Senior Execs, Social Media & Selfie Videos: A guide

Why Should I Record a Senior Exec Selfie Video?

Senior execs are full of knowledge and insight, but short of time.  Selfie videos offer the fastest way to extract this knowledge in a shareable and engaging format.

With as little as 15 minutes of preparation and 15 mins recording (assuming you take 2-3 goes to get it right) you can produce a piece of content that can be published almost immediately and re-used for weeks.

With a bit of design wizardry, you can make your videos both professional and engaging.

By posting videos to social media, making sure to invite (i.e. @mention) your colleagues and fellow Senior Execs to engage with the post – you can build your company brand, as well as your own social presence.

What Should I Talk About?

When thinking of a topic – always start with your audience. Who are they? What are their pain points? What challenges are they facing today?

Picking one of the following approaches for your video might help:

• Posing a question – Speaking directly to your contacts and peers, pose a question, inviting them to share their views in comments. Then offer your thoughts on it.
• A point of view – Provide your perspective on a topical issue within your industry. Invite your contacts/peers to contribute, asking “am I right?”
• Snapshot review – Provide a short analysis of some recent data, or a report. What are the salient points? What does it mean for your audience? Ask your audience to share their insights with you.
• Event taster – If you’re going to be speaking in a podcast, webinar or conference, post a preview of what you’ll be talking about. @mention the event host and other speakers, so they engage with the post.

It’s a good idea to jot down ideas for videos whenever they come to you – so you build up a pool of topics to talk about.

How Should I Structure My Video?

Although we normally recommend very short videos on social media (e.g. <30 seconds on Facebook), B2B videos posted to LinkedIn or Twitter can be much longer. 1-3 minutes is fine.

The structure is very important though. Make sure you follow these rules:

1. Don’t do a preamble or introduction – just state the topic you’ll be addressing as soon as the video starts – in the shortest and most engaging way possible. Grab their attention!
2. Don’t include a logo or branding at the start – anything that smacks of marketing will immediately put your audience off.
3. Structure your answer – You need to make it really easy to follow what you’re saying. The easiest way to do this is to list your points – e.g. “There are three key issues at play here…” Then make sure you number each point as you say it.
4. Always invite others to contribute – The easiest way to do this is to open the door to other viewpoints, e.g. Have I missed anything? Have I got this wrong? What do you think? Please add your views in the comments.
5. Ask people to like and share your post – Asking people to like and share is a really effective tactic, but few people do it. The more you ask, the more you’ll get!
We are big fans of the way Onalytica‘s CEO, Tim Williams structures his.

Where Should I Film My Video?

The answer is: in the most interesting place possible, whilst adhering to our quality tips below. Doing it on a roller-coaster would be massively engaging, but you might struggle to be heard!

Some ideas for locations include:

• On location – e.g. standing next to a London landmark, on a bridge, or at the top of a tall building
• In a garden, park or the countryside – with a nice, simple background of lawns, flowers, trees or fields.
• In the car – the “Carpool Karaoke” look can work really well (make sure you’re not driving).

As a last resort, you can use your office, however, it might be a bit dull unless you have an amazing office, like OST.

How Can I Ensure My Video Footage Is Good Enough?

Here are some top tips for filming a great video:

• Lighting is key – Make sure your face is well-lit and you don’t have a bright back-light behind you. Standing with a window behind you is usually the worst position for lighting. If needs be, light your face with a well-positioned lamp.
• If possible, use a microphone – Connecting a microphone to your phone or laptop is the best option. If you are using an in-built microphone, avoid filming anywhere with noisy background sound, or wind (which is much louder on a microphone).
• Look at the camera – If you can look directly into the camera, rather than at your notes, or away, you’ll connect better with your audience. Ensuring your camera is at eye level will help.
• Have a simple background – Avoid a cluttered or changing background. This will distract your audience.
• Be animated – Without going over the top, make sure you smile, use your hands and are expressive. Make sure you modulate the tone of your voice to add interest.

Senior Execs Selfie Video – Good example

It’s worth noting, in this video, Jasmine has tilted the phone at a higher angle than herself, has gone outside for the best possible lighting, and has used a more engaging backdrop, than had she stayed at her desk.

Senior Execs Selfie Video – Bad example

Taken directly after the good example above, Jasmine has the phone at a lower angle, and immediately this shows in the poorer quality lighting. She has also moved slightly so that the backdrop is less engaging.

How Can I Improve My Video In Post-production?

We can recommend the best options for post-production enhancement, but these might include:

• Subtitles – Subs are needed, as videos on social media tend to play without sound (by default).
• On-screen text – e.g. on-screen visual prompts to highlight key points.
• Outro video – e.g. a quick animated logo with company strapline or messaging, to promote brand awareness.
• Music – Background music can sometimes set a certain tone and increase engagement.
• Editing – small edits, e.g. removing a hesitation, cutting an unnecessary sentence, can improve the flow and impact of videos.

So to conclude

With all of these ready-made tips, Senior Execs should have no trouble uploading some insightful and engaging selfie videos, and should they want to build a strategy around this, then get in touch!