If you’re afraid of being on camera but want to create videos, in this video, I’m going to share five strategies that you can use to move you closer to your goal of being on camera, even if the thought of being on camera gives you heart palpitations and makes you extremely nervous. Stay tuned.
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Video marketing tips: What to do when you’re afraid of being on camera – Video Transcript
Hi, I’m Sara Nguyen, and on this channel, I make tech and social media easier for awesome entrepreneurs like yourself. If you’re new to this channel, consider subscribing for all of the latest product reviews, social media tips, and training.
Video. A lot of people are talking about videos these days and how it’s a growing medium. Facebook live streams, YouTube, Instagram stories, video is everywhere, and it’s extremely accessible to you as a business owner or creator to connect with your audience.
But if you’ve been considering using video to grow your business and you’ve found yourself putting it off or starting but not going through with it, it’s probably not your fault. You can thank the reptilian part of your brain for throwing you off track.
That’s the part of your brain that protects your old habits, whether or not they serve you. But let’s dive into the strategies now.
Strategy #1: Start small.
One of the problems people have when they’re starting something new, particularly something like video that puts them out of their comfort zone, is that they’re afraid and the fear triggers them to overthink. They overthink trying to figure out all of the pieces they need to put together.
What camera to use? What lighting to use? What to say? How to get an audience to actually see what you have to say? What if something goes wrong? Who is going to listen to me? What if I make a mistake? I don’t want to look bad on camera. And they go on and on and on.
All of this thinking and overthinking results in you being stuck, spinning your wheels and feeling overwhelmed, but not actually taking any steps to move you closer to your goal of being on camera. So instead of thinking about the massive leap you need to take to suddenly be on camera, think about the baby steps that you can take.
For example, if you’ve never been on camera before, start by researching what equipment you need and then go out and get it. After you’ve completed that step, consider taking the next step. Instead of trying to tackle everything as one major block, break down what you need to do bit by bit.
Strategy #2: Practice.
If you’ve never been on camera before and you want to start using video, a way to get started is for you to do practice videos before you actually go live. Video is one of those things that you get better at with more practice, and over time you get less afraid the more you do it.
Start with a few practice runs. You can create a Facebook group or page with no followers and live stream to that group or page. This will allow you to get used to all of the functions and buttons you need to press and also gives you a space to practice to go live from, kind of like a dress rehearsal, but no one will see any of the mistakes that you make, and you can always delete the video.
You’ll find that practising your videos will help you feel more confident and also help you to improve your messaging and your delivery. And repetition is the mother of all learning so practice, practice, practice.
Strategy #3: Make a commitment.
Stay committed to the process of creating videos even if you don’t feel like it. What will happen when you start to get on camera and start producing more videos is you will start seeing results.
And when you start seeing results from video in the form of more viewers, more leads, more sales and more profits, the results are motivating. I think that there are two parts here.
The first part is to make a commitment, a commitment to get started with video. The commitment is the bridge between where you are and where you want to be.
And the second part is to have self-integrity, self-integrity to do what you say you are going to do when you are going to do it. Self-integrity is the foundation of commitment.
Break down the steps you need to do to start using video into very small pieces and small commitments and commit to them. And then carve out the time by setting an alarm on your phone to work towards being on camera and video and work towards it every single day.
Strategy #4: Reframe your story.
When I first started with video, I was very afraid. I was afraid of many things, but mostly, I was afraid of people judging me and what I had to say. The insecurities that I have about the way I look and how people would perceive me rose to the top of my mind.
What really helped me to overcome my fear of being on camera was to reframe the stories I told myself, and what this taught was an awareness that there was a lot of negative talk happening in my mind.
Thoughts like, “I’m not any good at this. What if I fail? I’m not talented enough. I’m not pretty enough for camera.” and when these negative thoughts and criticisms came around, I chose not to listen to them and to be aware of them.
And instead, I chose to reframe the stories with more positive thoughts, like, “I’m pretty good at this because I put in the work. I’m going to give it everything that I’ve got. I’ve got something important to say. I am good enough for camera, and I looked damn fine”.
Strategy #5: Know that we need you.
I really believe in the serendipity of life. That you’ve got a message that someone else desperately needs to hear and by not being on video and not giving people a chance to hear what you’ve got to say by not sharing your experiences, not sharing your knowledge or your personality, you’re doing a disservice to yourself and to the universe.
Know that the world needs to hear what you’ve got to say, that it’s important and that it matters. So squash that fear because there’s someone out there who needs to hear your message and is waiting to connect with you. And your message will make a difference.
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