Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
If you’ve been on social media for the past three years, you’ve no doubt noticed that more and more entrepreneurs, influencers, and business owners are creating and leveraging short-form video content as part of their marketing. That said, 14% of businesses still don’t use any form of video marketing. And to be honest, can we blame them?
Entrepreneurs are busy. It takes time to set up the camera, brainstorm, and shoot the content…not to mention the editing. For most, this seems like a chore more than anything.
Short form video marketing is no longer an option, it’s a necessity, and there’s no debating that it’s the most powerful form of content on social media right now. However, it doesn’t have to take a lot of time and effort. In fact, you can add just 30 minutes to your schedule each month. Who can’t squeeze in 7.5 minutes a week? You can no longer afford not to.
Here are three proven strategies to cut your content creation time and 2-5x your short-form content production.
1. The podcast strategy
With the podcast industry poised to hit 465 million listeners by 2023, you could be getting a lot of attention. Listeners and audience aside, the hidden benefits of being on a podcast could be the most powerful. Obviously, getting in front of your target audience on a podcast can do wonders for your bottom line. But where most people go wrong is lack of leverage.
A 30-minute podcast might have five to 15 “gold nuggets” of information that your audience and future audience would benefit from listening to. By recording the podcast on Zoom or another screen recording tool, you can go back and find the best clips and reuse them on your social media channels.
With the reach of short-form content on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and now even Facebook Reels, it’s not uncommon for these videos to reach tens of thousands of people. I’m no mathematician, but 10 pieces of content across five social media platforms means a lot of extra eyes on you and your brand.
The only caveat is that it can take quite a while to edit the videos, which is where you will need the help of a great editor.
Related: Podcasting is the new university
2. Customer and team call strategy
Now I understand that there is a wide range of people reading this. However, like the podcast strategy, we are simply building influence in areas where you are already active. In this case, it could be a client call, a strategy session, or even a team meeting. Once again, simply by recording this, there is no doubt that there will be some valuable and practical advice that people can benefit from.
Once again, cut them into clips and use them as teasers for your ‘real’ content. This will be a great way to shoot a video as quickly as possible and give people an idea of you, your brand, and the value people can get from you.
Related: 3 Social Media Hacks to Help Your Content Go Viral
3. The batching strategy
Now the first two strategies are great if you’re really short on time. The batching strategy is ideal for selecting a specific message at a specific time so that your message reaches more people. Obviously, setting a time in your day every day to create content can get repetitive and easily skipped. However, when you schedule a bi-weekly or monthly block of 1-3 hours, you will be able to complete your month’s content in a single session. I usually recommend doing this in 3 parts.
First, the formulation of the idea. Get a pen and paper and write down 15-30 ideas about your market’s pain points, wants, things they need to know, or even interesting facts and statistics that will pique your interest.
Second, set up your camera or iPhone and hit record. It is highly recommended that you have a professional looking setup behind you. A simple neon light in the background and a ring of light behind the camera will do wonders to make your videos look professional and high-quality.
Third, is to edit all those clips you just created. Again, you can do it yourself or hire a freelancer or agency to do it for you.
At this point, you should be using video. Apply these proven strategies to make your video making time even more accessible.
Related: 8 Social Media Hacks for Small Businesses
Source: news.google.com