What's the stock music of your business?

I listen to a lot of podcasts and one I have listened to a lot lately is the podcast version of Gary Vaynerchuk's show called #AskGaryVee. As I listen to the intro music to his podcast, I can't help but think how well his music represents him.

If you don't know who Gary Vaynerchuk is, he's an entrepreneur who used social media so successfully to grow his wine business that he is now one of the leading experts on the use of social media in the business world. The thing about Gary is that he has a big personality. A HUGE personality. He's got a big ego, which he has no problems owning, he swears a lot and he disagrees with people a lot. So, as I was listening to the music that intros his show I noticed just how fitting it was for him: edgy and a bit aggressive. Take a listen here - the music starts 9 seconds in:

Here's another video, this time it's Marie Forleo. She's someone who I think of as fashionable, professional, fun and quirky. I think the music fits her, though not as amazingly on point as GaryVee's. Check out her intro music at 9 seconds in:

Here's one last one. Farideh is someone who teaches people about how to create launches for their programs. What's fun about her is that she is also a musician and I imagine recorded the music herself. Her music is the closest to what I picked for myself -  lighthearted and fun. To me it speaks to being approachable and not being so "professional" that you're intimidating. Her music starts 14 seconds in:

Why is figuring out your music important?

There are two reasons I think figuring out the music that best represents you and/or your business is important:

1) Understand how you come across and how you want to come across

Having a clear idea about what you want people to think when they think of you can help you connect with your audience. When I get new photos done I come prepared with a list of words I want people to think when they see them. They include works like approachable, fun, easy to talk to - the same words I would use to pick music.

Spend a few minutes making a list of words you think fit you and how you want people to view you. If you're having a hard time thinking of what those words should be then you might want to think about what theme music you would pick for yourself - it's a different way of coming at the same topic.

2) Video

Video is becoming more and more important and you'll see a lot more content with regards to video over the coming months here on the blog. Video is a great way to connect with your audience and share information in short and fun to watch bites. 

When you do use video, you'll want that theme music to set the tone and feeling to your content. It also adds an extra level of professionalism to your product, which is more and more expected in the online world.

Where do I start?

There are lots of great sites to find stock music. It's often not cheap (though I think the two times I bought music I spent under $10) but spending some time thinking about the music you would use could be a lot of fun. I like ukuleles in mine because they're so happy and fun :). One small tip is to look for a loopable clip so that you can buy something shorter.

Two sites to check out are istock.com and www.stockmusic.net/. There are also options for finding royalty free or indie bands who are happy to let you use their music.

Leave me a comment and let me know what your music would sound like, or even better - link to it!

Guest post: How to do more video without shooting any - Part 2

We’re thrilled to have Lara from Do More Video back this week with Part 2 of her guest post series How To Do More Video Without Shooting Any Video: 

The goal of our 3 part series is to help you get your creative on and make more video by removing the technical barriers of shooting and editing.

In Part 1, we looked at how you can use online animators to create simple and engaging videos to explain your business proposition or to break down difficult concepts for your audiences. Today we introduce another one of our favorite tools: Animoto.

What is it?

In a nutshell, Animoto will create a professional looking video just from your photos. You supply the pictures and Animoto will supply the rest. It’s an easy to follow process which you are walked through step by step:

Step 1: Choose a video style (supplied by Animoto)

Step 2; Choose your music (upload your own or choose from Animoto’s library)

Step 3: Upload your pictures

Step 4: Add text

Step 5: Push the Produce Video button and let Animoto do all the editing for you. You can go back and revise any step you want at anytime. Animoto is a web based tool so you can use it from anywhere you have internet access. It also has a very good iPhone App that enables you to make and post your videos on the go.

When Should I use it?

Animoto is a great video tool to:

• capture events;
• show off products from real estate to bake goods;
• provide virtual tours of museums, resorts, and other attractions; and
• to showcase your portfolio of photos, paintings, sculptures, or collectibles.

These are just a few ideas. I am sure once you start playing with Animoto you will come up with many more uses. To show you a quick example of what I’ve been talking about so far, I went to the Canadian Museum of Nature the other week to visit the dinosaurs. I put this short video together using Animoto and pictures from my iPhone to highlight My Night At The Museum:

If you are thinking about using Animoto for business, check out their blog post “The :30 Spot - Small Businesses” which provides an easy 7 step process for creating an intro video for your business.

