Video Mojo continues as an exciting playful exploration of the bleeding edge of video. Our mission is to help you create a more engaging social media presence and to be your source for insights about how to create a more vibrant video presence.
If you want to know more about what I’m up to, last week’s episode was the transition from Video Mojo, the video blog, to Video Mojo LIVE, the webcast show (stay tuned and I will reveal the whole format). And, we will continue to offer edited versions including a podcast version for your listening convenience (links below). 😉
This episode shows both a powerful set of new tools for live video streaming and provides a taste of how Video Mojo is evolving into a weekly LIVE webcast (every Friday at 10am PT) and podcast (iTunes, Spotify, etc.) that will be packed with valuable collaborative conversations, luscious links (various kinds of resource recommendations), and opportunities for you to “ask me anything” via the interactive technologies that we are now using.
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ComBridges-Blog-.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2020-09-21 18:32:002020-09-24 17:35:53Whole Lotta Streamin’ Goin’ On. Learn Why LIVE is the Next Big Thing in Social Engagement & New Tools We’re Using
I’m really pleased to share what I think is our most practical Video Mojo episode ever! Michael Kass and I did a quick 17-minute overview of the Technology Tools necessary for producing your own social video posts, whether via Zoom, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or whatever.
This is the second in a series Video Mojo episodes on how to create a Vibrant Video Presence. Each of these 3 special episodes is a collaborative conversation with special guest, master of storytelling, coach, & consultant, Michael Kass. I highly recommend this video clip for anyone who may feel challenged by video technologies (and who isn’t?) You could think of it as a welcoming “video helping hand.” 🙂 Click the video below to watch & learn now.
About Video Mojo
Video Mojo is a video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland of https://www.combridges.com. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.
Resource Links:
Previous “3 Pillars of a Vibrant Video Presence” episode #1, Humanity, or how to be more engaging through being more yourself. Don’t miss these actionable insights, plus very special guest appearance examples from Lynne Twist and Andrea J. Lee: https://www.combridges.com/build-a-vibrant-video-presence-pillar-one/
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pillar-2_-TECHNOLOGY-640-x-300.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2020-09-17 16:28:412020-09-17 16:28:44The Tech Tools of a Vibrant Video Presence, Pillar #2 – Collaborative Conversation with Michael Kass
In the age of coronavirus, Zoom Meetings have become an essential way for groups to connect; but making these virtual gatherings powerful and productive is not so easy. Many people are still learning what it takes to be present without causing distractions. In other words, for groups larger than a half dozen, technical facilitation is required. In fact, having a dedicated technical support person to guide everyone in how to participate without detracting from the group’s energy can make a huge difference. Please watch the video below to learn more.
About Video Mojo Video Mojo is a video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland of ComBridges. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.
I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):
Zoom Meetings: Learn the #1 Thing That Can Make Your Virtual Gatherings More Powerful & Productive
Hi and welcome to Video Mojo.
My name is Jon Leland and Video Mojo is a combination of timeless marketing principles and a playful exploration of the bleeding edge of social media and digital video.
Today we’re talking about digital video and the number one thing that you can do to make your Zoom meetings more powerful and productive.
You know, as I’ve been talking about digital video literally for decades. One of the original concepts that came to me was something I call the media proverb which is, “It’s always more complicated than you think it is.”
Just because everybody is doing Zoom meetings now doesn’t mean that we’re doing them right. In fact, we’re seeing so many issues that even Saturday Night Live chose to make fun of all the ways that people do Zoom meetings wrong.
In this world that we have now where connecting via video has become so much more important, I think it’s really valuable to be conscious about the way we create a container for communities and get-togethers. To be clear, I’m not talking about two or three or even four or five people having a social gathering on Zoom. I’m talking about meetings where there can be 30 to 50 people and more.
What’s clear is that we’re moving into a new world. So these kinds of online meetings and virtual connections, particularly the bigger ones where you’re talking about dozens or even hundreds of people, become more and more important. We want to create the container in a safe way, we want to create it in a conscious way, and we don’t want all of these distractions.
