Three Blockbuster Video Tools that Give You an Unfair Advantage

You probably know I believe tools are overrated.

I love surprising my aspiring entrepreneur friends, when I tell them I use the text editor on my Mac to keep track of client sessions.

Instead of that costly software gizmo everyone’s telling them “they have to get”.

I’m not ponying up $250 for a Cuisinart, when a kitchen knife works just as well.

They’re a “Yes!” when they give you a window of opportunity to get an unfair advantage, and up-level your positioning in the marketplace. And elevate you as the best choice for your ideal clients to hire.

And one of those times is right now.

I’ve identified three tools that I’m either using now, or are on my radar screen for ‘next steps’.

• You feel like its getting increasingly difficult to get noticed.
• With competition and saturation levels in the marketplace are at an all-time high, and you’re looking for a way to rise above the noise.
• You want to get in on the leading edge of a wave, instead of piling on when everyone else is.

And finally:  You’re not expecting it all to happen for you at the push of a button.

All these resources have a learning curve.  The all cost money (even though some have free trials).  You will have to apply yourself to make them work for you.

But they’re worth it because of how much they can help you stand out and get noticed.

RESOURCE

What if you could shoot a video and within minutes:

Upload it
Have it transcribed, and (this is the best part)
You could edit the video by editing the transcription.

You heard that right:

 Descript also lets you:

Add captions on top of your video.
Display a graphic progress bar on your video.
Create screen capture videos.

And even remove filler words.  That’s right:

Even if you never attended Toastmasters, your umms and ahs are a thing of the past.

They will even let you dabble with your first 3 hours of transcription – absolutely free.  They also have monthly plans – so you don’t have to commit to a full year once you’re ready to upgrade.

If you’ve considered making micro video or social video a major part of your future marketing plan – it could become a cornerstone of your future success.

GETTING STARTED:

Descript has created a range of video tutorials on it’s YouTube Channel to get you up and running quickly.  And help you master its many features as you get more proficient.

RESOURCE

If you’re really serious about taking your live video up a notch – you can’t do any better than eCamm Live.

Unless you want to blow a couple thousand on a professional switcher and other studio level equipment.

I was fortunate enough to jump on this amazing software when it first came out.  And because it gives me the power of a studio on my desktop, it allows me to create pro-level effects right from my Mac.

• Titles and lower thirds? Check!
• Switching seamlessly between broadcasting my computer screen and my face? Check!
• I can even do picture-in-picture so my live video floats over an image, another video or the broadcast of my screen.

And because eCamm can record directly to your computer, you can apply it’s amazing effects to videos you produce where you don’t go live.

The complete list of what eCamm Live can do is endless, and is limited only by your imagination. I know that sounds like a cliche, but it’s true.

If your hesitant, you can even try it out for 14 days for free!

And if your imagination exceeds what you’re capable of, you can turn to one of the most amazing Facebook Support Groups I’ve seen.

Where folks will take the time to answer your questions,  even if they’re detailed.

IMPORTANT:

As of now, eCamm Live is Mac only.

But if you’ve every looked at someone’s video online and asked yourself, “I wonder if I could do that?”, you can with eCamm.

RESOURCE

If you’re not ready for a live production studio on your desktop, you can still create engaging, one-of-a-kind live video presentations with Prezi.

It’s a actually a suite of 3 different tools that help you create amazing animated graphics and presentations:

Prezi Design:  To help you create cool interactive designs with big visual impact.

Prezi Present:  To build eye-catching swooping, zooming animated interactive presentations (think PowerPoint meets Star Wars).

And Prezi Video, which combines the animated graphics you’ve created in the other two modules into your live videos.

You can even use it with your existing online broadcast platforms, like Zoom or GoToMeeting.

Here’s an example:

Great example, with tons of animation in the first 90 seconds.

GETTING STARTED:

Prezi offers a full range of video tutorials to help you get up and running. With more advanced instruction and even great examples and templates throughout its site.

BONUS RESOURCE:

If you thought it was required to dance and act silly to trend on TikTok, think again.  Entrepreneurs are flocking to this platform, once thought of as a toy, and it’s easy to see why:

Incredible Exposure:

Even folks with no following are getting hundreds of views for each of their TikToks. A colleague of mine averaged 400 views for her first 4 videos.

Tell me:  When did any of your videos on Facebook get 400 views?

Ease of Entry:

Because many TikToks are short (less than a minute), and can be shot completely within the app, there are virtually no barriers to entry.  Even folks who “don’t know what to say” can fill up 30 seconds with something valuable.

On TikTok, that’s good enough to get you started.

Party Like it’s 2014:

Ever wish you would have jumped on Facebook or Instagram back in the day, when things were simple and it was soooo much easier to get seen?

You’ve got your wish!

Still skeptical someone offering ideas and information instead of entertainment can make it?
.

DRY BORING SUCCESS STORY #1:

Do topics like:

Let’s analyze the EV industry,
NYC’s biggest FINTECH event, and
JetBlue hostile with tender offer for Spirit Airlines

Make you boil over with anticipation and excitement?

Well, my brother’s wife’s nephew (for real) started up an investing advice TikTok that’s grown to 127,000 followers and 1.5 million likes.  (Disclaimer:  Not an endorsement of his investment advice – consult your own financial advisor).
.

DRY BORING SUCCESS STORY #2:

Here’s another thriller:  Excel.  The spreadsheet program.  Ho-hum, right? Boooring, right?  Not if you’re Miss Excel.

Her Excel tutorials on TikTok have built her an audience of 843,000 followers (and 100K revenue months) in just 2 years.

(She does dance a little – but its very understated).

But right now this little slice of micro-video heaven offers the best of all worlds:

Ease of production
Low barriers to entry
Levels of exposure hard to come by on any other platform (without paying for it).
You can even go live once you have 1000 followers.

PLUS:  Shorter video lengths!

So no more analysis paralysis: When you get a great idea, just fire up your camera and BOOM!  Eyeballs on your content.

But the RIGHT TOOL,
The solves an URGENT ISSUE,
That makes a noticeable difference in your bottom line …

Is a keeper.

TO GET STARTED:

Choose ONE of the tools that you believe will make the biggest impact on your business, based on your skillset and revenue level and give it a whirl.

Remember:  TikTok costs you nothing.  And the other three offer some form of free trial.

The increasingly visual nature of the online marketing space is only going to get more so.  And these tools can help you to take advantage of that.

It doesn’t have to be an impossible dream. But it doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be intentional in seeking out top-tier clients for your top-tier work.

If you’re wondering exactly how to do that, I can help. With 21 specific suggestions that can make your high end client search a whole lot easier.  Take a look!