thinking about how to build relationships with video, because I found you
- 6:33know, I decided to dive into TikTok this year.
- 6:37Oh my gosh.
- 6:38It's so hard.
- 6:39Like, it reminded me of the early days of Twitter.
- 6:42Like, when I had to claw for every single follower.
- 6:46Like, that's what it feels like.
- 6:48And it's like, if you don't understand the culture or you're not willing to jump into
- 6:52that.
- 6:53You are on the outside looking at.
- 6:56So I think that it's just been really interesting to have to learn how to build
- 7:03relationships on video versus face to face.
- 7:07And I think that's true for, you know, sending a code email with a video embedded to a pro
- 7:14prospect as much as it you know, trying to get out here and get some followers on TikTok.
- 7:20I mean, it's like, it's the same.
- 7:21It's whole.
- 7:23Yes.
- 7:23It's the same challenge.
- 7:24And and It's completely understandable that you've you've feel this struggle and this
- 7:30awkwardness that that most people feel because there's really nothing natural about talking to
- 7:36a camera.
- 7:36And and, you know, as you know, from working on camera, and I learned as an actor, just because
- 7:41I was an actor didn't mean I knew how to do it.
- 7:43I still had to take on camera classes, you know, because you start out on theater, which
- 7:47is lie, which is just, like, in person and and suddenly you're on camera, and you're supposed
- 7:52to be yourself.
- 7:52And it's like, well, what does that mean when there's a camera in my face?
- 7:55And they have to see me, and I have to stand a certain way.
- 7:59You know, just a lot of things to consider.
- 8:01So so it is it is a new thing.
- 8:03And, also, we have to remember We have been honing our face to face in person relationship
- 8:10building skills our entire lives.
- 8:12And for some of that, Some of us, it's a little longer than others.
- 8:15Right?
- 8:16So these are some really muscle memory type skills, and a lot of what we have to do to
- 8:22communicate and build relationships on camera is counterintuitive and the opposite of what we
- 8:29do when we're in person.
- 8:31And what happens with the camera is many people don't realize how the camera reads certain
- 8:36behavior.
- 8:37It it distorts certain things.
- 8:39It magnifies others.
- 8:41And many of the qualities that help build a relationship, whether you're in person or on
- 8:45video, aren't being communicated.
- 8:48Things like being authentic, things like being a good listener, being empathetic.
- 8:52If if we're not conveying that in this small space that shows about, you know, 15, 20
- 8:57percent of our body, then it it's not being read by our audience.
- 9:04So what can we do to start to improve our video presence?
- 9:10Yeah.
- 9:10You know, video presence is a great term for because it really is.
- 9:14It's like taking this space, taking all that energy that you were able to convey with your
- 9:19entire being when you're in front of somebody in that energy and compact it into this space.
- 9:26And it really does take more energy, and I think that's something that people don't
- 9:31realize.
- 9:31Like, you have to bring more energy to have presence.
- 9:34Presence is about energy, and we have the luxury of having that, you know, physical
- 9:39energy that we could communicate with other people and share.
- 9:43So we don't have that.
- 9:44The camera is very two dimensional, so it flattens everything.
- 9:48And takes away a percentage of our energy already.
- 9:51And then add to this, most people are seated when they're on video.
- 9:56Which means you're in a low energy position.
- 9:58And so suddenly we get very, you know, low key and our energy goes down and our voice gets
- 10:04very monotone.
- 10:04And We don't look like we're that engaged.
- 10:07And if you don't look like you're interested and engaged, attentive to your audience,
- 10:12they're they're not gonna stick with you.
- 10:13It's very easy to click that video off.
- 10:16If it was an article, they might skip ahead, but on a video, they can just say, gave it a
- 10:21chance.
- 10:21Right?
- 10:22Mute you.
- 10:23Mute you.
- 10:23Right.
- 10:24That's the that's the thing.
- 10:25All these people watching webinars that they mute that they're not really listening to.
- 10:28Yeah.
- 10:28So so that's a really interesting thing.
- 10:31But what about if the thought of being on camera just makes you nervous?