So the thing that I think is missing actually harks back to all the conversations about digital video, just because one person can run a whole meeting doesn’t mean that they should. I’ve been facilitating webinars for a client and we have two people managing the technology backend, making sure that things run in a smooth and professional way. In smaller meetings, such as meetings I have recently attended with 30 to 50 people, just having one person dedicated to managing the technology and giving people guidance and support makes a huge difference. If you don’t have that then you will have all these rough edges and distractions. People don’t understand that they really have to take responsibility for their audio and mute and unmute appropriately. I think having a technological project manager is the number one thing that we should to have to in order to have foundation and support in your large scale Zoom meetings. And when we conduct Zoom meetings in a professional way then they become a more solid, more productive container, and as a result generates a more powerful community..
I really want to encourage anyone that’s doing anything more than just a casual or small meeting with less than a half a dozen people, make sure that you have someone holding the space technologically, giving people coaching, providing real-time tech support, so that everybody can be on the same page and understand kind of the technological etiquette of making sure you muted or unmute and knowing where those controls are. Knowing how the chat works so that if you want to chat to the whole group, you chat to the whole group. If you want to chat to an individual, you do it that way. Little things like that make a difference and help us build a stronger community through more productive and powerful Zoom meetings.
Please let me know what else you want to know about Zoom, about digital video and online. I’m here to help and thank you again as always for your kind attention. I look forward to seeing you next time.
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Zoom-Meetings_-640-x-300.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2020-04-24 18:17:582020-04-24 18:20:52Zoom Meetings: Learn the #1 Thing That Can Make Your Virtual Gatherings More Powerful & Productive
Social media networks are a whole new kind of communication opportunity; but too many people and organizations are either confused, over-whelmed or just “don’t get it.”
In only four minutes, this episode of Video Mojo describes and illustrates three types of social media posts that have no advertising expense required. Each type of post is used by my company, ComBridges, in order to help our clients and ourselves. By using all three types of posts, we more present on social media; and, we “lead with value” to build authentic, sustainable long-term relationships. Please check it out and let me know what you think:
Click above to watch this week’s Video Mojo video blog & podcast episode.
About Video Mojo Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & social media.
3 Types of Ad-Free Social Media Engagement: The Building Blocks of a More Attractive Online Presence
Hi and welcome! My name is Jon Leland and this is Video Mojo.
Video Mojo is both a video blog and a podcast that combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration of, what I call, the “bleeding edge” of both digital video and social media.
Today we’re going to dig into social media a little bit.
There are 3 types of ad-free social media posts. They’re kind of the online building blocks of a vibrant authentic social media presence. They exist within, what I would call, the social media ecosystem. I’m not going to get into social media content marketing campaigns today, which are really kind of fundamental. With whatever we do in social media we want to lead with value. We always want to contribute and make a difference before we ask for a sale. Relationships are built over time through multiple touches so you want to show up in the marketplace as a valuable contributor. What this post is about is the 3 types of social media posts. Once you have done your content marketing and developed your own original and valuable content there are other things that you can do, the building blocks, that will help you stay present and build relationships. I’ve broken that down into 3 distinct types of social media posts.
Type 1:
Social media posts type 1 are original visual designsthat are linked to your own content. We see those all the time as quote graphics or quote memes. They come out of our own content or creations. We develop original graphics so that they reflect the brand of our client as well as the message of our client and they’re our core value messages. They may reflect values literally or they may reflect the communication mission, if you will, of what that clients work is about and what their niche is about.
Type 2:
The second type of posts are content curation posts. Next week I think I’m going to get into a tool to help enable content creation. But within the niche, again following the same focus, there are other contributors. There are other people publishing valuable content. So for example, my client The Soul of Money Institute likes gratefulness.org. They are very aligned with their values and so we might repost a blog post from that site.
Type 3:
The third type of social media posts are retweets or repost, usually on Instagram or Twitter, where you are using other posts or other kinds of content that are being posted and are relevant to what you’re doing. A good example of this in our business is we represent the Marin Airporter, the local airport bus service. People will post pictures of their experience with Marin Airporter and their joy of travel using #MarinAirporter.
**Bonus**
And then finally, not really a kind of post but, is being involved and monitoring what is going on and responding to comments. I call it conversational engagement. It is a really important piece of the service. If you are going to have a social media presence you certainly want to be responsive and engaged with the people that are liking, retweeting, commenting, and answering questions.
I’m always looking for your feedback, because I would love to do more of the kind of posts that you want to hear. So please let me know. And again, I am very very grateful for your presence.
Thank you so much for watching or listening and I’ll see you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/649027_VideoMojoThumbnai-Blog-Feautured-Image23_021120.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2020-02-14 17:05:332021-12-18 23:55:313 Types of Ad-Free Social Media Engagement: The Building Blocks of a More Attractive Online Presence
Are you looking to up your video communication skills?
