Conquering Video Overwhelm: A Strategic Guide with Ben Amos

TRANSCRIPT

Michelle J Raymond: [00:00:00] Welcome everybody to the Social Media for B2B Growth podcast. I'm your host, Michelle J Raymond, and you know, I get a little bit more excited when I have an Aussie guest with me, Ben Amos, video strategist. Welcome to the show.

Ben Amos: G'day, Michelle. Good to be here.

Michelle J Raymond: It is. And you and I met on the other side of the globe through Social Media Marketing World, which I just think is crazy.

So I'm here in Sydney. You're in Queensland. We met on the other side of the world. This is the joys of social media, I think, but I want to ask you before we dive into the video questions. What did you see at Social Media Marketing World that you thought that's interesting new trends, something that you kind of went, I've got to put that one in the memory bank.

Ben Amos: Look those sort of conferences, big conference for anyone who's been or has seen the conference. There's always so much that you take in and often it's hard to distill that down. But for me, the big takeaway was I was also at the conference in 2023 and at that stage, AI was only [00:01:00] just becoming a thing, right?

ChatGPT had just started and Narrative AI, like mid journey like image generation had only just become a thing and it was really a bit dodgy and to see how far that's come in 12 months. I think that's one of the biggest takeaways. And obviously there was plenty of great speakers speaking on AI, which I just lapped up at the conference.

And, to me, just that, that pace of change and the excitement of moving forward. It was a huge thing when it comes to AI.

Michelle J Raymond: When I walked past those rooms as those, presentations were on, they were packed. You could see the marketers in the room that were like, please help me to keep up with the breakneck speed that these things are changing.

But I also noticed that video was certainly front and center, especially short form, TikTok, reels. There was lots of content around that, which I enjoyed, but I want to talk to you today about something cause you're a man after my own heart. Cause you love a good strategy just like I do.

And I see too often people come to me and I love [00:02:00] their enthusiasm. They want to get active. And then all of a sudden I'm like, but what's the strategy? And we skip over that step. And I think it happens with video as well. Is that your experience?

Ben Amos: Oh, 100%. And it's the reason why I've got this over my shoulder here. It says strategy first for anyone, listening to the audio only.

Strategy first is everything that we do, both in my video agency up here in Queensland, Australia, but also that I teach and talk about, because the fact is that if you're just doing video for video's sake, whereas you're just looking at video as a tactic, right? It's just another thing to just do online or in your digital marketing, then chances are you're probably going to be doing the wrong video in the wrong way and using it in the wrong way.

So then it's not going to get the results that you intend. So then you say to yourself video didn't work for me or for my business. And that's the failing. It's not that video doesn't work. It's that you weren't thinking strategically about it and you were just going just tactically at using video in whatever formats you're using it in. And it's, [00:03:00] I see that time and time again.

Michelle J Raymond: I always have that conversation with clients. They're like, LinkedIn's not for me. My clients aren't on LinkedIn. It might be okay for you, Michelle, but not for everyone else.

But when I think about video and my audience is a lot of DIY marketers, business owners, and consultants that are doing a lot of their content creation themselves. And when I talk about throwing video into the mix, often I think people get really overwhelmed and fearful. And this barrier just gets in the way of their whole digital marketing in video format. Now, what do you think is the solution to this? Is strategy the cure?

Ben Amos: Potentially strategy is the cure. If we're talking in medical terms here, it's the idea that you really need to understand what the problem is first, you know, like prescription without diagnosis is malpractice in medical terms, right?

So if you prescribe video without really diagnosing what the problem is in the business that needs to be solved, then [00:04:00] potentially you're just Prescribing the wrong solution, right? Like the wrong drug and we don't want that.

Really when it comes to, DIY video or DIY marketers, right? Business owners just trying to figure out what should I do in order to Achieve what I want to achieve with the business. Then that's the first question to ask is what do I need to do in my business?

What am I hoping to achieve? What are my goals? And so one of the key elements to an effective video strategy or any digital marketing strategy is really getting clear on both who is your audience? So who are you trying to reach and what do you want them to do, right?

Marketing at its simplest form is about moving people to take some sort of action, buy from your business or move closer towards buying from your business or learn more about your business, right?

So when we think about that, we need to know who those people are. And then we need to know what we want them to do. And when I say do, it's not just like what call to action, what specific like button do you want them to click or, page do you want them to land on, to take an action?

