Where does YouTube or video fit into your branding strategy? Are you currently using video? If so, are you using it consistently?
Videos can be an amazing way to show your personality or the personality of your company. Video cameras are built into many computers and phones so creating a video can be quick and free, in most cases. If you want a little better quality, a dedicated video camera can be purchased for less than a few hundred dollars.
Here are some ideas of ways you can use video as part of your online presence.
Interviews
You don’t have to have all the answers. Do a video interview with a coworker or an expert in your field. This produces some great content that you can share and shows off your ability as an interviewer.
Brian Solis has a series of video interviews called Revolution. These are very well produced, but an individual with a few cameras and some time and talent could make a video of similar quality
Video Blogs / Rants
Instead of writing a blog post, why not make a video on the subject that you are passionate about? Be careful not to get too rant-y, but it is okay to have an opinion and speak about it intelligently. Or what the heck, be rant-y if that is your personality or brand. Just be careful, no one wants to see you have a Leave Britney Alone moment.
Here is my friend, Danyelle (aka The Cubicle Chick), with a recent video blog that she posted.
Event Recaps
Do you have a company baseball team? Summer cookout? Holiday party? Create a clip video of some of the more entertaining moments. This is a great way to show that your team knows how to have fun in addition to working hard. Just be careful with the length, no one wants to watch all 2 hours of your weekly softball game.
Here is a recap of a company picnic that I found on YouTube. This video is just a handful of videos and camera stills put together using iMovie on a Mac
Video Resumes / Bios
Video resumes and bios tend to be slickly produced. If you have the ability to create a video with high production value, go for it. If not, don’t let that fact frighten you. Do the best you can. Choose a quiet spot in your office or even out in nature and talk about your background. This is a great way to share some interesting facts about yourself or other members of your staff. People tend to remember you if they know your story. Use video to get introduced virtually.
Here is a great video resume.
And an actual video resume. He did a great job with this video. Not everyone is going to have a video that looks this professional, but if you have a few videos of you performing (or doing whatever you do) and a few video testimonials, why not put them together?
Tutorials
Do you know how to do some task that others would like to learn about? You can use a screen cast to show how to use software or a website. Or you can point the camera at yourself and demonstrate a physical task.
Here is a screencast I created using an application called ScreenFlow.
Product Reviews
Have you recently tried a new product that would be of interest to your audience? Have you read a book or watched a movie? Give your opinion on camera. Be sure to contact the company (or author in the case of the book) and let me know about your review; they may feature it and broadcast out to their audience.
Here is Todd Jordan reviewing the Apple Airport Extreme wireless router.