Whether you are using video for marketing, to share software tips with those you work with, or to share valuable information via social media, you have choices to make in order to find “the right (video) tool for the job.”
I’ve got recommendations! The episode of Video Mojo (video below) will help you by offering a quick overview of four video software tools that I have used to create casual, but informative videos, especially for clients and colleagues.
Click above to watch this week’s Video Mojo video blog & podcast episode.
The first three apps are particularly useful if you need or want to share your screen, including if that screen is sharing a presentation. The fourth video software tool is particularly useful when you want to make a more powerful video connection via email. Links to all four video apps are below (FYI, none are affiliate links.)
About Video Mojo
Video Mojo is a weekly video blog and podcast hosted by award-winning media innovator, Jon Leland. It combines timeless marketing principles with a playful exploration on the “bleeding edge” of digital video & marketing.
I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this program useful. If you’ve got questions, feedback or suggestions, please comment below, or let’s connect (and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever):
Improve Your Video Connections with These 4 Recommended Video Software Tools
Hi and welcome!
My name is Jon Leland and I’m a digital marketing strategist and the host of Video Mojo, a weekly video blog, and podcast that connects timeless marketing principles with the bleeding edge of video communications, technology, and marketing.
So today we are going to talk about four applications that can really help you get more fluent in the language of video and increase the power of the connections that you make via video. As you may have heard from other episodes of this video blog and podcast I’m a big advocate of the practice of video. I am passionate about learning by doing and experimenting, but most of all getting yourself out there so you develop the video muscle. These are four applications that can help you do just that in order to make better connections with the people that you are working with or that you want to influence.
I will include all of the links for the applications that I’m talking about and some other resources throughout the description.
Loom
The first application is called Loom. Loom is very popular because of its simplicity and also because of its free level robust application. It operates both as a Chrome plug-in and as a desktop application. I’ve only used it as the Chrome plug-in because I find it really convenient. When you use Loom the limitation is that you do not have many customization options. Your talking head video will be a small circle in the lower-left corner. You then will be able to share your screen and show people what it is that you want to communicate about. We use it frequently and I’ve seen it used to explain things that are going on within software or websites. It’s very powerful and relatively easy to use.
Snagit
A step up from that is Snagit, which is a kind of a Swiss Army knife of video tools. It has both the ability to do still frame captures as well as various forms of video interaction. It introduces the sophistication of being able to switch back and forth between a screen share and the full live-action video talking head. I got turned on to Snagit by Steve Dotto of Dottotech. He is a resource that I recommend and I’ll also include a link to his video review of Snagit for a lot more detail. Snagit is a paid application. It is a one-time fee of about $50 unless you get some kind of discount. It will give you a more sophisticated ability to produce videos where you’re switching back and forth while recording but NOT in post-production.
Wistia’s Soapbox
I really like the third tool, Wistia’s Soapbox. Wistia is a video hosting application that I do recommend to get away from the YouTube noise that happens when you host videos on YouTube. For example, on my landing pages for the video launchpad, I have embedded videos that will not recommend other YouTube videos by using the Wistia platform. Soapbox is an application that Wistia has developed and is also accessible by a Chrome plug-in. It has a really clever post-production editing interface. You record once and then in this editing interface you have the ability to switch between the live talking head and the screen share as well as a third view which is one-third talking head in two-thirds screen share. So if you’re doing “mini-tutorials” soapbox is a pretty cool application that will enable you to produce a kind of presentation that looks like you’ve used much more fancy editing software that has a nice combination of the live talking head human presence and the screen sharing.
BombBomb
Then if you want to move up to the next level BombBomb is a really cool application, particularly if you’re doing a lot of email outreach and you want to move to a more sophisticated level. For example, if you are a real estate marketer that wants to stand out above the crowd in how they communicate with their prospective customers, BombBomb integrates with email like nothing else that I’ve seen. The way that they do that is when you record a BombBomb video for somebody the first two seconds is an animated GIF that can be embedded into an email. In fact, they have a whole email integration for outbound marketing. That means the learning curve is higher and the cost is definitely higher as it’s a professional application. But it will give you the ability to communicate via email and really make personal messages that can attract and engage in a very powerful way.
