Understanding your personal brand is the first step to building your message.
The next step is finding a creative, unique way to brand your message. This branded message is your elevator pitch and can range from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
Using video to present your identity while cultivating your visual voice online … is a giant leap toward developing your unique personal brand.
Before jumping to video as a branding tool, most of us start small with a blog or professional portfolio. If you’re daring and just a bit audacious, by all means move on to multimedia – and develop a name for yourself using video.
Here are some tips to help you get started:
Understand the Power of Video
Did you know up to 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute to YouTube? Or that videos are viewed 100 200 million times per day on mobile devices.
YouTube loves new content, even more than Google does, for indexing and searching. If you upload a video to YouTube chances are you’ll see it ranked higher and quicker than text content on a website.
Getting Started
Before you embark on a video project, like any communication tool, make sure you have some goals. Think about what you want the video to accomplish – and create a call to action. What do you want viewers to do after they watch? Are you sending them to your portfolio? Do you want them to meet you at an event? Or connect on LinkedIn? Once you have your goals, begin to write your “storyboard”.
The Story
Why will viewers care about your video? Why is your story unique? Answer these questions prior to starting a video project. Layout your storyboard – a sequence of events, communication points and transitions. Look to find the human connection in each and every story you tell. This may mean getting the help of those who are close to you, such as a trusted mentor, to find your REAL story.
Remember, your story helps build your personal brand. People connect to each other best personally, one-on-one. So find a way to present your story with just the right balance. The best stories have a bit of humor and humility, a clear message and touch of human emotion.
Audio
Videos require pristine audio and sound in order to be effective. Viewers are more forgiving of shaky video than they are of garbled sound. We highly recommend you gain access to a microphone – and be sure to use it; regardless of how good you think the audio sounds at the time.
Clarity
Clarity is also needed for viewer reaction; you are selling yourself – and the next action needs to be clear at all times. Your goal is to use video to direct viewers through simple instructions in what action to take next. If you want someone to view your portfolio, for example, add a ‘View Now’ button front and center on your website or blog.
More Tips
If you don’t have the time or resources to hire someone to create professional videos for you, short videos with sound and still photos are just as effective. Don’t forget your video needs to live on a channel such as YouTube or Vimeo.; Even if the video is hosted on a channel, you can grab special web code to embed your videos on blogs and websites. You’ll be able to find this HTML web code on the channel. Simply copy and paste this code into your blog or website and the video will play.
Ready to get started? Here are suggested tools you need to create a visual voice for your brand:
Suggested Camera: Kodak Zi8 or Zi10
Suggested editing software: MovieMaker for PC and iMovie for Mac
Suggested web-based editing software: Animoto
Suggested Length: Videos should run between 3 to 5 minutes, with an alternative 30 second version that serves as your branding statement or elevator pitch.
Video could be a great medium to take your personal brand to the next level. Consider creating a short 30 second video to deliver your personally branded message. If you need help defining your personal brand or discovering your unique qualities, check out the Personal Branding Blog or the BrandKit blog as resources.
About the Author: Andrea Genevieve Michnik is the Founder and strategist behind BrandKit, helping students and young professionals develop their personal brand. She lives in Austin, TX by way of Washington, DC where she taught at The George Washington University. Andrea is actively involved in the Association for Women in Communication and Social Media Club EDU, and is an adjunct professor of PR and Digital Media Marketing at St. Edward’s University. Find her on Twitter @AndreaGenevieve and visit www.brandkit.co to learn more about BrandKit’s identity kits and mentoring programs.
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