It’s a commonly known fact that people hardly read anything anymore. If you want to grab someone’s attention, you’re going to need to throw in some pictures, wrap it in a pretty design, or feature a video. There’s no contest on which one of these has more traction when it comes to increasing followers, conversion, and generating brand loyalty: videos.

What Creating Videos Used to Look Like

When I first started out in marketing, smartphones weren’t even a thing. Videos were big clunky productions that took way too long to execute and process, and they required some basic knowledge about lighting and staging. You still need to know how to stage your product or person, which is simple because all you really need is a clear uncluttered area. Even if it’s a creative and celebrated space with lots of (let’s say) art and books, it shouldn’t be cluttered. The other issue is lighting. Make sure the light is falling directly on the product or person. Yet, most video editing apps now have features to edit the video easily. Plus, smartphones themselves are of a much higher quality that pretty perfectly grab what you need as long as you’re not recording in the dark.

A Prevailing Myth of Marketing Videos

The reason I’m telling you this is fear of production or the idea that you need some special knowledge is a debilitating mindset that will keep you from pursuing videos. However, there’s another thing you should really embrace and that’s the concept of Facebook Live. Facebook Live is a “live” recording feature that lets followers see you and engage with you in real time. How this benefits you with email marketing videos is this: no one expects perfect, but they do want real.

People want to see your authentic self. So grab your phone, set to record, and explore the roulette of these winning ideas.

Nailing Your How-to Videos

The most popular of these is the “how-to” video. This sort of video doesn’t need to take a clinical approach. You don’t need to go step by step to break down a subject matter. In fact, doing that is pretty boring and goes against the earlier idea of just being yourself and being organic. So if you are giving step-by-step instruction, keep a natural rhythm in the video and keep the steps limited to three or four key points. If you’re in retail, a how to can just be about showing people how to pair products or change things up.

If that’s the route you’re taking, please don’t treat people like they are fools. Most of these style videos show minimal respect to the audience by adding cheesy music or showing the simplistic one-step change and acting like you’ve discovered a new element in the periodic table.

Keep it honest. Maybe add in your own experience of how you struggled with a transition, and maybe even mix up the story. Most people going from the office to work are already dressed for the most part. But how about people who are working from home and aren’t used to investing an hour to get ready that people working from an office regularly invest every morning? What kind of video could you show them? How about a how to get ready in fifteen and show maybe 3 or 5 different pieces they can use to make that happen.

You can still take advantage of how-to videos even if you’re not in retail. How-to videos are great conversation starters. They can be used to offer guides that point to a landing page, a webinar that will go into the subject in greater detail. How-tos are also fantastic for dealing with tough issues that require a real conversation with people, especially where there isn’t always a ready opportunity to have that conversation. The “how-to” video lets you create a doorway to that chat.

And still another fantastic how-to idea is to problem solve, especially when you envelop your own brand or services back into the equation. You can show a study on your company overcame a challenge internally or for a client’s campaign – and rather than produce a complicated infographic or write out a boring study, you can just talk about it. You’ll get more eyeballs on it, more people in your corner, and it will be much faster to produce especially if you’re not worried about scripting it.

Author Bio:

by Shireen Qudosi

Shireen Qudosi is Benchmark Email's Online Marketing Specialist and Small Business Advocate. An Orange County based writer, Shireen specializes in online marketing and public relations. She has written for over 75 publications and has launched nine successful new media campaigns to date. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Denver Post, the Oklahoman and Green Air Radio, among others.