There is little reason not to make video a part of your online presence. With the availability of smartphones and inexpensive editing tools such as Canva and Adobe Express, even the luddites amongst us can enhance their social presence with some quick promotional videos, explainers, or even live video to reach out to our customers directly.

However, there are some obstacles and pitfalls the inexperience may not immediately realise.

A Failure to Understand the Platform

Think about how you use social media, whether it’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, etc. All of these sites use the same content-delivery method – content is stacked on top of each other encouraging the user to scroll. So conditioned are we to scrolling, that a lot of content gets lost in the noise. What we’re seeing doesn’t even register with us, until something catches our eye.

Different platforms present our content in different ways. Some sites, such as YouTube, allow the user to put a thumbnail image on the video. Other sites will use the first frame of a video as a makeshift thumbnail. More will simply autoplay the video once it’s in the user’s device viewport.

We need to understand how each platform will present our video and tailor it accordingly. Our thumbnails need to be intriguing and enticing, our first frame should pique curiosity, and the openings of our videos should be exciting and novel. Failure to tailor our videos in such a way leads to people scrolling past.

Not Getting to the Point Quickly Enough

In the film industry, there’s a rule of thumb that if a script reader gets to page ten of a script and doesn’t have an idea where the story is going, then the script gets tossed aside. In the TV industry, a writer has until around page five.

In the world of social media, you have about ten to fifteen seconds to grab someone’s interest, and even that is pushing it. Therefore, not only do you need an eye-catching enticement to stop scrolling and watch your video, but you also must ensure you’re delivering your message instantly, and that message needs to be something that will get people to stick around.

There is no point wasting a couple of seconds on your logo, or adding a title screen, or putting in anything that is likely to send an audience elsewhere. If you’re posting an explainer video, don’t waste valuable time explaining the problem, get right into how you’re going to solve it.

Ideally, your social videos should be as short as you can make them. Anything more than a minute in length is sketchy territory for maintaining people’s attention spans, and if you can get your message across considerably quicker, that’s a huge boon.

Not Having a Script

You don’t need to write a screenplay to make a good video for social media, but you do need to know what you want to say and have the confidence to say it clearly. Nobody wants to listen to somebody ‘um’ and ‘er’ through a video, nor are they interested in watching someone going off on wild tangents. If you look like you’re ‘winging it’ then the only reason people are going to watch your video is for comedy value, and that’s definitely not what your goal should be.

At the least, you should have a structure for the video planned out and rehearsed, so that you can deliver your message clearly and concisely. You should also ensure that you’ve researched your points, are using the correct terminology, and not making the type of errors the Culture Secretary makes on a regular basis.

Trying to Emulate Television Advertising

People aren’t on social media to watch television adverts, and most of the adverts shown on TV would fail on social media. For a start, most of the time, you’ll want your video to occupy as much of a user’s viewport as possible – and that means filming in portrait mode, as opposed to landscape/widescreen. Widescreen videos looks great on a 55” HD TV, or even a laptop/desktop monitor, but they look tiny on a phone screen.

For a phone user to watch your widescreen video, they need to click the maximise button then physically rotate their phone. Those are small, but still extra steps and steps a lot of people simply won’t be willing to take.

Forgetting to Subtitle Videos

When a video appears in your feed, it’s muted. People don’t like random noises blaring from their devices, so the platforms require the user to turn the sound up manually. Many people won’t do that, for obvious reasons. If someone’s in a public place and hasn’t got headphones, it’s embarrassing for them when their device suddenly starts blurting out noises. Consequently, you need to subtitle your video to make sure your message gets across.

It’s also worth noting that many people who use social media may be hearing impaired anyway, so subtitling your video is simply the decent thing to do and shows awareness of the current discussions around accessibility.

Lacking Confidence

Many people feel that they shouldn’t post video that is ‘imperfect’ – too raw, too shaky, too amateurish. What you need to remember is that expectations are lower on social media. People aren’t expecting to see MCU-style cinematography, or Leonardo Di Caprio levels of acting skill. Sometimes the imperfections can work in your favour, as they can lead to a perception of your video being more honest and relatable.

Don’t focus on what’s wrong with your video. Instead, ask yourself whether what you’ve got is interesting, enticing, whether it’s going to catch people’s eyes and get them to stick around. That’s far more important than having HBO production values.

Forgetting the Call to Action

You’ve done it! You’ve put up a video. It’s caught people’s attention. It’s being shared, liked, commented on – what’s next?

Don’t assume that people who watch your video all the way to the end will be encouraged to follow you, visit your website, email you, or anything else. You have to provide some instructions. If you want people to follow, ask them to follow you. If you want people to visit your website, tell them that. If you want people to buy your product, tell them where they can buy it. Give them something to do!

Otherwise, you’ll have put all that effort in and little will come of it.

Need Some Help?

If you’re looking to develop your social selling skills, we can offer a range of solutions to enhance your people’s abilities to sell via social media, master their virtual presence, and even lead remote social selling teams. Get in touch, and discover the RLA difference!

The post Social Selling: 7 Mistakes You Might Be Making With Video Content appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

Covid has shone a light on something that I feel has been coming for some time—the death of the traditional in-person sales call. I’m sure many of us remember David Brent, after his days at Wernham Hogg, bombing down the motorway to ask a potential customer ‘Who does your tampons?’.

Travelling sales reps have long been a key tool for many businesses. They provided the personal touch you couldn’t get from a phone call or email, they could offer product demonstrations, and because they had a captive audience, they could look for opportunities to cross or upsell.

