Jerry Springer, the salacious TV host and one-time Mayor of Cinncinatti, once said “Someone said I had a face for radio and a voice for newspapers”
You are probably tired of hearing everyone telling you that to get noticed anywhere you must be using video. But what happens if you are not comfortable in front of or using a camera?
What if Video is Not For Me?
Not everyone is and that’s okay. Why put yourself through all the angst and stress of producing video content when you will come across as nervous, wooden or inauthentic? But not using video is not an excuse for not doing anything to tell your brand story. Play to your own strengths and choose the media that best suits them.
Audio
Maybe, a little like Jerry, you do have that voice for radio. Of course, now the new radio is podcasting.
We are seeing an explosion in podcasting and whilst many may think the medium has peaked it is still only a fraction in terms of market size and reach to what is possible. It is worth keeping in mind that of all the thousands of podcasts you see in the directories only a very small number have made it into double-digit episodes. This underlines the need to look at podcasting and its potential returns as a long term play, although having a specific niche can create a small but loyal audience that advertisers will pay to reach. Some of my clients have been able to generate good sponsorship deals in this way.
Writing
Often, when I mention writing to a client they immediately think of either a book or they have to be blogging 17 times a week. Neither of which is the case. There are a multitude of other ways to get your expertise across by writing and an almost endless choice of media to place it in.
First decide what you are going to write about, who it is for, the format that feels right to you and is going to be easy enough for you to commit to and then go find the right platform that will allow you to do that and reach your audience.
This could be as simple as posting 200 words on LinkedIn once a week or tweeting 140 (or more) characters a day on Twitter or writing longer articles on Medium.
Images
The use of visually attention-grabbing photos is no longer the domain of the professional photographer. Just take a look at Instagram. Now you can tell your brand story and get it across in images, without even needing to post any text (although the odd #hashtag can help!).
Voice
The professional speaker of old would often say “Have voice, will travel”. Fees are no longer the expectation of many speakers, more the opportunity to be heard and with the advent of higher profile events like TEDx or Disrupt HR and many other local initiatives there are plenty of avenues it has become easier to find the right stage.
Outside of video, a combination of any of the above presents almost an infinite number of opportunities. So even if not having that face for video is true (at least to you), there is no excuse for making something happen and raising your visibility and credibility.
What are your preferred ways to tell your brand story?