- 10:36You know, like, I'm one of these people.
- 10:37I've never had a problem.
- 10:39Be I've, like, I've been, like, ever since I would think I was, like, 8 or 9 in church, and
- 10:42they wanted me to give the speech, you know, for Easter.
- 10:45I've been, like, picked me, picked me.
- 10:46You know, like, so I you know, you were that person.
- 10:49I was that person.
- 10:50Right?
- 10:51I went to college and major to broadcast journalism because I wanted to be on TV it, but
- 10:55everybody's not like that.
- 10:57Most people, it's their biggest fear in the world.
- 11:00So Right.
- 11:01Right.
- 11:01But if you're nervous about being on video, What kinds of things can you do to gain
- 11:07confidence?
- 11:08Yeah.
- 11:09And it's really important because video you know, the camera picks all that up.
- 11:14Your your audience won't know that you're just nervous about the camera.
- 11:17They'll just think something is off.
- 11:19Right?
- 11:19You'll you'll be incongruent.
- 11:21They'll go, I don't know what it was about her, but I just didn't feel, you know, like, she
- 11:26was, you know, in her truth.
- 11:28You know?
- 11:29So we don't want that because the camera reads your feelings.
- 11:32So you have to let's say you have to learn to like your camera.
- 11:36Right?
- 11:36It is the lens through which you're gonna connect with your audience.
- 11:40You probably heard the expression.
- 11:41Oh, the camera really loves her.
- 11:43Like, when someone's good on camera, it was like, oh, the camera loves her.
- 11:46Well, the camera doesn't care about anybody.
- 11:48It's an animate object, but what's more likely is that person loves the camera.
- 11:54And so that brings out a great energy in them because they're not looking at the camera
- 11:58going, I can't believe I hate doing this.
- 12:00I wish we were live.
- 12:01Oh, okay.
- 12:03You know, I probably don't like what's going off my hair.
- 12:06All those things are communicated to your audience, whether you are aware of it or not,
- 12:12that's what's coming across.
- 12:14So I always tell people to even even if you've been on camera for a while to to establish a
- 12:20friendship with your camera and just start by, you know, just talking to it a couple minutes a
- 12:25day.
- 12:25Just Hey, camera.
- 12:28You know, here's what I got going today.
- 12:29This feels really stupid, but you have to break that cycle.
- 12:33It has to be your ally.
- 12:35Or it's going to, you know, work against you.
- 12:38So you want your camera on your side.
- 12:42Well, one of the things that you've mentioned earlier is how people who embed videos and
- 12:47emails are getting higher open rates.
- 12:49They're getting higher response rates.
- 12:51Are you a fan of that?
- 12:52Do you like people using embedded videos in in in sales emails?
- 12:57Yeah.
- 12:57I think there's there's
- 12:58a right way and a wrong way to go about it, but I think it they definitely tend to, in general,
- 13:04get higher open rates and they stand out.
- 13:08Right?
- 13:08They still stand out.
- 13:09There's a time where they may not stand out, but they do now.
- 13:12We're seeing more and more of them.
- 13:14But I think you have to use them.
- 13:16You know, they still have to have a point just you know, it used to be enough just to do a
- 13:20video.
- 13:21I'm like, hey, I'm Julie, blah blah blah.
- 13:22It's like, have, you know, have a message, right, have a message you have to hit it right
- 13:28away.
- 13:29You have to be on the minute they click on that video.
- 13:32And what I find is most people on camera they take a while to ramp up.
- 13:38Right?
- 13:38They they kinda hit their sweet spot about and this is live too.
- 13:42We hit our sweet spot about a minute into our presentation, right, Well, that's too long.
- 13:46Right?
- 13:4620 seconds is too long.
- 13:48And as a performer and as a, you know, on camera professional, you know, like, you have
- 13:54to be in character.
- 13:55You have to be, you know, at the the right energy level before that camera light goes on
- 14:01because you don't have time to ramp up.
- 14:04And so that's a really important thing for those videos because they are going, do you
- 14:09know, the first question they ask is, do I wanna watch this?
