My Tips On Building Relationships In Business & 2 Million Followers

Video Can Be An Extended Family

I’ve been doing video online since 2005. For ten years I was doing technology reviews and how to’s.

What I’ve been able to build from that content is a highly engaged community who have actually followed me all over the world for events and meetups.

That’s the kind of results you want with your own videos, your audience can actually become like an extended family.

I’ve been learning this whole time as I’ve grown my audience and I want to share with you some of the best of what I’ve learned.

There’s a lot you can fuss over when it comes to video, but nothing will ever be “perfect.” Ultimately you have to “just do it!”

Taking action takes you so much further in this world than driving yourself crazy over small details no one cares about at the end of the day.

Part of my strategy is to engage my audience by showcasing my personality. I want my videos to feel one of a kind in the sense that I’m really being present and open with my audience.

I want to create brand evangelists and I do that by upping my know, like, and trust factor.

This is why I say video is like an extended family. I want people to get a sense of that warm fuzzy feeling they’d get if I invited them into my home in real life.

My audience knows me. They know I love bacon and that I love robots. So when I show up on video wearing a bacon shirt, it’s no surprise. It’s expected, but still a cause for delight.

This keeps my personality integrated into whatever message I’m putting out there.

If I’m talking about the importance of sending out email newsletters, the chances are I’ll find a way to work my dog, Abby, into the conversation.

Any part of your personal life is interesting to your audience.

Obviously, some things can remain totally private, duh! But there’s a lot of middle ground that’s ripe for the sharing.

This is where a lot of people play it way too conservatively and come off as stale automations. (Automations are technically robots, don’t forget!)

When you bring your real life and emotions you’re simply being an actual human being. Chances are 100% of your audience are human beings too! (Ok, maybe a few thinly disguised robots slip in now and again.)

That’s what makes me relatable to my audience. I’m not afraid to go there with them.

I recommend when you record video that you talk like you’re speaking to a single person. This helps keep your tone super personal and inviting.

Use words like “you” or “y’all” and it’ll resonate powerfully with your people. This is how video families are born!

Don’t forget to ask your audience for their opinions in your CTAs. Create engagement and conversations and from there relationships will blossom.

Use your audience feedback as content in future videos.

I like to reference my audience by name when I respond because that lets them know I really am reading their comments and that encourages more engagement.

Action Steps

1. Don’t over do it when it comes to setting up your video, just start shooting.
2. Reveal your personality and what you care about in your videos wherever possible.
3. Speak to your audience like you’re talking to one person or a small group.
4. Ask your audience questions and encourage them to respond.
5. Reference them by name when you reply in a future piece of content.

 

Result You Will Achieve

A more authentic and relatable video presence that turns your audience into evangelists and extended family.

This article is based on an EHQ interview with the mentor.