Do you want them to just think differently or become [00:05:00] more aware of your Brand or your business or your solution whereas they weren't previously even aware of you. Do you want them to have more conversations or engage more with your brand or your business so that you can build that trust over time, which will make it then easy to sell down the track.

Or do you want them to actually go to a page and add something to a cart or book a call or whatever. So different goals for different stages of the journey that people go on to buy from you is the way to think about strategy. And if you like Michelle, we can go into that a bit deeper, but you know, at its top level, they're the two things.

Think about audience. Think about what you want them to do.

Michelle J Raymond: I love it. And for me thinking about this, if I think about the fear factor, because I was that person, Ben. If we rewind the clock, nearly three and a half years, I had a course, which I needed to sign up for a digital marketing course. And the very first assessment I needed to do was a five minute video where I got to talk about myself.

I flipped out, freaked out. And [00:06:00] as my listeners know, cause I've shared before. That course is sitting in the cupboard just behind me. And I never picked up the whole thing again. Now that's how I got into LinkedIn live is I thought I've got to beat this.

Do you have anything that might be just something that if someone is feeling okay, like I'll listen to you about how important video is in a minute.

But the fact is I am freaked out about creating them. Is there ways around it? Is there a simple strategy that we can help people just take that first step to being open minded, and then I'm going to dive into the other questions where we can show how to make some really cool content.

Ben Amos: Yeah, cool. Look, I'm going to start with a potential mindset shift that some people will roll their eyes at. But the fact is that it's not about you, right? When you're creating video for the benefits of building your business, it's about who are you serving through that content first and foremost.

So if we think about you showing up on camera or showing up [00:07:00] on video for your business is mostly about the value that you can add to whoever it is that you're making that video for. Your ideal audience. And recognize that people buy from people, whether it's B2B or B2C, it's people who you need to reach, and people engage better with people. With you, right? That's why video is so powerful.

So the mindset shift is that it's not about you. So as long as you show up with some value to add, don't worry about whether you get the words perfect or whether you have your makeup right, or your hair, or whether you've got the highest quality production equipment. That doesn't matter really when it comes down to the value that you're actually delivering in the video.

Now, the reason why I said people roll their eyes at that is because, people still want to actually show up professionally and look good on camera, right? Because otherwise you make the video and then you immediately want to delete it because you hate the way you look and sound, right?

I'm sure people recognize that. But we also need to recognize as well that we're our own worst critics. The reality is [00:08:00] the reason why so many people hate the way they look and sound on camera is because we're so used to, scientifically, for example, we're so used to seeing ourselves in the mirror, right?

And there's a scientific theory called the mirror exposure effect where, because we are mostly exposed to our self image as being a mirror image, when we see ourselves in photos or on camera or on video, we're actually seeing what we actually look like to other people, but that's not a mirrored image.

And no, one's perfectly symmetrical. So there's this kind of disconnect. We're like, why do I look so weird? And it's because you're used to seeing your hair parted on the other side or your spots on your face, the different way, whatever. So immediately we are our own worst critic because everyone else sees us without a mirror, but we see ourselves with a mirror all the time.

And also the way we sound as well as, it sounds different inside our head. Because of, reverberation around our skull and all that sort of stuff, which other people don't hear. The fact is other people are looking at us much more favorably than we're looking at us as well.

So again help you [00:09:00] get over that mindset. And then the third thing really is that It's just about getting started. The first videos always suck. Look at anyone that you watch and engage with their videos, whether it through be a business context or entertainers or YouTubers or whatever, go back and somehow try and find their first content, their first videos.

They will suck, but they left them there and they got better as they move forward. So hopefully that helps if you're stuck in your own head around getting started with video.

Michelle J Raymond: And please don't go and find my first video. It is actually on LinkedIn. You can see it and it's hilarious. I couldn't work out how to look at the camera and where I needed to look on the screen.

And I had these shifty side eyes going on. You can go and find Mr. Beast, 15 year old video that, when he was 15 years old and he makes that video saying where he's going to be in the future, that is not the millions of dollar production that he's got going on now. But it starts with that first one, I couldn't agree more with you.

For me, I remember when I first started podcasting and I would listen back and I'd be doing the [00:10:00] editing and I'd be like, why would anybody listen to my voice? I don't like my Aussie accent, et cetera, et cetera. And as it turns out, thank you listeners, that is not the case. And you keep coming back for more.

