I’ve been aware for some time that I really should get into using video on my website. But as someone who has never made a video, and like most people I know, doesn’t actually like seeing themselves on video, I’ve put it off. The facts though speak for themselves – YouTube is the 2nd most used search engine and videos rate high on google, so I really needed to take a leap.

Thank goodness therefore for the intervention of Not Just Video! I had met Andy Palmer, co-owner through a mutual client and we had started to do some work together. I had also been aware of the great stuff coming out of The 8.45 club using a ‘green screen’. So when Andy suggested I come down to the studio and film a one minute introduction to my business I couldn’t refuse.

The results of the day can be seen on my home page – but I’m jumping ahead of myself. I had been asked to send a script that is loaded on to prompter (on an ipad, which nearly came home with me!) as a reminder when you are talking to camera. Of course it wasn’t that simple – although I had obviously thought about what I wanted to say, it was only with the gentle coaching of Richard Spindler – director, camera man, media coach, an all round calming influence – that the words gradually began to speak from the heart about where my passion really lies. Richard offers this form of media coaching to all his clients, so you can be sure that you will end up with a video that really represents you and delivers your real message.

The green screen – or chromakeying – technology is truly awesome. Although my home page video simply has a backdrop of my website, you can see here the kind of clever stuff that Not Just Video really excel at.

And the result for me? Well I feel a bit like the guy who loved the company so much he bought it! No, I didn’t buy the company but I will be working closely with Not Just Video to promote this great service, as well as being part of their studio days advising clients on their on camera image.

If you are interested in having video on your site, I highly recommend you talk to NJV about your requirements. The studio days start from as low as £225 for something similar to my introductory video. A small price to pay for a great service and a brilliant profile raising tool.

And you can see an example of a video interview taking advantage of the green screen technology here, to put us into an HD Studio environment with a wave of Richard’s magic editing wand!

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Last week I attended a Social Media event for women in business kindly hosted by WEConnect Europe at Ernst and Young’s fabulous offices, and presented by Eileen Brown. There were a couple of points that came out during the afternoon which I totally agreed with and would like to share.

Firstly, Eileen emphasised the fact that it’s not the tools you use that matter – so many people get hung up on whether they should be using Twitter or should have a Facebook page. I always tell my clients it depends on your market, and where your customers are likely to ‘hang out’. For example, one of my clients does a lot of work with large corporates so we put a lot of effort into her blog and her LinkedIn activity. Another client is in a more creative industry and is likely to interact more with potential customers on Facebook. So do your research, think about your ideal customer and then choose your tools.

Secondly Eileen stressed the importance of authority to raising your profile online – why should anyone listen to what you have to say? As she said, and I totally agree, building your authority online can’t be done in 140 characters. Having a platform to provide content that your customers will value, and that will position you as a person with expertise and authority in your market is paramount. Whether you run your own business, or are climbing the career ladder as an employee, writing a blog about your specialist topic will get you noticed. It’s the perfect place to send potential customers – or employers – to demonstrate your understanding of your topic. However, a word of caution – you must be consistent. If you decide to create a blog it’s no good updating it once every six months. Create a schedule for yourself, decide how frequently you will post and create a file – physical or virtual – where you can drop ideas for blog posts, so that you always have topics to write about.

It was interesting to hear Eileen’s advice on how corporates should create a strategy and use social media with some stories of where it had been done right and wrong. Having worked for Microsoft for many years she has an insider’s knowledge of what works well in the corporate world. Whilst the way small businesses work will be different, many of the concepts are the same. I really enjoyed networking with the other women in the breaks and hearing how their views were changing from ”I’m just dipping my toe in” to “I really need to get to grips with this” once they understood the importance for their business.

If you would like help with creating a blog, determining your social media strategy or how to use social media get in contact, and sign up for my newsletter which is full of tips for busy working women.

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You know that old saying ‘First impressions count’ so why wouldn’t you have a professional head shot on all of your online profiles? I’m not sure what’s worse having a blurred holiday photo or no photo at all. I do know though that I take someone with a professional head shot far more seriously. I was reading photographer John Cassidy’s blog and as he says “about 68% of communication is visual. That’s a whopping amount – two thirds of our understanding comes from what we see rather than what we read. So when I read something, I am actually taking in more information from the photograph than I am from the words. No wonder people with photographs are remembered better.”

So do yourself a favour and invest in your image by getting a great head shot – John specialises in people who hate having their photograph taken so there is no need to be nervous, take a look of some of his samples and get yourself booked in.

What’s your view on profile photos? Leave me a comment below and please share using the buttons below.

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Love her or hate her you can’t ignore her. After turning up at the Grammys on Sunday night in an egg Lady Gaga grabbed all the attention again. You may think she’s eccentric but one thing is definite, she is different, and the media like an unusual story. We can certainly take some lessons from her marketing method:

• Stand out from the crowd. Find your unique angle, what do you do differently from everyone else in your market? What is special about you?

• Don’t be afraid to have an opinion. Some people might not agree with you but remember those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. By making a stand with your opinions you show your passion and give people a reason to believe in you.

• Use social media – Lady Gaga now has 8 million twitter followers, and has built her ‘tribe of loyal monsters’ by being active on both twitter and facebook and giving them behind the scenes access to her.

• Be consistent with your message and content. Lady Gaga consistently produces good pop, even if it’s not your thing you have to admire her creativity.

These are all methods used by good marketing people but Lady Gaga is a great illustration of how it works.

If you’ve had success with these methods, leave a comment and if you liked this post please share by clicking the buttons below.

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