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The Business of Video

Excuse me, but where is the person I saw on YouTube?

When crafting your business video identity, there is one important message you need to convey: WHO ARE YOU? We hear a lot of buzz about being the most awesome YOU you can be, that nobody can be YOU better than you, that YOU are your brand. It is all true, and when it comes to video, you need to be the MOST AUTHENTIC YOU. If you want to create a persona for a video series, then come up with something that reflects your values. If you are fun and flirty, then your video should be light-hearted and fun. If you want to

Crowdfunding: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Last month, I had the amazing opportunity to be involved in an exciting crowdfunding project as the producer, videographer and editor for the Kids Photography Academy Kickstarter campaign video. If you haven't heard of crowdfunding, or how it can be a catalyst for launching your business to the next level, you can read more about it at MPowered Marketing. I also had some tips to add on my own blog post about crowdfunding. Now that the campaign is over, I want to share the success story and some other campaigns that didn't quite make it. THE GOOD With a little more than a week left,

Building a smart video strategy

If you've made the decision to start including video in your marketing plan, then you are already on the right track. But how do you know what kind of video to create?  What will bring the customers to you?  What will resonate with the clients you are trying to attract? How can you get inside your clients' minds? It might sound tricky, but you already know what appeals to your ideal client when it comes to video. Just examine your own video viewing behaviour. When potential customers are viewing a video, a number of considerations pass through their minds: How long is the video? People

Enhancing your crowdfunding campaign with video

Video can help your crowdfunding campaign stand out. Imagine you need funds for a new venture and you don't want to borrow from the bank. Imagine if you could get in on the ground floor of something awesome without taking any great risk. What if you could get complete strangers to invest in your idea? What if you could pledge some money and get something tangible in return? All that is possible through crowdfunding, the latest means to tap into social media and access a virtual bank. Crowdfunding has been around forever - remember knocking on doors to sell cookies or raffle

Flickering lights

When I was a kid in school, teachers used to flick the lights on and off to get our attention.  Nowadays, if the lights in a classroom flicker, I have every confidence that there would be a flurry of activity as students pull out their smartphones to check Twitter and Facebook for news of an approaching storm.  From millenials to babies born this year, it will be an enormous challenge to get the attention of this market.  These are kids who were born into technology -  it is the only way they find information, share news, and make purchasing decisions. This

How video can define and build your brand

Video can make you, your product and your brand instantly recognizable. I think about video every single day. I think about the Sad Cat Diaries on YouTube. I think about my clients' completed videos. I think about the video sitting on one of four external hard drives waiting to be edited. I think about making better, branded videos all the time. It did not surprise me at all when I came across the perfect example of how branding your company using video can be THE DECIDING FACTOR for prospective clients. It happened so quickly and in the most unusual of places: Costco. A

The Pillars of your Brand

What determines your brand? There are some people that you meet to whom you are immediately drawn. It could be their personality, their wardrobe, their smile, or their joie de vivre that makes you feel comfortable or confident or just plain excited to be in their company. That is exactly what happens when you meet Andrea Jones from Jonesing for Leadership. Andrea walks into a room with an air of confidence and a self-assured smile on her face. You just feel compelled to engage in conversation and you won't be sorry when you do. Andrea is a great conversationalist with a strong

You never forget your first

I had the good fortune to meet J'Val Shuster when I delivered a little presentation about video and your business at a full-day workshop.  I had heard of Devour Events & Catering and I knew a lot of people who knew J'Val, but out paths had never crossed.  When we finally got to speak, I could feel the mutual respect and admiration. When she requested a meeting shortly after, I was thrilled to be able to discuss, develop and follow through on a video agenda for this most amazing catering company.  I was hungry (pun intended) for the job.  I was