But I remember even, after I watched your presentation while we were at Social Media Marketing World. It was some of the comments that happened where people were, Oh my God, Aussie accents, can't wait to get enough. And I'm going to go and follow all the Aussies, which was, it just reinforces that message, we're our own worst critic.

Ben Amos: A hundred percent. Yep. We are. And don't let that be the roadblock, like everybody, everybody feels that. And, I think if, even if you take the video context out of the conversation here, just think about the first time that you had a sales conversation with a prospect.

The first time you went to a networking event as a business owner or an entrepreneur. The first time you, I don't know, stepped outside of your house and, handed out a business card somewhere in business is pretty overwhelming, right? And you feel like a [00:11:00] fraud. You feel like you don't belong there, but the more you do it, the easier it gets.

And that's How you grow your business.

Michelle J Raymond: I was thinking that exact same message while I was swimming at the pool this morning. It was, just back in November, I decided to go back to the gym. I hadn't been in like four or five years. I got into the pool back in November and it was horrendous. I was like, I don't think I can even swim a few strokes, but fast forward we're, five, six months away from that and showing up and practicing.

I'm certainly not going to the Olympics, but I am nowhere near where I was. But if I keep going, that's when, I'm just going to keep on improving. So it was funny going backwards and forwards thinking, ah, there's no way I thought that was even possible.

And I always like to start with these things and acknowledge the fears. Cause I don't want to just jump over them before we jump to strategy, because I like to lead with empathy and let our listeners know that if you're not comfortable on video, it's totally cool, but Ben's just giving you some great tips [00:12:00] to find your way around it.

So, you know, be in service of other people is the simple way that I say. The second I'm doing it for other people I get out of my own head and I don't care about anything else. But Ben, obviously you love video, but convince our listeners that might be on the fence. Why is video such an important part of a marketing strategy?

Ben Amos: Look, it comes as no surprise to anyone that engages in any sort of digital platforms. The video is everywhere. Every social media platform is a video platform. And I say that because they're both making very deliberate and specific steps on every platform to doing more video or encouraging more video creation or posting, but also their algorithms, right?

Which the, you know, the code behind every platform, which determines what piece of content gets shown more than others, that all of them favor video content. And when we add to that, the fact that we talked before around how video is just, more human more relatable [00:13:00] easier to create connection with a prospect or with an audience, then we know that video is very powerful.

There's stats to add to that, that, when it comes to B2B in the B2B industry Google released some data that said that 70 percent of B2B buyers are incorporating video marketing into their decision making Process. So you think about your own purchasing behaviors, whether it's B2B or B2C type decisions, we're all engaging with video content of some sort in that process to buy. Even if, there's not video on a sales page or a checkout page, we're watching some sort of video content earlier on in that buying decision making journey in many cases, right?

So if we're trying to sell more content or sell more stuff, then we need to be thinking about using video content somewhere in that process as well. Other stats as well, or there's a Content Marketing Institute research study that was done in 2023 that surveyed, I think it was about 400 digital marketers in across a range of industries, B2B, [00:14:00] B2C and different industries as well. And what they said is that for over 71 percent of businesses were getting average or below average results with their video content, right?

So average is good, fine, but they're not getting excellent results. So when we think about that 7 percent opportunity there, there's so much opportunity, even if you are using video to do video better. And the next question in that survey, the Content Marketing Institute did, was talked about what do you feel that you need in order to get better results with your video marketing?

And 60 percent of those surveyed said that they need a video strategy. So it's exactly what we talked about. The idea that marketers are doing video, but many of them without a strategy. And so they're getting less than average or less than good results. So lots of compelling data out there that backs this up.

Michelle J Raymond: The numbers don't lie. And, I think we hide behind the tech and think that we need to have fancy things or jump on trends. And, ultimately I've been doing a bit of experimenting over the last few months to [00:15:00] push myself out of my comfort zone. So I love writing, and I love talking if the listeners didn't realize, but ultimately when it comes to what I would call creative style videos and what I mean by that is not your typical How To's or Q and A's or interview styles, like I tend to lean on, which is fine, but I want to try and do a few other things.

Why? Because I've got this little noise that's going on in my head, Ben. And that little noise says, Michelle, you're not creative. Somewhere in my brain, someone said, if you're sporty, you can't be creative. And so when I was younger, I was on team sporty and I probably still gravitate that way. And I go, I can't be creative.