The Rise of Online

However, even before the pandemic, the value of the traditional sales representative had started to wane. Key decision-makers, particularly in larger organisations, are not so easily accessible. Getting appointments has become trickier, and the unsolicited approach generally courts frustration and disdain. I also believe there is a generational gap with those who grew up in the latter years of the Information Age not being as appreciative of the sales rep as those who grew up when this methodology was the norm.

This creates a situation where the traditional sales rep has less strategic value to both the organisation and the customer. Covid has only exacerbated the issue, with the easy-availability of video-conferencing applications providing a suitable alternative to the personal call. Our salespeople no longer need to pop in for a cup of tea and a chat; they can simply send a Zoom link instead and do things online. Between video calls, phone calls, emails, text messages and instant messaging applications, is there any real value to keeping salespeople on the road?

Court Before Pitching

I’d say there is. When selling physical products, for example, it’s easier to demonstrate the product in person. Technology may be much more advanced than even ten years ago, but many areas of the country still have less than ideal broadband speeds and reliability. An in-person call isn’t subject to a technical hiccup such as a router rebooting at an inopportune time. It also has to be said that there is still value in a simple handshake, the walk to the elevator, and those other elements that are difficult to replicate in an online world.

To succeed, though, salespeople cannot rely on the way things were done. A business leader or procurement agent isn’t going to agree to a meeting unless they truly believe they can get value from it. For the salesperson, this means that much more of the groundwork needs to be laid before they can even think about meeting in person. In a way, they need to start treating it more like online dating—get their LinkedIn Profile up-to-scratch, build trust, develop respect, communicate openly and honestly, and really sell themselves before they can begin to sell for their company.

Rise Above and Triumph

Salespeople need to elevate themselves above the crowd. They need more knowledge of their industry and market, their competitors, and their product than they needed before. To communicate the value they bring, they need to think more creatively, and approach prospective customers with ideas and insights that the client simply cannot find anywhere else.

The best salespeople will seek to establish themselves within the client organisation as a Trusted Adviser. They’ll make themselves available to answer calls, provide insights, brainstorm, and take the time to help customers understand how to solve the problems they face. Great salespeople have always disrupted the customer’s thinking and challenged them on preconceptions, and now that’s more important than ever.

Still Here, But Different

The in-person meeting isn’t going to go away, but it’s going to become much more difficult to get a date in the diary when there are so many more favourable alternatives. Instead of having people on the road, it may be more beneficial to keep them at home or in the office, and get them prospecting, get them reaching out, and getting them to work hard on their entrepreneurial skills so that they can elevate themselves, and their organisation, above the competition.

At Robin Lines Associates, we offer a variety of Sales, Prospecting, and Key Account Management programmes. All of our programmes are bespoke, tailored to your people’s needs, your organisation’s challenges, and the conditions in your market. Reach out and let us know what challenges you’re facing and we’re certain we can come up with a training solution that will return fantastic results.

The post Death of a Salesperson appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

The Challenger Seller offers solutions to problems, they push their perspective firmly but without rudeness and they consistently outperform all other types of seller. They succeed because they adapt their pitch and their approach dynamically according to circumstances. Challengers don’t read from scripts, they’re not restricted by the “way it’s done” – they have confidence, charisma and a tendency towards nudging people into provocative ways of thinking.

Risk vs Reward

At its heart, business is about risk. Whether you’re a young, ambitious entrepreneur or an established FTSE 100 company, to remain relevant and compete you need to take risks. Sometimes those risks don’t pay off, but other times they reap huge rewards. The key is to work out which risks are worth taking.

Nowadays, the specifications of phone’s camera can be as big a selling point as the phone itself. Yet back when mobiles had only just adopted colour screens, the idea of a phone with a built-in camera was widely ridiculed. ‘Who needs that?’ was the remark of one person in my office. It turned out, a lot of people needed it.

The key to sales is not to sell a product but to sell a solution. Marketers try to convince people they need a product in their life, but if there is no problem to solve, even a multi-million-pound campaign won’t shift your product. Importantly, there are always problems to be addressed – you just need to focus on the right one and challenge the status quo.

Avoid the Status Quo

If you’ve got a formula that seems to work, it’s tempting to rest on your laurels. However, while you’re sitting back and playing it safe, your competitors are looking for an edge. What can they offer that you don’t? Business, just as life itself, needs to evolve to thrive. Your organisation either adapts or it dies.

Change, as necessary as it is, can be frightening. All the statistical data and theoretical models of customer behaviours and trends cannot guarantee a win. Taking that bold step into the unknown is the toughest part and so many fall before they’ve stepped forward. That’s why you don’t just need Challenger Sellers, you need Challenger Leaders.

You need leaders who are constructively disruptive, proactive and aren’t afraid to take those first few scary steps. Furthermore, you need the inspirational effect of someone undaunted by fear of change and unencumbered by blind adherence to the status quo.

No Need to be Reckless

That isn’t to say you should be looking to appoint people who are recklessly impulsive. Such individuals rarely have the maturity or commitment to ride the waves of hazardous waters. Instead, listen to the people in your team. Talk to them, understand them and gain their input. Create an open environment in your business where ideas can be exchanged freely and you will soon learn who are the Challengers in your midst.

Your Challenger is the individual who sees the opportunity and plots the journey forward. They’re not married to “the done thing” nor are they another “Yes man/woman”. The Challenger is the one that speaks up in meetings to offer constructive criticism, they bring unique ideas to you, and they get you to share their excitement about the vision they have.

Instead of trying to think outside the box, perhaps we should aim to get rid of the box?

The post Why Your Business Needs a Challenger appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.