Tag Archives: develop

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June 19, 2023

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Behind the Scenes, Interviews

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5 Strategies to Simplifying Video for Social Media

Attention spans are short, and scrolling through social media feeds has become a daily routine. This cultural phenomenon makes capturing and maintaining our audience’s attention crucial.

Video messages are a powerful tool for communication on social media platforms, but to make an impact, they need to be concise, clear, and engaging. There are five effective strategies for simplifying video messages to communicate your message to your target audience effectively.

Craft a Clear and Compelling Message

The first step is to define a clear and compelling message in your visual voice. Identify the core objective of your video. What do you want your audience to take away from it? Once you have a clear goal, distill your message into a concise statement or key points. Avoid excessive jargon or complex explanations that might confuse or disengage viewers.

Consider using a storytelling approach to communicate your message effectively. Narratives with a beginning, middle, and end are compelling and can captivate your audience. Structure your video in a way that hooks viewers from the start, keeps them engaged throughout, and concludes with a memorable ending.

Keep it Short and Sweet (KISS)

Attention spans on social media are notoriously short, so keep your video message concise. Aim for videos that are at most two minutes in length. Grab your viewers’ attention within the first four seconds and maintain their interest throughout. Be mindful of the pacing, avoiding unnecessary repetitions or rabbit trails that could cause your audience to lose interest.

One effective way to simplify your video message is to focus on a single key idea or takeaway. Resist the temptation to overload your video with too much information. Instead, break complex topics into smaller, digestible chunks and create separate videos if needed. Remember, brevity is key to maximizing engagement on social media platforms.

Use Visuals and Graphics

Visual aids and graphics can significantly enhance the simplicity and impact of your video message. Support your narrative by illustrating key points with relevant visuals, such as images, charts, or infographics. Visual elements like storyboards can be fun and make information easier to remember.

When using graphics, choose clean and uncluttered designs that align with your brand identity and the overall tone of your video. Avoid overwhelming viewers with too much stimulation or information. Instead, focus on conveying the most crucial information visually.

Optimize for Mobile Viewing

Smartphones make up about 70% of internet traffic, so optimize your video message for mobile viewing. Ensure that your video is compatible with various screen sizes and orientations. Also, many viewers watch videos with the sound off, so consider using subtitles or captions.

Video load time is a critical consideration since most viewers won’t wait for your video to load. There is little loyalty when it comes to impatient wait times. Most individuals are likely to click on a faster-loading video from your competitor.

Compressing your video file size without compromising quality can help improve loading times. Prioritize high-quality visuals while keeping the file size as small as possible.

Call-to-Action and Follow-up

To maximize the video’s impact, conclude with a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA). What action do you want your viewers to take after watching the video? Whether it’s visiting your website, subscribing to your channel, or sharing the video with others, make it explicit and easy to follow.

Often the CTA drives engagement in the comments section or direct messages. Respond promptly to questions, comments, and feedback to fuel engagement and foster a sense of community. Actively participate in the conversation surrounding your video message to help build trust and credibility with your audience.

Simplify Your Video Message

Simplifying video messages for social media is essential to communicate with your target audience. By crafting a clear and compelling message, keeping your videos short and engaging, incorporating visual aids and graphics, optimizing for mobile viewing, and including a strong call-to-action, you can create impactful video content that resonates with viewers.

Remember, simplicity is key to capturing your audience’s attention, making a memorable impression, driving engagement, and increasing brand awareness. All of which help you achieve your communication goals.

Copyright © 2023 by CJ Powers

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September 1, 2017

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Leadership

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4 Steps to Setting the Value of Your Services (Part 3 of 3)

Continued from part 2.

BusNotesPt3Pricing Sample:

An editor I coached needed to make $50,000 a year. She also needed two weeks of vacation, holidays off, and some personal/sick days to take care of her kids. She was also able to work 6 hours a day, although not in a row, and wanted to make sure that her work time was filled at least 80% of the time. Here is the formula we used to determine hours she’s available to work each year:

((6 hours per day * 5 days per week) * 48 weeks per year) * 80% of time busy = 1,152 hours of work

• The 49 weeks allows for two weeks of vacation, one week of personal/sick time, and five holidays.