So there’s a quick overview of four tools that you can use to increase your video muscle. You know, it’s a practice. It takes determination and perseverance to stay with it. Each one has a learning curve starting with something like Loom (it’s simpler), and walking up the ladder to something like BombBomb (it’s much more complex). Whatever you do I really encourage you to get out there, make yourself more visible, and do the kind of engagement that these kinds of video tools enable.
Thanks again for your kind attention. I really do appreciate you being here and I’ll see you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/638522_Resize-Week-22-attached-thumbnail-for-Blog-Featured-Image_v1-012920.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2020-02-10 17:35:092020-03-12 20:36:52Improve Your Video Connections with These 4 Recommended Video Software Tools
What?!? You turned your video blog into a podcast? Yes, I did! ????
If you want to know how and why I did this, please watch this video:
This Weeks Power Briefing, Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.
What I did is: To get started, I stripped the audio off of a few of my video blog episodes, successfully put the Anchor.fm online app to work, and my video blog—now named “Video Mojo”—is now available via all of the major podcast distribution platforms. Here are a few links, in case you’d like to listen:
Join Us for a Free “Beyond Storytelling” Video Session
I’ve added a new service: Free Video Sessions. This is new way for us to connect as a virtual community, and for me and my friends to offer you complimentary support. You might think of these as a kind of “enhanced” Ask Us Anything experience. Basically, there will be a short interview followed by open Q&A so we can interact and be as helpful as possible. There’s no telling what might happen.
The first Free Video Session will be next Tuesday, December 17th at 11am PT / 2pm ET via Zoom Video. My guest will be my soul-full friend, the inspiring and empowering, Michael Kass, who takes storytelling to a more meaningful level. We are calling this session, “Beyond Storytelling” and it’s a chance to truly enliven your online communcations… well, all of your communications!
Yes, I will record this session and distribute via the podcast, video blog channels, and these emails; but if you have a question, problem or challenge that you think Michael or I might help with, think of this as an opportunity to get free coaching in a virtual group setting. Register Now for Free Here
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.
Hi there, and welcome. Welcome to Video Mojo which is my short-form podcast and video blog about making more meaningful online connections for a better world.
Today’s subject is “Hello Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog.”
Connecting Vlogging & Podcasting
As some of you know if you watched earlier episodes, one of my axioms is “It’s Not HOW to Distribute the Content that you Create, It’s HOW ELSE to Distribute the Content that you Create.” And I’m reporting success in walking my talk in that regard, because the video blog that I’ve been doing on YouTube, I’ve also been putting on Instagram TV, Facebook, LinkedIn, and so forth. It is now also a podcast; and it’s available on Apple Podcasts (the iPhone app), available on Spotify, and on all the major podcasting applications.
I had this idea: I know that there are a lot of people distributing podcasts on YouTube, and I decided to follow the example of some people I admire. Derek Sivers is a great author and entrepreneur who founded CD Baby. He does a short-form podcast that’s just a couple minutes. Likewise, Naval Ravikant, who’s a VC financial guy, also does a short-form podcast and puts it on YouTube. They both do the very short form kind of podcast like this one.
One difference is that they don’t do video. I originate with a video, do the video distribution, and have made the bridge the other way from YouTube and video into podcasting. I think that’s kind of innovative. I’d love to know your point of view about it. But the point is that it makes this content more accessible. As long as I’m producing content, it makes sense to have it out there.
A Great App for Podcast Distribution
I do have an application tip that I want to share with you. I’ve made the podcast happen through a free application called anchor.fm. They did a great job! All you need is a title, a description, and some cover art. They’ll let you do some very simple cover art (within their app), but we created a custom graphic for Video Mojo. They literally took care of the rest at no charge. So I really recommend this app. It is a big time-saver.
Free Video Sessions
I also want to tell you about an exception because occasionally I will do long-form episodes of this podcast and video blog. Those (longer episodes) will come out of some free public open group sessions. I’m calling them “Free Video Sessions.” The first free live video session is going to be with my good friend Michael Kass, who is an amazing storytelling expert. In fact, he takes storytelling to a deeper level of authenticity that I find inspiring and valuable. We’re calling the session “Beyond Storytelling” because we’re really going to talk about how to approach storytelling in a way that is not about transactions or selling stuff, just like I’m not selling anything here. It’s a free conversation and we’re not going to be selling anything in that free session either.
It’s going to be Tuesday, December 17th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific and 2:00 p.m. Eastern. The link is here on the screen for you. And please join us by registering. You’ll get the recording if you register or it’ll be available via the podcast a little bit later.