So therefore, creating videos that might be a little bit different or funny or show other sides of me, it is a block for me, which I'm trying to push myself out of, and have some fun. And what I've learned in that is what was stopping me was just This massive [00:16:00] fear of failure. I was like, what if my video is not like the cool TikTok gurus that are making all these short form clips or YouTube shorts or reels, pick a platform, any platform.

But I was like, I don't know how to do that yet. But to your point. It's my first time. Of course, I don't know how to do that, but I keep needing to remind myself. So I actually appreciate you sharing that earlier today. Cause sometimes I think I've got the hang of this and then all of a sudden I go, yeah, no, but what about this little piece over here?

When it comes to video, like you have a strategy first approach, like you said, it's on the wall behind you. But why does starting with strategy help like our business owners, consultants, marketers helps them overcome the overwhelming feeling of, Oh my God, how do I get all of this done? Have I got to create, a thousand reels?

Have I got to create long form video short form doesn't matter [00:17:00] what format, but I think there's a lot of. How am I going to get this done? Like, how can strategy help with that too, Ben?

Ben Amos: Look, I think the best way to think about strategy, whether we're talking video strategy or otherwise is liken it to cooking, right?

So if you think about any time that you've been faced with the task of cooking a new dish, something that's maybe a little bit pushing you out of your comfort zone. It's you've got to cook. You've got to cook for guests coming over and you really want to impress them, right?

You want to win them over. So what do you do? You go out and you buy a whole bunch of ingredients and you get in your kitchen and then you lay these ingredients out on the bench here. And if you don't have a strategy, You're just looking at these ingredients and you're thinking, I am overwhelmed. What am I going to do here to make something delicious for my guests that are going to be here in an hour and a half.

So obviously that's not the way you want to approach it, right? Instead, what we do is we find a recipe. We get a recipe book. We read the recipe. We understand the [00:18:00] steps and the order in which to take them. The reasons why we're putting things together with other things and the method in order to deliver that.

And when we've got the recipe. Which is, I liken that to your strategy, then it removes the overwhelm because now we know how to take these seemingly unrelated random ingredients on our kitchen bench, put them together into something that is going to impress our guests.

Michelle J Raymond: I think you're right. And I think sometimes getting help from experts like yourself that can help people. If you don't know the strategy, ask people like Ben for help, or, I'm sure if it's not him directly, he has, other people he can refer you to.

And on that note, don't forget to reach out and connect with him on LinkedIn, because his details will be in the show notes. And you're going to want to follow along on his content as well.

Ben, is there any other tips that you would give our listeners that are wanting to use video to grow their business? Is there any other tips you'd love to give them so that they might get started incorporating videos into their marketing efforts [00:19:00] so it's effective and not overwhelming?

Ben Amos: Yeah, I think, to, Summarize it into something that can be taken away without any further research for someone, yes, we understand the value of a strategy behind your video content and not doing video for video's sake.

We talked about the importance of just really knowing who it is that you're creating these videos for. There's a lot of resources you can use to figure out how to really get clear on your target audience, right? So do that, get clear on what you want them to do. What is the goal that you're hoping to achieve when you're creating a particular piece of video.

And then the simplest next step from that is to think about how am I going to create the right piece of video content on the right platform in the right way in order to do what I intended to do? And the answer to that question should be so much easier when you've just started with that strategic mindset of understanding who it's for and what you want it to achieve, right?

The rest of the strategy can fall in place. There are seven elements for an effective video strategy, which you can reach out and [00:20:00] get more details but start simple, start by just really knowing who it is that you're trying to reach. What do you want them to do? And go from there.

Michelle J Raymond: I think we like to try and overcomplicate things, but in my experience, doing simple things well, and it can be just stopping for a moment and asking yourself, why am I actually doing this? I love that you raised the point of not doing video for video sake, not just because the cool kids said, or not just because it seems like it's the most popular thing to do right now.

That is not what we ever want to do when we're talking about growing our businesses using social media. So I love that you raised that point because for me, sometimes I've got to stop and have a look and go, where can I spend my time? What resources do I have and what can I manage at this point in time?

And often that's not what I would dream about doing. And that comes further down the track, but getting started, I want to challenge our listeners that if you haven't [00:21:00] made a video, just one, I don't care how short or long or whatever your style is, whatever platform I want to challenge you to make your first one and put it out there and make sure you tag us, so that we can come and support it.

