By Mike Schaffman, Simplicity Lone Beacon’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Videos can be one of the most efficient ways for advisors to thoughtfully communicate with and educate their audiences. That said, it is crucial for advisors to be authentic and understand that each video must have a clear purpose, as they’re representing not only themselves but their entire brand.
There are many different ways to record a video and numerous purposes for creating one. You’ll also find that clients and prospects will ultimately engage with your videos in different ways. As an advisor, you’re likely thinking about a dozen other things today that you “need” to get done before you can even think about recording a video. But don’t push this one off. Videos will enhance your existing marketing and the customer journey experiences for your end users. Here are two ways to jumpstart your video marketing strategy.
#1 – Create a Written Plan
If this sounds simple, well, that’s because it’s meant to be. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Jot some notes down on a napkin if you must; just have some plan in writing to record a quick video. With this, you can hold yourself accountable to kickstart the process.
First, start with a dedicated weekly recurring meeting on your calendar for 15 or 30 minutes. You may be fresher in the mornings or in the early afternoon after your third cup of coffee, but whenever it is, make a commitment. Think about it not only as a commitment for yourself to record the video but also as a part of the commitments you make to educating your audience and managing your clients’ life savings. Your overall brand and bottom-line revenue will also benefit as a result.
Next, you’ll want to think about what types of videos to record. Some of them will be evergreen by nature, allowing you to re-purpose them in multiple ways, but some of them will need to be fresh and timely.
- Brand, Sales, and Appointment/Process Oriented – These videos will help build trust, so they must be authentic. Know how impactful they can be for increasing client retention, referrals, and share of wallet while at the same time converting prospects during their buying journey.
- Events and Webinars Focused – What can someone expect when attending your live dinner or educational event? Thank people for coming to your event and remind them of their next step options. Say that you missed those who couldn’t show up to your event, and help them understand and navigate the vast resources you have to offer. Consider a dedicated topic for a webinar to foster active engagement amongst a larger audience.
- Educational – You can make these videos fun and informative for your audience. Keep it short and sweet, be genuine, and make an impact on the end user that leaves them wanting more.
Before your head spins with too many content options and production pathways, remember the best advice here is to think about efficiency. If you’re thinking and planning too much, then you may fall victim to analysis paralysis. No matter what, if you’re being true to yourself and your talking points, the videos will resonate. And if you’re struggling for content, then ask us about our new social media content portal, which contains how-tos and content outlines for the type of short videos covered in this article.
Finally, consider the different mediums you’ll be using to distribute your works of art. The disciplines not only apply to the above steps but here as well. They need to live somewhere, so be sure that your website is set up to showcase your videos in a user-friendly manner. You’ll also want to consider a company YouTube page where the videos can be organized and housed. Now that they live somewhere, you can distribute them via database email marketing, SMS text message marketing, and on social media channels with organic as well as paid/boosted options for a larger audience to see. Company platforms are key but don’t neglect your personal channels as well. Ben Kulis, Operations Manager at Simplicity Lone Beacon, says that “LinkedIn has evolved from a mere resume repository to a thriving content platform” in his recent article, Leveraging LinkedIn: An Advisor’s Guide to Digital Networking. Also, remember that everyone at the firm must live and breathe the brand every single day, which means you’ll want to have them repost the video to their own networks and encourage/empower them to record videos of their own.
#2 – Establish Your Recording and Production Framework
It’s not just about clear audio and video, although, without it, you certainly can’t get too far. It’s also about the tone of your voice, the visuals on-screen and in the background, and your expressions. Out of the gates, you want your video to engage your audience, so start it with a smile and a cheerful voice; more people will resonate with that. Then, get right to the purpose of your video and stay on track with two or three main points.
There’s no need to be spending thousands of dollars here, but don’t neglect the investment in yourself because the outcome for your clients and prospects can suffer. Kirby Mack, Vice President of Digital Media at Simplicity Lone Beacon, says that “You don’t need to have all this fancy gear to make good videos for social media; a simple smartphone/camera can do the job,” which is absolutely true. Again, investing in a solid microphone, appropriate tripod, and basic lighting equipment can make a world of difference. For more recording and production tips, check out Kirby’s recent article, Lights, Camera, Action! How to Shoot the Perfect Video for Social Media.
Now, I don’t have to tell you this for you to know that you operate in one of the most commoditized industries out there. But, what I do have to tell you is that if you’re not creating unique, thoughtful, and authentic video content, then you will struggle mightily to win over business from your competitors. We’ve all got a lot on our plates, so try your best to create a written plan for your video marketing strategy, be consistent with it, and create a setting that will foster trust and engagement for your viewers.
About the Author: Mike Schaffman joined Simplicity Lone Beacon in 2015, pioneering their core marketing platform, creating content and connecting media and broadcast components with a turnkey digital solution. Mike helped transform Simplicity Lone Beacon’s offerings and solutions into one of the leading independent financial advisor marketing services in the country today. When he’s not in the office, Mike enjoys playing golf and hockey and likes to experiment in the kitchen.