So, thanks so much for your kind attention. I love sharing this information with you. Questions are welcome. Comments and feedback at any time. Thanks again we’ll see you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/604581_Week17BlogFeaturedImage_A_121019.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2019-12-21 00:18:132020-02-27 23:07:28Hey Podcasting! Meet My Video Blog – A Content Marketing Distribution Innovation
This week, I’m excited to share a video about the power of getting your message OUT. We all want more people to see, hear and appreciate what we offer, right?
If you do, please remember that producing your marketing videos (and great content in general) is JUST A START!
A very common mistake is to think that once you’ve posted whatever you’ve created on YouTube or Facebook, then you’re done. Not true!
Getting creative with distribution—or what Jay Baer calls the “amplification layer”—across multiple social media networks, in a variety of forms helps to leverage the power of what you’ve produced and gives your content much greater reach and impact.
That’s why I’m exploring new kinds of distribution, from “videos as podcasts” to IGTV (Instagram TV). This video explains why:
Video blog post: With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”
This video blog post is designed to help you get more out of your marketing videos, blog posts, or other kinds of content. It offers both encouragement and video marketing tips.
This video blog post is designed to help you get more out of your marketing videos, blog posts, and/or all of the other kinds of content that you create.
It offers both encouragement and video marketing tips. Please let me know what you think.
LINKS
And, if you want to get yourself or your company/organization on an empowering fast-track to creating and distributing social video posts successfully, please check out our Video Launch Pad.
With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”
Hi and welcome. My name is Jon Leland and I’m a Video Explorer who loves exploring all the different ways that video can be used online to create meaningful connections.
“Great Content Creates Audience”
One of my favorite subjects on the topic of today’s video is when you’re doing video marketing, the question is not “how to distribute” the question is “how else to distribute”, and this is near and dear to my heart because it’s part of the fun that I have. Part of the reason why I call myself a Video Explorer, is that I’m exploring all the ways that video can create meaningful connections and that involves so many different forms.
It’s almost like video has a different language. On Instagram TV, certainly, it does in a new platform like TikTok and obviously YouTube is different, LinkedIn is different. So when we create content, which is the fuel of content marketing that’s what happens. Jay Baer, a famous author famously has said that “content is fire, social media is the gasoline.” So there’s this amplification layer as he calls it. I will link to a video of him talking about this in the show notes of this video blog post.
When you create content, you have to think about how best to leverage it
When you’re creating content, you have to amplify it, you have to distribute it. So that’s part of what I’ve been exploring is all the different ways to take these video blog posts and not just put them on YouTube, but for example not just put them on LinkedIn either.
LinkedIn is really important, I do business with other businesses called b2b marketing so LinkedIn is a primary distribution method for me. Do I just post a link to the YouTube video on LinkedIn? No, I upload the video directly to LinkedIn; it’s called a native video on LinkedIn, so that it appears within the feed as moving video with the lower-third subtitles. Do I stop there? No. I create LinkedIn articles so that the video also appears within a LinkedIn article and that gets more distribution and more visibility.
So one of the things that’s come up recently is we’ve rolled out a whole system that we help other people also to distribute their videos across multiple platforms, is this relationship between podcasting and video blogs.
You may or may not know that there are a lot of people who actually treat YouTube as a radio and they listen to podcasts on YouTube. We’re now moving towards using these video blog posts in order to create a podcast and short form podcasts are a thing now so you’ll soon see this video blog as a podcast.
Do It Yourself or Get Help?
That’s something that I’m excited about and that’s another example of this really important principle, which is not how to distribute but how else to distribute. It’s a very common error that businesses make when they start up, they want to create the content, but they don’t think about marketing the content. Or they want to create a product, but they don’t think about how are they going to market the product, what’s the right budget, what are the right avenues, how do you do that. Same thing with content marketing and video marketing.
It’s not just about creating the content, it’s about distributing it, building that audience, building that community, and ultimately building meaningful relationships and connections. So that’s today’s video blog post.
If you want to know more about how we help companies and people to do video marketing and to distribute social media and video blog posts, please check out combridges.com or go to go go.combridges.com/video-launch-pad. Our video launch pad offer is specifically where we help people to distribute video across multiple platforms and to get started in the whole game of video marketing.