Cause I think once you get over that hurdle, and even if it's that video that just says, I'm following this challenge because I've never made one. Just be honest with people because you know what, they're sitting on the sidelines, petrified of doing video and you're leading the way.

But Ben, I'm excited because while we were at Social Media Marketing World, you also dropped a little bombshell at the end of your presentation that said, you've got a book coming out. So I'm excited for you. Can you share with my listeners a little bit about it and when it comes out?

Ben Amos: Yeah, thanks, Michelle. Yeah. So it's been a, a bit of a labor of love for a number of years, to be honest, and it's hard getting a book out. I can tell you that. You know, that, you've got a couple now. This book I'm calling it the Definitive Guide to Video Strategy for Businesses. So I see this as the recipe book [00:22:00] for what it is that you want to do to be effective with video strategy. It lays it all out for someone to go from basically, you know, fumbling around doing video As a tactic, right?

Without a strategy doing video for video's sake and really going through the processes that I lay out in the book, you'll start to develop a video strategy and execute it for your business. So that's, that's the book. Not really clear on exactly when the launch date will be, but it will be this year.

And I do have a free book chapter. So you can actually check it out and get a bit of a taster of what we have to come in the book. And I think you'll have the link to that as well in your show notes, but you can go to engagevideomarketing.com/freechapter. That's a good place to get it.

Michelle J Raymond: Absolutely. And I'll make sure that is in the show notes and gets out to people because it is not easy to write a book. I feel you, I have been there twice. And it's a labor of love. It is something that you pour your heart and soul and all of your experience in. And sometimes it can feel like [00:23:00] overwhelming is what it felt like for me, because it's like, What if I leave something out?

What if I miss something? What if someone else thinks it's not right? But ultimately it takes a lot of you personally to put that out there, and so I appreciate you getting that resource together. I'll be cheering you on for when that launch does go live. Please let me know so I can let people know and I'll update all the show notes to make sure that people can find it if they're listening to this podcast down the track.

Every single show, when I have my expert guests on, I always ask for one last actionable tip that you can leave the listeners. What is one last tip if people want to use video and don't want to feel overwhelmed. What's the last thing you want to leave with them?

Ben Amos: Just remember that you've got a high quality video camera, probably in your pocket, in your phone, right? You've got the tools that you need. Don't let the tech be a barrier. Just pick it up, open the camera app. Press record and you've created your first video. You might not think you're creative, Michelle, [00:24:00] but being creative is simply doing the act of creating. And by pressing record, you are therefore creative.

Michelle J Raymond: I love that. Thank you for that reminder. I'm going to cut that clip. I'm going to replay it to myself and just keep going. I have to say, Ben, the less I try at video. So recently I tried one of those videos that you see where people just sit in the car with their seatbelt on, pulled over, of course, and just did a quick, whatever was on my mind, one take didn't cut out the ums and ahs, it just literally, I think it was under 60 seconds.

Threw that up on LinkedIn just to see what would happen. And it's really resonating with people. And that's what I love. I think that's the thing that I've learned over the last two months. So I was going through a bit of a dip in my numbers and it's easy to blame the LinkedIn algorithm in this particular case and say, everybody's 30 percent down or whatever the latest stats are on what people think is happening.

But my numbers have gone the other way. They are going through the roof. The more things I [00:25:00] try and do things differently, and the more I'm not perfect and just putting stuff out there, the more it's resonating with people. And I think that's what I want to share with people this week is just give it a go and don't be your worst critic because you just never know what's going to land with the people on the other side.

And like you said, Ben, people want to buy from people. And I think video is just such a great way to show that. So Ben, I appreciate all of the knowledge bombs that you have dropped here. I Hope that our listeners like I said, come across, connect with you on LinkedIn. Let Ben know that you listened to this and of course, tag us if you make a video and post it so that we can come and help support you.

So Ben, all the best of luck with your book launch and yeah, if I can help support you just reach out.

Ben Amos: A hundred percent. Hey, Michelle, this has been a lot of fun and hopefully it has inspired a bit of action for people who have listened.

Michelle J Raymond: That's the plan. We always want people to take action. No point getting all this knowledge that [00:26:00] Ben's just shared with us and doing nothing with it. Go and take action 24 hours, get your first video done, and then I promise you it will be easier after that. So until next time, cheers.