Things to know

Cost: You can play with Animoto for free to make non-commercial low res videos up to 30 seconds in length. If you want to make videos to promote your business, then you will need to get a Pro account which is US$39/month or US$249 for the year. With the Pro account you get:

• a licence for commercial use (this does not include selling your videos to others);
• more style and music options;
• high definition videos;
• feature-length videos;
• no Animoto branding in the video; and
• the ability to add a clickable call to action button at the end of each video.

In my opinion, the Pro account subscription fee easily pays for itself when you compare it to the cost of hiring someone to do just one video. Also, if you only need one or two videos, you can probably just get a monthly membership, make your videos, download them, and then cancel your membership. Just make sure Animoto’s terms of service will let you do this before you try it. Benefits for Not-For-Profits: Great news for not-for-profits and humanitarian causes. Animoto may support you with a FREE Pro Account.You can apply for a free account here: http://animoto.com/cause A couple of years ago, I worked on an NGO environmental campaign. We wanted to share the campaign online and show off the energy of our events from across the province. We took photos from all of the events, the volunteers mixed their own song, and we assembled it all using Animoto to tell the story. It will not write your story for you: As I mentioned in Part 1, these tools help remove the technical barriers of making video so you can focus on the creative. Use that extra time to think about:

• the message you want to convey;
• how can your message be put into a story;
• what video style best matches the emotion of your story
• how can the order of your photos best support your story; and
• what music helps you best convey your story and create the desired mood.

We are not connected to Animoto: I know at times my post may sound like a paid advertisement for Animoto, but it’s not. I am just very keen on the product right now and love playing with it. That said, there are other great products out there to make slideshow type videos. So, if you have any other recommendations, we would love to hear about them. You can add video too!: I know, I know. I said this post would be about how to make video without having to shoot any. But, there may be some of you that already have video clips that you want to use. Well, Animoto will let you do just that. You can add video clips of up to 10 seconds in length. To show you what it can look like, I put together this mock business intro video.

(This video is only being used as an example for this blog post.)

Next week Part III

Check back next Tuesday for the final part of our series on how to Do More Video Without Shooting Any Video. We will show you a video strategy that you can implement quickly that will also provide you with excellent insight into your market and competition.  Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more tips and tricks on how to use online video for better results. - Lara

Case study: Devin Super Tramp

There are many out there who are using social media to build their businesses or AS their businesses.  We will be finding interesting content, interviewing people and featuring their stories here regularly.

- Lara

This past weekend my family and I were doing one of the things we often do together - watching YouTube videos. My husband seems to find the best of the newest viral videos and the kids were screaming for the giant swing video.

As soon as I watched it I understood why the kids loved it so much - I did too! Then we started watching more of their videos and all I could think was “THIS is a blog post!”

Devin Graham has turned making cool YouTube videos into a career. He found a winning formula in extreme sports/crazy fun + excellent music and now posts weekly videos that get millions of hits to his YouTube channel. And, it should be noted that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Web - second only to Google, that is.

By creating this kind of content, he earns (I imagine) considerable amounts from YouTube and has also managed to get sponsorship for some of his videos from companies like Vooray and Blank Snowboards (though how much in product and how much in actual sponsorship dollars I have no idea).

What can we learn from someone like Devin? Although I don’t expect any of us to join the ranks of those who can make a living off making fun videos that millions like to watch, we can learn what it is that people enjoy. For Devin and his audience - an audience the sponsors clearly want to reach - the message is:

1) Fun

2) Energetic

3) Daring

4) Young

Though these words may not work for you - what words WOULD work for your audience?

If you have a company that deals in children’s clothing or toys - can you create a fun video of kids giggling, laughing, playing, looking cute and with fun music?

If you are an interior decorator can you show someone how to make their curtains hang just right in 2 minutes?

If you are a professional organizer can you share the secret to folding fitted sheets step by step?

Think about your audience, what they want, and how video can bring that information to them. Then test the water and try to make some of your own! Until then, check out some more of Devin Graham’s videos - they really are fun for the whole family!

Video is a powerful medium - have you thought about how YOU can use it for your business?