Thanks again so much for watching. I really appreciate it and look forward to your comments and suggestions. See you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/589270_VideoThumbnailBlog_B_111819.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2019-11-22 21:35:272019-11-22 21:37:11With Video Marketing, It’s Not “How to Distribute?” It’s “How ELSE to Distribute?”
Where’s the meaning and the magic behind video blogging?
Are you wondering if a video blogging practice can make a meaningful difference in the world, in your life, and/or in your business?
When I took on the challenge of doing video blogging for ten consecutive weeks, things changed in unexpected ways and the “ripples” of these changes are still emerging. No doubt, these are real changes… Some that I can clearly articulate and even more that I’m still learning about.
Please check out this week’s video to hear more:
This Weeks Power Briefing, Video Blogging? Is it Really Transformational? Where’s the Meaning & the Magic?
Bottom line, video blogging becomes a meaningful practice when it’s done (at minimum) once per week. This video shares some of the ways that I think this happens, or at least the ways that this have happened for me.
Are you ready for the challenge of weekly video blogging? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences; and if I can help, please let me know.
Edited Transcript:
Hi and welcome to my weekly blog. My name is Jon Leland, I’m a digital marketing strategist and this is my 11th week of video blogging. My question this week is a very serious one:
Is video blogging video blogging on a weekly basis truly transformational?
I have to tell you that for me I have experienced an energy shift. Things have truly changed. For one thing, I’m feeling I’m building strength. It’s emerging that I have a practice, that this is something I can do… as imperfectly as I do it. It’s a valid exploration that I truly think is important.
Where I experience the transformational quality (of doing this) can be compared to the metaphor of dropping a pebble into a pond and there are ripples that go out. I’ve been very touched by the number of comments that I’ve gotten from people who say that they are inspired by what I’m doing. They share that there’s something about what I’m doing with weekly video blogging that inspires them. That’s my ripple effect: making a difference, creating a transformational change (for others).
It’s About The Process
I’m really looking for more but the process itself is important whether or not anything ever happens! It certainly isn’t about getting rich quick or even a big business goal. I am, however, making offers around trying to help people do what I’m doing so stay tuned. And, I’m interested in your input on that.
What is much more important is the process of doing it week after week, of learning what it is. You know, I’m somebody that has a lot to say. I feel like I have knowledge that I want to share and bring forth into the marketplace, so that the information is useful to others.
But it isn’t so much about convincing you of the value or trying to sell you something. It really is an exercise in self-expression and I think that’s part of what inspires people. That’s the feedback that I’ve been getting: that just going for it as imperfectly as I do it, the idea is that I’m putting myself out here. Sharing that has created a shift and it isn’t a linear shift.
A Non-Linear Shift
I like to say that “I open the door and they come in through the window.” So, my business is continuing to be visible through these videos which is obviously a healthy thing for my business but I think the shift comes from the courage and the practice of doing it week after week.
And doing it in spite of day to day circumstances especially when I don’t know what I want to say. That was the case this week… to be vulnerable about it.
I took a week off, I finished ten videos which was my initial challenge. That was my goal and I did need to take a breath so I did.
And then I wanted to come back with this video but I really didn’t know what I wanted to say. And, in the process of thinking about it, listening and checking out the comments that were happening on the other videos, it occurred to me that I wanted to talk about the fact that doing this is a shift, it’s a real transformation.
A Challenge for You
So, I want to challenge you to be like “the pebble in the pond” and really start being a “ripple.”
The ripple doesn’t come from thanking me (and I really deeply, authentically appreciate the comments). But I think the real ripples come from when you pick up the camera and when you start expressing whatever it is you have that you feel is valuable. Crafting that, honing it and practicing it and being willing to do it imperfectly.
That practice itself, for me at least, is truly transformational and I invite you to dive in not just occasionally but with a real weekly practice so that you’re present in the marketplace. You’re consistent, and people know that they can trust you. And more and more, you’re learning to have to articulate how you deliver real value.
That’s why I think that video blogging is truly transformational especially when it’s done weekly.
I would love to hear your comments. Thanks again for watching and see you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/559394_Video-Thumbnail11_B_640x300_101419.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2019-10-17 21:11:532019-10-17 21:13:58Video Blogging: Is It Really Transformational? Where’s the Meaning & the Magic?
It’s been so fun to get myself “over the hump” and start video blogging on a weekly basis.
I’m fascinated by the process and uplifted a whole bunch of results that have followed—from more clarity on my purpose, to increased visibility, to business prosperity.