Next we had to figure out the hourly rate:

$50,000/1,152 hours = $43/hour (Not taking into account overhead, education, etc.)

Since no one wanted to hire her by the hour, she needed to convert the hourly rate into a per page or per word rate. She determined that there are about 150 words per page and it takes her 5, 10, or 20 minutes per page depending on the type of editing she does. So we developed the following two formulas:

$43/(60 minutes/time per page) = per page rate

per page rate/150 words = per word price

She created two versions of the above prices based on the three types of editing she does, which looked like this:

Editing Type A = $3.58/page
Editing Type B = $7.20/page
Editing Type C = $15.00/page
Editing Type A = $0.03/word
Editing Type B = $0.05/word
Editing Type C = $0.10/word

Now when she gets a call from a potential customer, she asks how many words are in the manuscript. If they tell her 77,000 words, she says, “For type A editing, your price will be $2,310.”

Gone are the days of calculating out how many days are left in the month and her workload. She no longer has to review the physical documents for typeset size based on the font used in the manuscript. She just uses a simple multiplier to calculate the answer. All the other background work is done by the previous formulas to free up her quoting process. And, if she’s a bit faster on a job or two, she’ll find a nice bonus at the end of the year.

End of part 3 of 3.

© 2017 by CJ Powers
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July 24, 2015

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Leadership

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Encourage Team by Casting Vision Using Four Simple Strategies

Ansel Adams TetonsComposition was a strong skill in my photography tool belt when I was in college. It attracted weekend wedding jobs, numerous awards and my first cinematography gig with CBS. My ability to artistically capture images through a lens was due to an employer who encouraged me by casting a vision for my future.

Alta was a writer and a photographer who took over the management of her parent’s local camera store. When I was in high school, she hired me for my technical knowledge and ability to sell. It was her hope that I’d free up her time so she could fulfill her love of writing for the trade papers.

On one particular day, she reviewed customer photo packets with me and pointed out the problems most had in composing an image. She then raved about Ansel Adams and suggested that I improve my skills to match. Once she saw that I bought into her inspiration, she asked me to enter Polaroid’s national photo competition.

After winning the award for best composition, I realized Alta had casted a vision that drove my skill improvements. I owed her a good deal of thanks for investing a vision in me and inspiring me to step up to it. And, I made a mental note of how she encouraged me, which I’d like to share.

Every leader can learn how to encourage their team by casting vision using four simple strategies.

Acknowledge a Recognized Problem

I was able to accept Alta’s challenge because she first pointed out what I could see and understand. The pictures in everyone’s vacation photos had no artistic value. We both saw it and could relate to each other’s perspective on the poor quality of composition. In that moment we were peers.

Share a Vision of What the Solution Looks Like

Alta then pointed out the great works of Ansel Adams, who I admired. His sense of composition was breathtaking and made the mundane look priceless. Developing similar skills promised equal benefits. I was sold on wanting to develop my eye for composition.

Suggest a Course of Action for the Team’s Success

I was given instructions to study and practice my composition for the up coming contest. Alta handed me a camera and numerous rolls of film. She only required the right to watch my development process and make suggestions along the way. After several months of intensive shooting, I came up with one perfect shot that would’ve thrilled Adams.

Ask for the Team’s Commitment

To benefit from the process, which would help the store and give her more time to write, Alta asked me to commit to practicing and submitting my best photo. I agreed and took first place in the category of composition. It was a thrill to have my name associated (for a few weeks) with the real pros that included photographers from National Geographic, Sports Illustrated and the like.

I was amazed at how a little encouragement through casting a vision impacted my life. It made me realize how much power rests in the hands of a true leader that can directly impact her company. And, its not limited to a few leaders. Every leader can encourage their team by casting a vision.

Copyright © 2015 by CJ Powers