In November of 2008, the end of the growing season, my Husband’s Mom and Step-Dad brought with them from Idaho, 2 little starts of some of their Austrees. Austrees are a very fast growing hardy tree, a hybrid of the Willow. I remember fondly the Weeping Willow tree we had in our backyard growing up. It was huge and originated from just three little twigs from the corner neighbor’s tree. It grew to epic proportions, and we eventually had to chop it down after being damaged several times over the years in storms, and after way too many times of taking out the power lines (and once falling on the roof of the neighbor’s garage). I’ve always loved the Willow tree, so I was excited to see what these would be like. They have the shape of the leaves of the Willow, just not drooping like the Weeping Willow, and incredible speed of growth, which is great for a new backyard that desperately needs trees.
This is the Austree on the left in our backyard. As I said, it was planted as just a little start. While it didn’t get much of a chance to do anything the first year it was planted because the growing season was over, it heartily made it up in last year’s season. This lil runt grew to 7 feet in that one season. It’s slightly smaller and weaker than its counterpart, but more full.
This is the Austree on the right in our backyard. This is the champion of champions. We had a little rabbit that ran through the yards, and it got hungry that first winter and chewed this start down to within an inch of the ground. We thought it was all over for that one. But, this little slugger proved us wrong. It started anew right behind that one inch lil stub and grew from nothing to 8 foot last growing season. Because we had put wire mesh screens and stakes around the trees to protect them from any little critters who would nibble on them in their fragile state while they were growing, this one got damaged in a wind storm by scraping against the top of the screen. So, it’s a little barren on it’s right side, but it’s coming back.
These two Austrees have been champions of growth, showing that from little to nothing, something great can come of it. I’m so proud of my trees and am so excited to see what they do this season. My Father-In-Law thinks they will double in size this year. Wow! I can’t wait! I know already, I’ve seen around a half foot of growth on each tree and the trunks have gotten thicker.
These trees are definitely and inspiration. If these trees can attain that much growth – from little to nothing, anyone can. It just takes the will to grow!
Hey! Kelli Jacobson here with Live Abundantly Successful! Hey, yer back! That’s awesome! Okay, grab that pen and paper again and get ready to start taking notes, because I’m about to share with you some more critical information on how you can get started with video marketing.
Ok, it’s time to roll our sleeves up and get going!
Alright. We know that video marketing is one of the fastest ways to get you started marketing your products, services, or business. Video marketing works for you 24/7, 365 days a year, while you eat, while you shop, while you are at your kid’s soccer game, even while you sleep. That is because your videos are out there for people to watch whenever they want, they are always there. But, if you don’t have the winning formula, it’s not going to work the way you want it to. So, I want to give you the winning formula.
One of the best things you can do is to teach people your internet marketing skills. Share what is working for you and how you market. And remember, you don’t have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going. Getting something out there is always better than nothing. Just hit the ground running and it will work in your favor in the long run. You have to get people to know about you. And get rid of the thought that you have to be a top earner or have income testimonials or anything like that to come across as a successful person. Unless you tell them you are not making anything yet, no one is going to know. In fact, in the beginning, I had lots of people tell me how successful I looked and I hadn’t made a dime yet. Also… people don’t really care how much you are making… and most likely, they wouldn’t believe you even if you told them (because they aren’t making that kind of money right now, and no one in their circle is making that kind of money, so they have no basis of belief yet, that making that kind of money is attainable). So, the better thing to do is market the potential lifestyle they can achieve and just drop the money aspect. For many, it’s not even about the money as to why they would want to become an entrepreneur, it’s about the lifestyle and the freedom they can achieve by not working a standard 9-5 job.
Okay, in the previous video we talked a bit about how to find content for your videos by watching others and taking the ideas and making them into your own.
Now, if you are going to be doing your videos as you on camera one of the most important things is to not look wooden and not look like you are reading a script.
You want to have some mobility and you want to be looking the people right in their eyes and connect with them. If you are constantly reading a teleprompter or something by your camera, people are going to be able to tell and they are going to be turned off. You need to engage them, and that is done by eye contact.