I’m wondering if you might be someone who wants to get going with video blogging but feels overwhelmed or resistant to facing down the camera and/or all the other stuff that goes with it?
For me, I made progress when, first, I separated video distribution from video production; and then, when I streamlined my video production “system,” I finally became consistent.
This Weeks Power Briefing, Vlog Video Production Tips: How I Use my iPhone to Keep Things Simple
In this week’s video, I summarize my iPhone video production “system” and what I have done to simplify and streamline my vlogging production process. This includes using my iPhone to shoot, a simple wired lav mic for good audio, and AirDrop for file transfer. Click here to watch now.
And, if you are serious about becoming a video blogger (or upping your video blogger “game”), I’d love to help. Very soon, I will be offering a special “Kick-Start” services package. Please contact me if you’re interested in becoming one of the first to try out this package (at special “early bird” savings, of course).
In any case, I’d love to hear what works for you and if you find this video useful. Thanks for watching!
Edited Transcript:
Hi there, my name is Jon Leland, I’m a digital marketing strategist and a video blogger. I am here with episode number 9 of my weekly video blog series about video marketing.
I want to help you be a video blogger (or a better video blogger) and share what’s really worked for me. I talked last week about video blogging as a “superpower,” and about the way I got over the hump by separating out the video production from the video distribution.
Simpler is Better
The other thing that has really worked for me is simplifying the video production and that’s what I want to offer you today.
Here are the key components and how I get these videos done in a simple efficient way every week.
iPhone Video Advantages
I have a number of cameras and I’ve been a video professional for a lot of years. I have a nice digital SLR, a DSLR; and I also have a video camera, an old camcorder. But for these videos, I’m using my iPhone. I have a good iPhone, a 10 XS Max.
I really like my iPhone because of the video quality. The video quality even using the selfie cam, as I do, is going to be better than I would get, for example, out of my computer’s webcam. That’s the first point.
The second point is that I do these videos by myself. I don’t have a camera person, so the fact that I can look at the lens and frame it with a nice good-sized selfie cam screen definitely makes things easier.
Tips for Better Audio
Another tip that I want to give you is that for audio. I’m using a very inexpensive $20 lavalier microphone.
An even bigger audio tip to share is that one of the most important things about audio quality is making the shortest distance possible between your mouth and the microphone. So, even with a better microphone that would sit further away, I probably wouldn’t get the audio presence that I’m able to get out of this Lavalier microphone.
I also have an extension cord that plugs right into the iPhone so that the audio and video are in sync together. Using a DSLR camera means having to separate out the audio which definitely adds a level of complexity that I would not want.
I also have a nice camera mount that holds my iPhone on a real tripod. You could put your smartphone anywhere but using the tripod enables me to put it in the same position and thus to do the same kind of setup every week. Consistency in your videos is important.
Video File Transfer via AirDrop
The other thing that I get out of the iPhone in particular and from the Apple ecosystem is AirDrop.
One of the other tasks that goes on when you shoot digitally with another camera is transferring the files. This can take time and of course additional effort. I use AirDrop to just take it from my iPhone and move it over (wirelessly) to my MacBook Pro.
Create a Video “System” That Works for You
It’s simple, and simple is good. Use whatever works for you. Streamline your system. It doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive; but get a setup that you can do week-after-week to be consistent and make it simple enough and streamlined enough that you get it done week-after-week.
I hope this has been useful. I look forward to your feedback and comments, thanks again for watching.
And, see you again next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/543680_VideoThumbnail_B_092319.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2019-09-27 22:15:532019-09-27 22:28:56Vlog Video Production Tips: How I Use my iPhone to Keep Things Simple
In just the last two months, video blogging or vlogging has changed my life and my business; and this breakthrough has led me to think of these weekly video posts as a new kind of “SuperPower.”
As a digital marketing strategist, when I finally found the discipline to “eat my own cooking” and do videos every week, I knew it would be a positive step; but honestly, the results have exceeded these expectations.
Check out this video, won’t you?
This Weeks Power Briefing, Watch to Learn Why WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SUperPower + Why You Might Want to Join Me.
In this week’s video, I not only share how this practice is working for me, I unpack why any kind of regular blogging or vlogging is so powerful.
To make this point clear, I call on a quintessential video clip from Seth Godin and Tom Peters that I’ve used for years in my social media marketing workshops.
I also unveil the essence of a new video marketing offer that may help you get over the “hump” to do a weekly vlog yourself, including our system for social media video distribution. The truth is that it was separating the video production from the distribution that made this breakthrough possible!
