Become a Thought Leader: 2017 is the Year to Get What You Know onto Video
In the 20th century, to be considered at expert at something ,you were expected to publish books and articles. But over the last ten years there’s been a shift.
Whatever You’re Good at You Can Teach
More and more, the perceived expert is the person who gets his or her knowledge and opinion onto video. And whether you’re getting it out via your blog, a Podcast or Youtube it’s called “thought leadership.”
For example, there might be 200 dog trainers in your state, but the one who creates a video course titled “Helping the Depressed Dog: Strategies for Dog Owners and Veterinarians” is the Dog Trainer who is most likely to stand out from the fray. While there might be dozens of competent Dog Trainers, it’s the one-with the Best Selling DVD or the most interesting YouTube Videos who’s going to be making the money and getting the most publicity and appointments.
It doesn’t matter if your online course has less than one hour of content. It doesn’t matter that your material isn’t mind blowing. It doesn’t matter if your content borrows heavily from (and appropriately references) other practitioners and researchers. The video just needs to provide value and be well organized; and with that “base hit” (as opposed to a home run) the person whose name is on the title “wins”
But Are You Good Enough?
Danielle is a business professional with her own company. She has a website to promote her consulting services. last year she created instructional videos on various topics important to her target audience and published them on her website.
Then she took the videos down.
I asked her why. She said couldn’t stop thinking that maybe they weren’t any good. Maybe she looked foolish. None of that was true. This highly capable, well respected, and otherwise confident woman had overwhelming stress about a batch of short YouTube videos.
Regardless of what you’ve accomplished in the past you can feel a lot self doubt when it comes to thought leadership. As a professional in any field, you’re acutely aware that even with years of experience someone knows more than you. Moreover, many accomplished professionals worry about being inadequate or fraudulent.
Researchers have found that such worry is common and that it actually correlates with competence! On the contrary, impostors and the truly incompetent tend not to worry about being fakes. The take home: if you’re worried you’re a fake, you’re probably not.
Provide Value for your Community
Still not convinced? Put emotion aside and look at the evidence. What have been your achievements? Have you passed competency exams? How have superiors and colleagues regarded you? If you’re really a fake, you must also be a genius because you’ve done a magnificent job convincing the rest of the world you’re the real deal.
What’s the alternative to not creating videos with your expert advice? You keep your insights to yourself, and then you’re perplexed when somebody with half your credentials and a tenth of your experience creates a Camtasia course or records a webinar that gets lots of great feedback. You think, “Hey, I could have done that! I could have done better!”
What kind of Expert are YOU?
Getting Started with Video
If 2017 is the first year you will be getting started with screencast video you need to begin with a schedule that’s realistic and obtainable. Commit to publishing one short video a month with a simple expert tip.
Plan out one year’s worth of content by writing down 12 titles (titles, not just topics). Focus on subject matter that you know, that you’re excited about, and show your personality.
Remember, you don’t need to be in front of the camera. Camtasia and PowerPoint make it easy for you to create beautiful videos with words, images and animation.
Decide where you’ll publish your video. Common places you can post:
• On your website
• On your Facebook, Twitter or Linked in page
• On your WordPress blog
• On your YouTube channel
• On a friend’s website who reaches a similar audience
Remember, thought leadership is about adding value to your community and providing help to others. Keeping this “for others” perspective can help you to proceed with less worry, and might even set you and your business up for unprecedented success.
If you want an inexpensive way to learn video you can still purchase our Camtasia 9 Training and attend two brand new courses live in January. Each 3-4 hour course is a complete training session on a popular style of video for only $47. Buy as many as you like.