One of the ways you can do this is to take a piece of paper and write maybe 5 to 10 bullet points (that you can read from the distance) and tape it to your camera, right below the lense. This way, your eye shift will be minimal. You can use the bullet points to remind you of what you want to talk about and you won’t sound like you are reading from a script and you won’t look like a statue.
Next, your video is like a sales letter in that it needs to have a strong opening. The standard Hi, my name is, thanks for visiting is a total boring snooze fest. You want to immediately grab their attention. Don’t ramble, keep on track, and be short, concise, and to the point. Make a powerful opening statement such as Hey this is, welcome to my channel, this could be the most important video you watch this week because I’ve discoverd the big secret to… You want to make them think that they NEED this… use emotional trigger points to your advantage.
Also… Please make sure you are well groomed and have a clutter free background. The bed head, unshaven, stained wife beater look just won’t do the job… (Not unless it’s the before picture of a Before and After series – This is the bum I was before I found the secret to my wealth) Next, if you have beer cans and pizza boxes lying around, or your bed is unmade, it kind of shoots your authority right in the foot. So, keep your area tidy, or if you have to, just shoot against a white wall.
Something else to note is to make sure you have good lighting and that the camera position is right. You don’t want to have it too dark, but you don’t want it so bright that you look all washed out. And you don’t want to have the camera too close to where it’s cutting half your head off and we can count every pore on your face, but you also don’t want it too far away to where you can’t engage in eye contact with your audience because your eyes are just specs. And last but not least… always always always… SMILE, LOOK THE CAMERA IN THE EYE, and look CONFIDENT! Confidence is key! For those that are shy about being on camera, I’d like to give you a piece of advice… Most people probably do not care as much as you do, what you look like. Most likely, they don’t think you look as bad as you think you look. And to take a quote from the movie The Wedding Date “If You Look Them Right In The Eye, They’ll Never Notice What You’re Wearing”.
I hope these tips help you in getting started on video marketing. I will be bringing you more in depth tutorials on video marketing, such as how to best upload your videos – where and what information to put where. So, Stay tuned!
You can connect with me at KelliJacobson.com, I’d love to hear about your experiences with Video Marketing!
This is Kelli Jacobson with Live Abundantly Successful. Until Next Time…
I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. — Steve Jobs
My Thoughts:
Being a beginner again sometimes gives you a fresh perspective to operate from. It ignites your creativity. Sometimes when we work for so long on something, it becomes routine and possibly boring and stale. Starting anew gives you a clean slate to build on. You may not be sure what you are going to create, but you have an idea of what you want to create… And from that, you can do anything that you put your heart and mind to.
So, if you have been in the same position for awhile and things are getting stagnant, try doing something different for awhile. It may clear your mind so that when you are ready and go back to whatever it was, you’ll be able to begin anew and have a fresh perspective to give new inspiration to the project.
This has been Kelli Jacobson with Your Motivational Moment!
http://www.LiveAbundantlySuccessful.com ~ Discover 3 Tips for Using Twitter to Grow Your Internet Business. Kelli Jacobson of Live Abundantly Successful takes you through what it takes to build a stellar Twitter profile and maximize it’s effectiveness in your Online Internet Business Marketing.
As a Graphic Artist, Kelli does Custom Twitter Backgrounds. You can contact her through http://www.KelliJacobson.com to discuss your project.
Hey! Kelli Jacobson here! I want you to grab a pen and paper and get ready to start taking notes, because what I’m about to present here today is critical information to getting you started with video marketing part one.
In this video I will discuss the equipment you need and information to get you started making videos.
Ok, let’s roll our sleeves up and get started.
First, what are some of the things you will need:
Camera – This can be as simple as the video camera on your cell phone if that’s all you have, or a digital camera (most have video capability), or something simple like the Flip camcorder – it’s small and easy to operate and more than adequate for a beginner. They run around $150.00 or less (depending on sales).
Software to make your movie – Windows computers come with Windows Movie Maker – I just used this for the first time and it was pretty easy to use. Just import your movie from your camera, add titles and credits, perhaps some music in the beginning and end, and you’re done. I will go more in depth in another video. Mac users have iMovie. I’ve heard it’s pretty easy to use, but I’m a Windows PC gal, so I really don’t know much about it. Now, if you want to get more advanced software, there are plenty out there to choose from. I have Sony Vegas Studio and it works pretty well, I like it.