Links and Videos for Resources Mentioned in this Week’s Edition:
Thanks for watching! I look forward to your feedback.
Edited Video Transcript:
WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SuperPower. Here’s Why You Might Want to Join Me.
Hi there, my name is Jon Leland and I’m a digital marketing strategist. And this is episode #8 of my video blog or Vlog Series about digital marketing and in particular about video marketing. I want to talk to you today about vlogging or video blogging and how dramatically it has changed my life and I think potentially even changed my business.
The Power of Blogging
So, let me explain. First of all, blogging and vlogging are really, really valuable practices, and I’ve been wanting to do a weekly Vlog for years. And, finally, I have gotten myself over the hump and I have started doing it. Like I said, for eight weeks in a row now. And I want to share with you today about the ways that has changed my life and my business.
I’ve known from blogging the way that doing a regular practice, about getting my voice out there and how that changes things. Intuitively, I knew that vlogging was going to do that as well, but it really has done that and much more.
I will post a video (link above) with Tom Peters and Seth Godin talking about blogging and they talk about how it really doesn’t even matter if anybody is reading it or in the case of a vlog if anybody is watching,
“Blogging is free, it doesn’t matter if anyone reads it. What matters is the humility that comes from writing it. What matters is the metacognition of thinking about what you’re going to say. How do you explain yourself to the few employees or your cat or whoever is going to look at it? How do you force yourself to describe that in three paragraphs? Why you did something? How do you respond out loud?”
Seth Godin
Because what happens is in the weekly practice of putting yourself out there, saying something that you intend to be useful and where you’re really trying to deliver some value doing that week after week really shifts something inside you. You’re able to go deeper, you’re able to discover more about what the value is that you want to share and that you want to communicate with other people.
“I will simply say, my first post was in August of 2004. No single thing in the last 15 years professionally has been more important to my life than blogging.”
Tom Peters
So, your voice emerges and also your putting yourself out there with it. I know it’s going to sound very California, but as I experience it, there is an energy shift that happens by putting yourself out there in that way.
Weekly Makes All the Difference
The other thing is the fact that I’m doing it weekly. This makes it a practice and gives it this ongoing continuity, such as when you want to learn to play golf or learn to play the piano, whatever. It’s a practice and going to the gym is another really good example. It takes time to build up “the muscle” and when you do it weekly, it has this power. I’ve talked in other videos about “The Power of Consistency”.
So, when you do it weekly you build up that consistency and you begin to develop “the muscle” and just like going to the gym when you start doing it for awhile week after week, day after day it starts to feel good.
And I’m proud to be telling you that I’ve made this commitment, I’m doing it every week and it’s feeling good to me. It’s also getting me out there. I believe it’s making me more attractive and the last point that I want to make is the way it shifted my business.
In the coming weeks, I’m going to be making an offer to help people get over the hump to do this. My offer will help them create their first three videos as part of a package and then take advantage of the distribution system that I’ve built and how I’m getting these videos out.
Separating Production from Distribution Made This Possible
This reminds me of Derek Sivers, who founded CD Baby way back in the early days of the Internet. He invented CD Baby because he was a musician and he needed and wanted to sell CD’s. E-commerce hadn’t really been invented yet. He helped invent it and suddenly all these other musicians came to him and wanted help getting their CD’s out.
Well, I needed video distribution because I wanted to do video blogs and I wanted to get it out. What helped me get over the hump was I separated the tasks for doing this out, separating video production from distribution. I now have a virtual assistant who’s helping me with the distribution. In fact, we’ve designed a whole system where these videos are not only on YouTube, they are also native on Facebook, native on LinkedIn, native on Instagram TV and all have the subtitles and meta information… wherever you happen to be watching it.
So video blogging really is a practice worth developing. I hope you can get over the hump and, if you’d like, I can help you do it,.
However it works for you, and, let’s talk if you want help from me. Let me know because we have a system that can help you distribute and “watch this space” for the offer in coming weeks.
As always, thanks again for your kind attention, I really appreciate it. See you next week!
https://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SuperPower.png300640JonLelandhttps://www.combridges.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/ComBridges-Logo-300x60-300x60.jpgJonLeland2019-09-19 15:30:142019-09-26 00:11:54Watch to Learn Why WEEKLY Vlogging Is My New SuperPower + Why You Might Want to Join Me.
