Now I’m going to say something that might shock many of you and go against everything you’ve been hearing for the last few years: Stop Doing Video!
Wait! What?
Okay, so it may be an exaggeration, but please hear me out. After all, I’m writing this blog for your benefit, not mine 🙂
The rise of audio…
We’ve been massaged (myself included) by marketers and industry experts to believe that video is the ONLY way to go. And that’s not hard to swallow. Video has been the no. 1 hot trend since 2016 and you’ve probably seen the stat that: ‘by 2020 80% of all content consumed online will be video’.
Yes, video content is huge right now. It’s is at the forefront of all social media channels these days – from Stories, Reels and TikToks to live streams. The bottom line is we’re spending more time than ever consuming video content and leveraging it can have a profound effect on your marketing and business bottom line.
But that doesn’t mean the written word is dead! It also doesn’t mean you HAVE TO “do video” to succeed and get amazing results from your marketing.
Look at this year. Who would have guessed that in 2021 we would witness the rise of audio communication? Not me! But that’s the current reality with the popularity of platforms like Clubhouse going through the roof and every other network quickly copying them to introduce their own alternative (like Twitter Space).
One-size-fits-all doesn’t work
Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do video. My point is that you don’t HAVE TO do video just because all the “social media marketing gurus” are telling you to.
A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. It doesn’t work in fashion, diet or exercise and it definitely doesn’t work in business and marketing. You don’t need to do what everyone else is doing — especially if you HATE doing it!
Video is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not for everyone (right now).
It goes without saying that video holds a special place, particularly when you consider how our communication and content consumption has changed during the global pandemic (more Zoom calls anyone?).
Video helps us understand the meaning of the message better. It allows us to “read” more than just the spoken word and also pay attention to the intonation, the facial expressions, uncover irony or sarcasm and so much more. Looking people in the eyes when communicating is natural for us and we glean a lot more information from videos than just what’s being said.
BUT…
It doesn’t mean that some great writing or a solid podcast can’t be as powerful as a video in getting your message across and telling your story.
In fact, text-based posts are more accessible to some people. They are more scannable and often feel less exhausting and overwhelming for people to get a bit more “white space” in their feeds.
So, what’s my point?
Just do you!
You don’t need to do what everyone else is telling you to do. Simply consider your preferences, as well as preferences of your target audience, to determine if video is right for you both.
Do what you enjoy doing; do what you’re good at; and do what comes naturally to you. If you do that, your content will be much better and will resonate more with your audience. People will be able to tell if you hated doing that video or if you loved writing that piece of content.
Whenever you need a reminder, be assured that:
- You don’t need to do video
- You don’t need to have a live show
- You don’t have to have a podcast
- You don’t have to have a Facebook Group
- You don’t need to post 3 times per day on every single platform
- You don’t need to be on Clubhouse, TikTok, Twitter Spaces and every other new app
- You don’t need to do everything that other businesses owners around you are doing
- And you don’t need to do everything that all the marketing gurus out there are telling you to do!
Just do you! Focus on doing one thing and doing it well. Figure out what works for you and what works for your ideal customers and do that.
Marketing doesn’t have to be complicated, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming, time consuming and frustrating. You can get amazing results simply by doing one thing really well.
When you enjoy doing your own marketing, people will be able to tell. And they’ll resonate with your message a lot more if it comes from the heart, which helps to build stronger relationships with the people who matter to your business.
