Video is a powerful tool for accelerating business, and promotional products sales professionals should immediately start leveraging the medium, said Marki Lemons-Ryhal.

“Stop getting ready to get ready and jump in,” Lemons-Ryhal said.

That was the message she delivered during a virtual education session at the ASI Show Digital Expo on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Marki Lemons-Ryhal

Lemons-Ryhal spoke from experience.

The fifth-generation entrepreneur, an expert in the intersection of sales, social media and technology, whose business advice has been featured everywhere from The Washington Post and Forbes to REALTOR magazine, has used web-based videos to help generate massive amounts of business.

During her “Eliminate the Fear of Video & Connect With Your Clients” session, Lemons-Ryhal offered a bevy of practical advice for succeeding with video. Tips included:

Do Live Videos: Going live on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram tends to garner much better engagement – more views, comments, shares, etc. – than pre-recording a video and posting it. Lemons-Ryhal first experienced this phenomenon back in 2016 when she did her first live, which brought in 617 views – far more than she’d ever received to that point.

Realize You Don’t Need Sophisticated Equipment: To make successful videos, you need little more than a decent smartphone, a means of stabilizing the device (either a phone grip or a tripod can work) to record yourself speaking, and a ring light that attaches to your phone to cast you in a flattering lighting. Using such simple equipment, Lemons-Ryhal has created videos that have earned thousands of views, including one that hit 37,000.

Do Some Simple Prep: Before filming, ensure your phone’s camera is clean – no smudges that make the recording look like it’s occurring within a fog. Make certain your upload speed is good so the video will display properly and be easily watchable. You can check the speed at https://www.speedtest.net/ and/or by googling “Internet Upload Speed” and running the test option that comes up, said Lemons-Ryhal.

Don’t shoot with your back to a window; the light coming in can wash you out. Also, remove those glasses so screens and lights aren’t reflected. And, if you’re filming from home as so many are during these days of COVID-19, make sure your background presents the image you want to show to potential customers; a foldable screen with your branding/logo on it would be a great background, Lemons-Ryhal said.

Build Trust With Body Language & Positioning: Look directly at the camera as if you were looking into the eyes of an individual you were speaking to in person. Also, position the camera at or above eye level for a more flattering, engaging frame.

Film One Video Every Weekday: “Consistency is key,” said Lemons-Ryhal. “There’s so much value you can generate from doing a video every day.” Indeed, both value for you and your customers, she said. Consider: Lemons-Ryhal created a video related to real estate (one of her professions) that generated 633 views. It featured a “click here” call to action. Some 58 people clicked that link. Of those, Lemons-Ryhal got four viable leads. Who wouldn’t want that from a simple, short video shot with one’s phone? “All my videos aim to get leads into my sales funnel,” she said.

Create Content That Helps Customers: Your videos should tackle topics that matter to clients and desirable prospects. They should provide education, be valuable and, ideally, be entertaining. Videos should offer solutions to customer problems. Lemons-Ryhal encouraged viewers to consider how customers are searching the internet for solutions and base videos around those questions. Sites like https://answerthepublic.com/ and https://wave.video/calendar can help determine quality topics to cover based on your audience and the time of year.

Repurpose Content: A live video can keep working for your business after the initial broadcast ends. With a Facebook Live, for instance, Lemons-Ryhal recommended downloading the video and then reposting it as a new post. Doing so spurs more views, likes and comments – and potentially more leads. Also, embed/feature archived live vides in blog posts, digital marketing outreach and on your website, while sharing the videos on multiple social platforms.