3 Ways Online Videos Can Ruin Your Personal Brand

by | Oct 13, 2008 | Social Media, Video Marketing | 4 comments

I recently got an email from Kim Castle of BrandU and the subject was Can Misusing Online Video Ruin Your Brand?

Yes, it can. Here’s how:

  1. It can make you look cheap and unsuccessful. If you’re teaching people how to create a six figure income, your video better look like it. There’s a video of a guy who’s teaching you how to make 5 figures in 21 days from Facebook. He’s using videos in his marketing. Unfortunately, his videos smack of someone who’s barely getting by on $21 an hour. He threw up a very cheap red colored fabric as his background while sitting in front of a desk. Plus, the audio is poor. John Reese’s video makes him look like 7 figure success. This first video I did a few months ago here makes me look like a 3 figure success story. Ouch!
  2. It can create a disconnect with your personality. Some people are naturally outgoing, but produce a video that hides what makes them unique. Someone pointing this out to me a couple of months ago. She said that on the phone, I showed up, yet on the videos, I was hiding. At the time, I chose to sit at my desk in front of the camera and talk. While that may work for some, such as my friends Nancy Marmolejo, Sherman Hu and Travis Greenlee (they look amazing on camera), it didn’t for me. Being a talking head boxed me in a corner, like I was being benched in a basketball game. So, taking a page out of Lou Bortone’s book, I let my personality show through and started to be myself.
  3. It can create doubt in your target market’s mind. There are many people who hate being in front of crowds. Using video is quite the same. Although you can’t see the crowd, the crowd will be watching. You may sound confident over the phone on a teleclass, but fold to pieces as soon as a camera is shining in your face. Imagine what your target market may be thinking seeing you sweat and look uncomfortable when you’re supposed to be their Empowerment Queen. Give yourself permission not to jump on the video bandwagon if you’re not comfortable with it.

You can produce video that won’t ruin your brand without spending thousands of dollars. I recently provided some shoestring budget ways to spruce up your videos here and here.

Producing video for online distribution doesn’t have to be hard, but it shouldn’t ruin your personal brand either.

What other tips can you provide so that others don’t ruin their personal brand when using online videos?

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4 Comments

  1. Nancy Marmolejo, Visibility Expert

    I so agree with this Leesa! The truth about video is that it’s very unforgiving and it lives on forever. Like those bad hair day photos of us from the 80’s, at some point in the future bad video will make you look back and moan “Ughhh! What was I thinking!”

    It’s very important to take a few moments to spruce yourself up, check your background, practice your content… just like we do with our other marketing efforts. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I edit a few drafts of my writing before I put it online (blog comments excepted ). Video needs to be treated the same way.

    Toss the web cams and the bad bookcase backgrounds and be consistent with your brand and your message.

    🙂
    Nancy

  2. Kim Castle

    Lisa-

    Thanks for picking up on the brand-making (or destroying)tip I shared about using online video. It came out of the so many people responding to and wanting to have videos like we had on our BrandU website.

    Most people today are so focused on “what” they’re saying they forget that even more important is why and how.

    Additionally, people always forget “what” you say but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. Thing is…YOU can the power to control that IF you OWN it.

    Thanks for being wonderful you! Know you’re gaining extreme clarity with Power Path. : )

    Kim Castle
    co-creator BrandU

  3. Jocelyn Reyes Midghall

    Good points, Leesa! Sometimes, people forget that although we can delete stuff online that we leave behind “footprints”. This is a good reminder to always show one’s best in whatever medium they choose. Online videos do leave a lasting impression!
    Thanks for sharing…
    Jocelyn

  4. Gregory Ng

    Can videos ruin your brand? Absolutely. But it can also help it too. I think it is truly a case by case basis. I do agree with the production value part of it. Some so called “experts” are shooting stuff with lo-quality cameras with shoddy sets and lighting.