Using story to create a powerful online presence 12 december 2012

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Using storytelling techniques to create powerful online video Creating a story around the story of your business can leverage your brand online by recording your own online videos.

Don’t Dance with the Dinosaurs! We know this is the dawn of a new online age. Online videos and social media marketing via Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter and LinkendIN is one of the to promote your business or enterprise. It is perfect for small to medium sized enterprises, sole traders and social enterprises with limited time and budget to connect with their customers. Web video presented in up to five minute episodes can allow you to build your brand online using the worlds most oldest and powerful weapon: story.

Having an online profile and presenting your personnel brand or enterprise online means more than just uploading a profile picture and recording a video from your web camera. It takes some careful consideration to ensure that your message is not lost online and complements your existing marketing collateral and puts your most valuable asset forward: You.

A. Creating to Connect

We all agree that it is important in the use of social and web platforms to connect with our customers, or in story terms, our audience. Using the ageless human anatomy of story telling can allow your message to ‘click’ through to your intended audience.

There are now over 1 billion you tube users,800+ million Facebook users, and 140 million twitter users. In order to differentiate yourself from others the most important asset you have is to have clarity around your message for it to ‘click’ with your customers.

B. Presenting Skills

We all understand the value of communicating with others in our own message in public. As a international film and documentary producer previously working for SBS broadcasting I would like to go one further by offering how to use story to enhance you online presence.

As a member of Thought Leaders International and Toastmasters International we understand the importance of clarity in our public presentations. These skills are directly

Gareth Benson Intellectual Property Lawyers and Consultants

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“Why reinvent the wheel, when the story wheel has been driving our stories since the dawn of time?” Gareth Benson Creative Director

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transferable to the presentation of online videos and it is important to work on these skills as before begin the storytelling process.

Find below a summary of these tips to take you from the ground floor to the presentation skills necessary to present quality online videos. The principles of competent communication are necessary to understand the importance of storytelling. Many presentation skills also draw on Aristotle’s theory of story telling which allow us to connect with your audience.

ONLINE VIDEO COMPOTENT COMMUNICATION 101

SKILL TIP

1. Like any good story, a presentation needs a good beginning, middle and an end.

Memorize an interesting opening and finish with a tip ‘And remember to..’

2. Organize your speech with strong research

Make your message clear with supporting material that supports your conclusion

3. Get to the Point with sincerity and conviction

For the beginning, middle and ending support your story with with one strong message

4. Use language which excites and

delights

Select the right words often active use, eliminate jargon and well used metaphors. This also eases the editing process.

5. Stand up straight and strong Let your body speak, use wide open gestures with your hands and don’t be afraid to use strong gestures to reinforce a point keeps your video Interesting.

6. Use vocal varieties to tell your story Starting your story personally, and quietly, being strong during your middle and soft to end is generally a good technique for video

7. Research makes for competent Communication

Use research and white papers to reinforce your story between sub stories.

8. Use visual aids Make your story interesting by placing an item of interest or relevance to your topic in the video

9. Persuade with power Use the conclusion of your video or story to persuade the audience to connect with you further or visit your website. Appeal to their interests.

10. Inspire your audience Challenge your audience to reach a higher level of benefit of achievement so they engage in viewing more videos by educating through entertainment



Aristotle’s Theory of Story Telling for Web Video

Born before Jesus Christ, Aristotle is widely recognized as the king of the story castle. Living 350-300 BC his thought leadership has influence a 2500 years of the stories which drive our televisions, cinema, newspapers and marketing strategies. This theory is also, and probably more so relevant to the creation of outstanding world class videos for the web.

Aristotle 384-322 BCE, in his seminal treatise 'Poetics or Poetica' concluded there are seven golden rules of successful story telling. These rules or principles in his days pertained to ancient Greek theatre. Incredibly, today the same seven elements are essential to writing successful film screenplays and I have adapted them for the use of online video. This includes:

1. Plot: what message is your video communicating? 2. Character: this is you! Be yourself! 3. Idea or Theme: this is the topic and title which should be clear! 4. Speech: See above our 101 toastmaster tips for web video 5. Chorus: it can enhance your video by presenting to audiences. 6. Decor: This means location. I don’t always believe green screen is best, natural personnel locations relaxes you and allows you to deliver an authetic process which is brand You! 7. Spectacle: special effects such as editing, titles and other post production techniques.

Plot

Much of the message of your existing video will come natural to you, being the subject of your pink sheets. The objective is through the use of story to have your potential clients contact you to make a green sheet presentation. I.e Bill Sayers for Sayers Art Design journey to transform a holiday home in 48 hours in ‘The Art of Colour’.

Character:

This is easy, be yourself. This thought leadership process has help form your own personnel brand so stay in character be natural, open and relaxed. Online allows us to be in conversation with our audience so keep this in mind when presenting to camera. I.e Cameron Richardson from ‘ToughSeal’ who ‘serves to protect’.

Idea or Theme:

The Idea or Theme should be funky and fresh. Use a catchy phrase, think slogans, branding and catch phrases that relates it to your products without doing a direct pitch. Once the idea or theme is chosen this will inform much of the rest of your presentation. I.e The Secrets of Storytelling for online video



Speech:

We cover this earlier in the white paper. It is important to think of three stories to start telling your own story. In the beginning, memorise an opening line, substantiate this with facts, move onto a more substantial argument or message, substantiate with facts and move onto your final story finishing with a tip that will make your personnel brand alive online. I.e YVolunteer TV involving youth across South West Victoria telling their story about youth volunteer activites.

Chorus:

While not advisable for your first few videos, there will become a point in time where it is necessary to show the ‘evolution’ of your personnel brand online. This is where filming in front of people, employees, clients, or at one of your busk outs or keynotes can be great. This requires more set up however for your big brands and books is worthwhile to capture the attention of your brand and show you ‘connecting’ with customers I.e James Southwell performing live at Pony Records ‘Beast of Burden.

Décor:

In my opinion, next to the story you are telling this is important. Many consultants believe that ‘grteen screen is best’. Green screen can be useful, especially for advanced video makers, however from the perspective of a film and documentary professional I believe it is unnatural. A more warm performance, with interesting annectodal story telling objects used in the frame of your video is far more powerful in telling your own story online. It make is personnel as we as more authentic, allowing you to connect and ‘click’ with customers. I.e Recording of TEDxMelbourne Conference at Melbourne Exhibition Centre to audience of 500+ people.

Spectacle:

This is an often under utilized use in online videos but I believe that it can facilitate remarkable engagement, keeps you looking advance and in tune with an increasingly demanding audience of 1 billion video viewers online. I.e Dom Mckenna TeamMak Epipheo styled animation.

Learning to use imovie, film with your iphone and other techniques mean that you can do this yourself and we can assist to show you. Editing with royalty free music also creates a more commanding video and taking digital photographs that are spliced within the edit can also keep audiences engaged so that your video is being seen by the millions of youtube users online, everyday.

In conclusion, Aristotles theory of story telling is still just as relevant to the online world and video. By creating clever content we are engaging in greater thought leadership by allowing the world receive our message, gain traction, and keep our ‘audience’ coming back for more.

This is reinforced by Chris Anderson who in a speech to TED supports that we should be using web video to enhance online videos to further our own innovation: www.chris_anderson_how_web_video_powers_global_innovation.html

By creating clever content with our web videos distributed through online platforms we are not only reinforcing our own personnel brand but presenting world class presentations to an audiences of thousands or possibly millions of people. True Blue.

Gareth Benson Creative Director

Using story to create a powerful online presence 12 december 2012

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