- 14:12Not engaging?
- 14:13Nope.
- 14:14I'm done.
- 14:15Right.
- 14:15Right.
- 14:16I think that is a brilliant point.
- 14:18And what I wanna do is we're gonna go to commercial And when we come right back, we're
- 14:22gonna talk a little bit more with Julie Hansen about how to use video to build relationships
- 14:27to grow your business.
- 14:28I'm Melinda Emerson, the small bizlet.
- 14:30You're watching the small biz chat podcast, and we'll be right back.
- 14:34Are you ready to become a boss?
- 14:37Hi.
- 14:37I'm Melinda and small biz lady.
- 14:39Click the button below and take my free boss quiz.
- 14:43This assessment will help you learn your entrepreneur type and find the right business
- 14:47model for you.
- 14:48Get this information about the number one asset in your business.
- 14:52Yeah.
- 14:52That's you.
- 14:55Welcome back to the small biz chat podcast.
- 14:57I'm Melinda Emerson's small biz lady, your host, and I'm here with Julie Hanson, author of
- 15:02the new book, Look Me, MDI, using video to build relationships with customers, partners,
- 15:09and teams.
- 15:10Julie, we were having a great conversation earlier or just about using videos and emails
- 15:15and how those are becoming a lot more effective.
- 15:17But let's take a step back.
- 15:19Let's talk about if you're going to be using video or recording videos, let's talk about
- 15:26some equipment.
- 15:26Like, what do you need to have in order to be effective?
- 15:31With video because I know one of the my big bugaboos is when people send me something and
- 15:36it looks like they're trying to conceal their identity because they're, like, enlighten is
- 15:39terrible.
- 15:40You know, so so let's talk about it.
- 15:42Let's talk about what do you need to have?
- 15:44Like, what are, like, kinda, like, the 3 basic things you gotta have if you're gonna be
- 15:48recording videos that make you look good.
- 15:50Right.
- 15:51Right.
- 15:51Yes.
- 15:52You know, if if we can't see the whole point is to see is to see each other's face,
- 15:57particularly the your expressions, your eyeballs.
- 15:59So if you're not lit well and we can't you know, we have to struggle to see who we're
- 16:03talking to that you defeat the purpose.
- 16:06Right?
- 16:06So good lighting, absolutely lighting that that shifts with you throughout the day, like having
- 16:12multiple setups or knowing at a certain time, you gotta, amp up the artificial light Don't
- 16:18have to spend a ton, but just make sure, you know, you can buy a ring light or, you know, it
- 16:22just depends on your environment how much lighting you need to to, you know, bring your
- 16:27face to life.
- 16:28And then, you know, people are not gonna tolerate poor sound.
- 16:32That is you know, that is right up there with they may actually stay on if they can't see you
- 16:38as well, but they will not tolerate a muffled experience.
- 16:43Right?
- 16:43So it's absolutely important to use use a good mic and use a good camera.
- 16:48The same is true.
- 16:49Like, we need everybody needs to step up and, you know, if you don't have an HD camera, if
- 16:55you're using the camera in your laptop, those are usually not you know, not high enough
- 17:00quality to get the, you know, to make us feel like we are sitting across from you.
- 17:05That's what I would say is the goal is to make us feel like We're just sitting across from
- 17:09each other having a cup of coffee.
- 17:11And I can't feel that way if you're kinda grainy and I can't hear you well.
- 17:15So, yes, I'd say those three things are absolutely vital.
- 17:18I I couldn't agree with you more and certainly as a former television producer, I'm gonna say
- 17:233 point lighting.
- 17:24I'm gonna say I'm gonna say ring lights, some cowboy lights.
- 17:29They're cheap, but they're really good for filler.
- 17:32I have this great light on my desk that's actually from Long cube.
- 17:35It's actually an edge light right on the desk.
- 17:38So I have 3 point lighting, 3 point lighting, You want a little bit of light all around you.
- 17:42So that's really important.
- 17:44And so, definitely, I'm 100% in agreement with everything you're saying.
- 17:49Now let's talk about teleprompters.
