Digital Content: Seven Realities for Video in the 21st Century

There’s a gap in most digital content strategies. It is the how, what and where to use video. Google is partly to blame since they don’t index videos for search — and some workarounds do exist. But something else is going on.

First, all video is video content. You are likely producing video content daily in the form of video meetings, podcasts (with video) and livestreams. A comprehensive digital content strategy includes video across multiple channels — Zoom, YouTube or LinkedIn.

Second, video is how you do business now. It’s a video-first market that should compel a video-first response. Video is a marketing function, not operations. You’ll be happier with the results once you make this shift in responsibility.

So, when it comes to producing video in the 21st century, here are seven realities to guide you along the way.

1. It’s not 2020 anymore. You can’t keep showing up like it’s the start of a pandemic. While we all got a free pass in 2020 and 2021, make the commitment and put in the work to show up like your videos matter. Treat it like the opportunity it is rather than a curse. You may surprise yourself at the ripple effect of what a more professional video image can do.
2. Zoom™ is more than a phone call with video. Your video meeting is a point-of-sale. It’s your job to leverage the medium for what it’s designed to do. It’s been said that a picture is worth 1,000 words. Today, video is worth 1 million pictures. The value of your brand should not be defined by a cheap webcam.
3. Video is an intimate medium. Professional TV and film actors have known this truth for decades: The camera doesn’t lie. Our faces are the epicenter of emotion, and the camera captures more than we want to admit. We need to learn how to master this new medium and leverage its power. Research in this area suggests investors are more likely to invest in entrepreneurs who convey credibility, competence, and confidence. And these entrepreneurs do this through facial expression, simple gestures, and posture. It’s these little cues that are signals to decision makers that we believe in our own ability to do the work.
4. Use vanity as a force for good. It’s a simple formula: When you know that you look better, you feel better. And when you feel better, you do better. Scientists call it enrobed cognition. For the rest of us, we know it as dress for success. What we experience when we see ourselves on video is a kind of cognitive dissonance. This dissonance results in discomfort because how we imagine we should look and how our webcam makes us look are sometimes a mile apart. Creating cognitive harmony translates into more confidence.
5. Command the screen. Public speakers and facilitators are taught to “command the stage” and “command the room.” Today, to command the screen is a skill, and it is learned over time. You need training and practice to become better. All three venues demand greater presence. Presence is what you say before you say a word. Video presence is needed today to have more power, competence and credibility across the lens.
6. The opposite of good is off. The film director Steve Stockman said it a little differently. He said, “If it’s not good, it’s off.” It’s true for everything you post on social, how you show up on podcasts, and the impression you make on video meetings. Your videos can’t be given an exception to the rule. All your digital content — and video is digital content — must reflect the standards of your company and your brand. Don’t lower them. It’s all about earning people’s attention. But it’s challenging because the world is full of Dorys from Finding Nemo, and they keep chanting to themselves, “Just keep scrolling. Just keep scrolling. Just keep scrolling.” You need to be watchable because watchability is the first step to earning your prospect’s attention.
7. Better video is an act of kindness. Better video makes it easier for people to connect with you, your brand, and your message. It’s letting people know how much you care. Because in today’s world, caring is a differentiator. It’s a video-first market and all video is video content marketing. The path forward starts with realizing this truth: You can be just an influential on camera as you are in person.

Because video is how we do business now, do yourself a favor and elevate your video presence across all marketing channels.

Video is a terrific medium to amplify your brand when it persuasively conveys your story and the value of your services. It has the power to give you a competitive edge when done right.

Patrick McGowan, MBA, consults, trains and coaches business executives and teams to have more power, presence and credibility on-camera in a video-first market. He pulls together three decades in marketing, innovation and leadership. McGowan started Punchn to address the challenges and insecurities we all face when on camera. He is the author of Across the Lens: How Your Zoom Presence Will Make or Break Your Success.