A wise friend once told me that the key to maximizing your potential on film is to channel your “video energy.” He explained that the challenge of presenting your best self on camera has the power to inspire you to rise to a new level of engagement and interest.
I had always wanted to take my video skills to the next level, but I still wasn’t sure how. I watched instructional videos on YouTube and made practice clips like crazy. These were okay, but when I received a call to make a video home tour for a realtor, I knew I needed to switch into high gear! I binge-watched 40 episodes of Open House NYC featuring designers I admired to see how they had pulled it off. Then I feasted on a dozen classic episodes of “That Girl” — Marlo Thomas’s Ann Marie has always inspired my inner independent career gal — and voila, I was ready! The video appears at the bottom of this post for you to view.
This past spring I was invited to give a presentation at High Point on how I prepared for my video debut and what I learned. I was honored to be asked and excited to share my experience with other members of the design community. Throughout the presentation the group added their ideas to mine in a most exciting way. We talked about using Facebook live, Instagram and much more. It was an eye-opening experience that confirmed what I already believe to be true—people love seeing the real you on video!
In fact, video is so naturally engaging that many of us are drawn in almost without realizing it. Think about it—how many times has a product video helped you make a purchasing decision while shopping online? You aren’t alone—over 90% of online shoppers find that product videos are helpful in the decision process (I know I do!).
In this day of information overload, video offers the quickest and easiest way to get your point across and, conversely, understand someone else’s point. The research doesn’t lie—according to Forrester’s Research, one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words in terms of how quickly it can get your point across.
Video is quickly becoming integral to the majority of our lives. Experts predict that by next year video will claim more than 80% of all web traffic. Why is that number so high? Because more than half of you would rather watch a video than read this blog post! If you find that you are one of the many in that boat, please take a moment and watch my very first foray into the wonderful world of video below!
