You already know that growing your business is much easier when you’re seen as a recognized expert. Once you establish yourself as an expert in your field, you’re no longer jumping through hoops trying to get people’s attention. Proven experts have already demonstrated proficiency and their audience is well aware of what they can do. Their audience knows them, likes what they represent, and trusts that whatever information is shared or products being offered that it’s something of value and should be considered.

According to Statista, there are about 1 billion monthly active users on Instagram as of January 2020. About 500 million of these are active daily users. That is a large chunk of people and, more than likely, your ideal customers are part of this population.

We live in a visual world and people are consuming video content more and more. Hootsuite reports that posts containing videos receive 38% more engagement than still photos. To reach these people effectively, business owners can begin to use video creation as an integral part of their online marketing strategy.

For some individuals, making videos just comes naturally. The rest of us have to work at it by putting in a little extra effort. Maybe it’s not just the act of shooting the video that is the problem because when you think of it, it’s easy to tap a button. Even little children don’t seem to have a problem with the mechanics of pushing the red button. It might have more to do with a fear of messing up or the anxiety felt when your mind goes blank.

If that’s you, then today I’m going to show you an easy way to shoot your initial Instagram videos while developing your own unique style and flow. The only things you’ll need besides the obvious recording device will be a pen and a regular sized sticky note that can be found at any office supply store. In fact, I call this the sticky note method and it’s been a helpful tool with my own videos and those of my clients.

This method is primarily used for shorter videos like the ones you’d find on Instagram. In a moment you’re going to see just how easy it is to create a 60-second video using this technique. You could even use this for a 2-3 minute IGTV or YouTube video. However, once you start looking at longer content such as training videos then you’ll probably need something else. But that’s getting outside the scope of what we’re currently discussing.

For right now, we’re only going to focus attention on those quick informative 60-second videos that can be found on the standard Instagram platform. This is a great starting place to demonstrate your expertise and position yourself as a recognized expert in your industry. Plus, it’s a powerful way to communicate with your audience and give them more opportunities to support your business.

As noted above, you’ll need a recording device such as your phone or tablet, sticky note, and a pen. That’s it.

STEP 1:

Determine the topic you will discuss. Make sure it’s clear and concise. Sixty seconds goes by quickly so you’ll want to be laser focused on one central idea.

STEP 2:

Flip over the sticky note so that the sticky side is facing you and write down 2-3 key discussion points that support the topic. Again, this is only going to be a 60-second video so having 2-3 main talking points is more than enough. Affix the sticky note to the backside of your recording device just above the camera so that you can visibly see the talking points.

STEP 3:

Take a deep breath, smile, and press the record button. Use the sticky note to guide your message. Convey those main discussion points and then you’re done. If you don’t like the way it came out the first time, then do it again. Practice makes progress. Record the piece until you’re satisfied with the final product. It doesn’t need to be perfect. It just needs to be professional.

Once you’re happy with the final result then upload to Instagram. Remember to always include a description in the body of the post. Even though you’re uploading video content, it’s good practice to provide at least a basic written description for the viewer so that they know what they’re about to watch.

That’s all there is to it. Record your first video today using the sticky note method and see just how simple it can be.