Month: April 2012

Courses in Online Marketing–How You Can Create Your Own

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Courses in Online Marketing. There are plenty of them. The Internet provides endless learning.

This is what I discovered a few years ago as I embarked on my journey to learn everything I could about Internet marketing. This is a lifelong process and one that brings me much joy. I love that it is immediately actionable to my business!

Watch the video below to get some ideas on how you can create your own course in online marketing; where to find classes, what to avoid, and why you should also embark on this journey!

 

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Video Marketing–Quick Tips on How to Create Compelling Videos

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Video marketing is hot. There’s no denying it. Videos show up better in Google rankings, and face it, they’re more compelling as a medium.

So how do you do videos, what equipment do you need, and how do you get over that fear of being in front of the camera?

Before I answer the above questions, let me tell you a little bit about my experience. In 2010 when I first started doing videos, I was petrified. I was actually teaching a class to high school students on making videos. I had to learn REAL fast.

I took a webinar course from Perry Lawrence and Carrie Wilkerson. This got me started! I also entered a video contest to win a free conference ticket. Although I didn’t win, it showed me what I needed to improve upon.

So the first videos I did were very awkward. It took me many tries to get anything remotely good. I was never happy with my backgrounds and my favorite camera broke, causing me to learn on a whole new one. I discovered that following scripts just don’t work, so I learned how to ad lib.

The main thing is, I just tried and tried again. Today when I do videos, I have my set up exactly how I want it, I can turn my camera on, and just start talking. I may have to edit out a few things, but on the whole it’s much easier than it was two years ago and I’m much happier with the results.

So what can you do to make your videos the best they can be?

1) Find a background that is not distracting. Don’t have a bunch of clutter in back of you. Don’t have a bunch of doorways in the background. I like to use my fireplace. This seems like a natural environment since I am a work at home mom. I also have used bookshelves for homeschooling topics and my garden to illustrate a point about stress.

You can make a background, too. This is one of our many home projects for this Spring. I am going to purchase some nice powder-blue curtains and my husband’s going to hang them from a soffit in my office. So then when I want to do a marketing video or instructional video, I can just pull out the curtains, point my camera or webcam, and go for it.

Most cameras nowadays shoot from a wide angle lens. Make sure your background is long enough to fit you in. This is especially important with two people in a video.

My husband and I shot quite a few videos of us in front of a green curtain. It just wasn’t wide enough and I was constantly having to crop the video. Start with a wider background and you will avoid much frustration!

2) Use natural lighting as much as possible. It’s important to not have a bunch of harsh lights facing your camera. Your light source needs to be in back of your camera. It’s best to put your camera facing away from a window. Then you will get what’s called “catch-light” in your eyes–your eyes will sparkle so you come alive. If you have no light in your eyes, you will appear flat and look uninteresting.

Also, watch shadowing when you do videos. Don’t have your face half in and half out of the light. This is distracting.

3) Be aware of composition. People want to see faces, not a bunch of space from your head to the ceiling. Think about how you can fill up most of the lens. Think about it like art. Composition is filling up the space in a pleasing manner. Do this in your videos, and you will have a much more professional result.

Okay, so I’ve given you a few ideas to get you started! Like I said, video marketing is a hot topic, so I will cover more on this later!

But apply these ideas now, and your brand will stand out above the crowd. In fact, it will sizzle!

Want to learn more about how to make your brand sizzle? Take my FREE 10 day mini-video course and read my free report!

Need to get started right away on how to make a custom brand that will thrive in any economy? Take my online tutorial course! You can get started immediately even if it’s 2 am on a Sunday!

Brand Positioning Strategy–3 Lessons from the Great Depression

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Brand Positioning Strategy–what would it be like to survive and THRIVE in any economy?

That’s exactly what this famous brand did during the Great Depression! Watch the video below to learn 3 great lessons that will help your business grow in this down economy.

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Want to learn more about how to make your brand sizzle? Take my FREE 10 day mini-video course and read my free report!

Need to get started right away on how to make a custom brand that will thrive in any economy? Take my online tutorial course! You can get started immediately even if it’s 2 am on a Sunday!

Brand Identity Design–Are You Shortsighted About Developing Your Brand?

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We live in the microwave generation where we expect to get instant gratification. We want everything immediately.

And in these uncertain times, long-term investments seem too risky. A wait and see attitude pervades the country as we ride out a turbulent election season. Will we come into a time that is more business friendly?

Whatever is quick and cheap or even better, free, rules decision-making. Planning? What planning? We run from crisis to crisis, barely able to catch our breath.

As a branding expert, I see this again and again in the thought that business owners take to their branding decisions.

They are actually short-sighted decisions. Instead of investing in their most important asset, their brand, the business owner only thinks of what is cheap or free, making decisions because something is cute or pretty. Very little thought is put into what makes a company’s image stand out above the competition. Or how their brand image can accurately reflect the essence of who they are and what they do.

Creating an effective brand image requires thorough analysis and strategic implementation. This is a process. It requires time, thought, planning, and knowledge.

Corporations know this. They spend tens of thousands of dollars on brand development and design. These companies have longevity because they are not short-sighted. Planning and strategic implementation of their brands is a priority.

Bu why go through all this work as a small business owner? Because an effective brand will increase your credibility with your prospects and customers. What will this do? Attract more business to you! When you take your business seriously, your prospects and customers will take your business seriously. And this will increase your bottom line! Which means, of course, increased profits.

It will also increase the chances that your company will be around for the long haul. Consider this. The statistic for failed businesses show that eight out of ten small businesses fail within the first three years.

So what about you? Are you being shortsighted with your brand identity design? Or are you ready to invest in your brand image so you will have a strong, robust business?

If you are ready to invest in your business and your brand, join my webinar program starting April 10. You will get step by step help in building your brand identity design and strategic implementation. Click here now to sign up! And if you do so by Friday, April 6, you will get my early bird discount. Want more of an incentive? I am offering $50 off for the first month. Just enter the coupon code SIZZLE upon check out. I do not want anyone to miss out on this opportunity for your business to truly sizzle!

 

Brand Identity Design Webinar Course Created by Homeschooling Mom

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Here’s a little sneak peek of the press release I am sending out tomorrow!

Homeschooling mother Dana Susan Beasley took her years of experience as a graphic artist and publisher to create an extensive brand identity webinar course that starts on Apr. 10 and runs through May 24. In this course, Mrs. Beasley will teach participants how to build effective brand identity design that helps them succeed as aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners, giving them foundational tools to make money online so they can overcome financial hardship.

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To sign up for my Brand Identity Quest Webinar Workshop Series and secure your economic future, click here!