So… we have our camera, we have our software… Now what?
Well… Now we go shooting!
But what do you shoot about, you ask?
Well, here’s where you get creative.
Your first video should probably be about you – giving your audience an introduction into who you are, what you are about, and what you have to offer.
After that… well… Talk about what you know. The main process is to learn something, do it, and then teach it.
You can also read other’s articles or watch other’s videos, absorb the information, put it to use, and then teach it to others. You may even want to watch a couple of similar videos or read a couple of similar articles and then combine the lessons you’ve learned into one of your own. Maybe take a new spin on it.
This part is really important! You NEVER ever want to totally copy someone else and say what they said word-for-word – you need to make it your own. It’s okay to copy ideas and general concepts – it’s not okay to rip off the work of another. Your audience will appreciate your integrity, and after all, you ARE going after their trust.
One last note for this portion. YouTube is OWNED by Google, so make sure that your videos are not pitch fests for your product or company because it could get you shut down… Just as they have been suspending and disabling Google Adwords accounts, they have been doing the same with YouTube accounts. So, make sure you are giving far more value to your audience than you pitch to them.
Now… stop getting ready to get ready! Just get in there and do it. No, it’s not going to be perfect the first time, and that’s okay, you will get better as you go. And hey, with the way people have a fascination for reality TV nowadays, the rougher around the edges it is, the more they will probably like it (over a professional looking video). Remember, anything is better than nothing… so, get out there, learn something, do it, and then teach it!
That’s the nuts and bolts for Part One, Part Two will cover other essential tips for you to polish your video marketing skills.
I’d love to see the videos you produce, so contact me through KelliJacobson.com and leave me the link to your video. I look forward to seeing what you can do!
This has been Kelli Jacobson with Live Abundantly Successful. Until next time…
Take Care and Create Your Greatest Day!
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Kelli Jacobson is a Networking Mompreneur. She is a Mom to a 1 1/2 year old son and has been involved in Internet Marketing now for over two years. Her specialties are blogging, social media, and free to low-cost marketing methods. If you would like to learn more about Kelli, please see Who Is Kelli Jacobson. See you on the inside!
In my little journey that I call life, I like to search for inspirational and motivational things. Most of the time, those come in the form of quotes, and I’d love to share with you a really good quote I found today by Wesley Woo.
To Succeed You Must First Improve,
To Improve You Must First Practice,
To Practice You Must First Learn,
And To Learn You Must First Fail…
I am here, not to help you fail, but to help you Learn, Practice, Improve, and Become Successful.
I look forward to our journey together and I will see you on the next video!
Introducing the Networking Mompreneur, Kelli Jacobson! Kelli takes you through a little bit of her background to help you get to know her a little better.
You can connect with Kelli on the following sites:
Our family had a fantastic Labor Day Weekend. I hope yours did as well!
Starting off with Saturday Night, we had a BBQ at our place with my hubby’s Mom and Step-Dad. My husband cooked marinated steaks, a potato/veggie dish, and corn on the cob all on the grill and Mom had made chocolate frosted brownies for dessert. It was all soooo delicious! Then, after the lil one went to bed for the night, us adults gathered around the table for a night full of Mexican Train Dominoes! I lost big time, as usual. Started off doing pretty good, and I thought I had some good strategies going, but, it’s all the luck of the draw… It was a great night though. I think it was close to Midnight when they left, if that shows you how much fun we were having! lol
Then, Monday afternoon we had a fun picnic in the park, our son’s first picnic! Mom and Dad grabbed some ribs and potato salad from the store, and we brought some chips and some carrots and grapes for the kiddo. We got to sit down and have a nice picnic and then took the kiddo (15 months) over to the slide and the swings for his first time playing on the playground. Slide was a bit too hot and he didn’t like that so much, but he enjoyed the swings, and then the dirt and stuff on the ground! lol
All in all, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my weekend, than with family!