- 17:51I see a lot of people using teleprompters poorly.
- 17:56I see some other people who use teleprompters effortlessly.
- 18:01What's your thought about that?
- 18:02Are you a yay or nay on on teleprompters?
- 18:05I tend to say nay because it is difficult.
- 18:09It is difficult for the it is I'll I'll say it's impossible if you don't have any training
- 18:15on it.
- 18:16There are very few people that are natural teleprompter readers.
- 18:19It is it is a skill I took a class on teleprompter reading, and I'm not sure I still
- 18:24know how to do it.
- 18:25Right?
- 18:26It's it's very difficult.
- 18:28It's very difficult if you're not a trained actor to know how to take lines off a script
- 18:33and make them sound as if you're just saying them in the moment.
- 18:37Now if you wanna work on that skill, that's great.
- 18:40Do that.
- 18:40But do not practice on your customers or your audience.
- 18:45Right?
- 18:45Make sure that you really do have that skill down before you take it to the the big time.
- 18:51100%.
- 18:52Alright.
- 18:53Last question.
- 18:54What is the best business advice you've ever gotten?
- 18:57Oh gosh.
- 18:59I would say this this refrain keeps coming up in the past couple of years, so it's it speaks
- 19:04to me now, which is imperfect and done is better than perfect and undone.
- 19:10And I think that speaks to video too is we tend to be very critical of ourselves when we're
- 19:15doing video.
- 19:16And, of course, if we're recording it, then we have opportunity to, you know, fudge with it or
- 19:21redo it.
- 19:21There's a point where you have to let it go and you have to be able to observe your videos,
- 19:27review them without being as so critical as only we are to ourselves and understand that
- 19:33your audience isn't going, why is her eyebrow doing that?
- 19:37That was kind of a weird look she made.
- 19:40Right?
- 19:41So so being a little more, you know, forgiving and more objective with yourself and just You
- 19:46you gotta put it out there eventually.
- 19:49Good stuff.
- 19:49Good stuff.
- 19:50Thank you so much, Julie.
- 19:51I really appreciate your valuable insight.
- 19:54What is your favorite podcast?
- 19:56Favorite podcast?
- 19:57My favorite podcast, small biz chat.
- 20:02Alright.
- 20:03You're the teacher's pet.
- 20:04Thank you for that.
- 20:06Julie, what's your favorite at?
- 20:08My new favorite is it's called Veed, v e e d.
- 20:11I owe.
- 20:12And what it does is it takes it takes your videos and it transcribes them and puts the
- 20:19transcription, the subtitles, So you can show the video.
- 20:22You post the video, and it'll also have the subtitles running sort of like a a a
- 20:26teleprompter, but for your audience.
- 20:28Oh, I like that.
- 20:29I've never heard of that one.
- 20:30I'm gonna have to write that one down.
- 20:33Julie, what is your favorite old school marketing tip?
- 20:36I'd have to say Pick up the damn phone, right,
- 20:42which is the title of a friend of mine's book, Joanne Black, but still still works, man.
- 20:48I I agree.
- 20:49That's that's a really good one.
- 20:50My favorite one is actually handwritten note I still believe in handwritten notes and people
- 20:55keep them because so few people get them now.
- 20:57That's business book you've ever read.
- 21:00Best business book you've ever read.
- 21:03I've
- 21:03I think what sticks with me is it's called the one thing by Gary Keller, and it's about you
- 21:09know, focus on one thing that will make everything else easier.
- 21:12And I now remember I need to reread it.
- 21:16No.
- 21:16That is a great book, right, right, Gary Kelly.
- 21:18Alright, everybody.
- 21:19Thank you so much for joining me.
- 21:21The mission of the small biz chat podcast is to end small business failure.
- 21:26And I wanna leave you with this.
- 21:27You never lose in business.
- 21:29Either you win or you learn.
- 21:33Thank you for listening to the Small Biz Chat podcast with Melinda Emerson.
- 21:39For more resources and small business success strategies, visit succeed as your own boss.com.
- 21:45Subscribe to this podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and join us next Wednesday.