Showing up Authentically on Video with Yesenia Bocanegra
As everyone seems to have transformed into a social media ‘influencer’ these days, identifying your own personal brand and staying true to it can sometimes feel like walking a tightrope.
For many influencers on platforms like Instagram, living that virtual life requires all your prettiest pictures and sharing the world all your best news. Not only is that exhausting in the long run, but in no way that mirrors authenticity.
And that’s why many have turned to video content to humanize their Instagram profiles. Why? Simply because video has become the next big thing in personal branding.
In this week’s podcast, I had the pleasure to have the amazing Yesenia Bocanegra on my show. Yesenia is a brand photographer specializing in Wedding Photography and Content Creation as well as a marketing coach to photographers. We had an awesome time talking about the importance of videos for businesses and all the ways you can keep it real on cam.
“Video is so important because as a business owner, it is going to help you connect better with your audience. That's one thing, it's going to also help you set yourself apart from the industry. It's going to sprinkle your personality there, but also help establish yourself as an authority figure in your industry.”
Videos help bridge that gap by putting a face to the name and a sound to that name.
However, the social media marketing industry has become extremely saturated. It is important now more than ever to identify your secret sauce. What can you bring to the table that will set you apart and make your audience relate and connect with you?
To help you deliver your authentic self in your videos, ask yourself these three questions:
Am I showing my true self?
Do I know my audience?
What am I truly passionate about?
Answering these questions will help you get a clearer perspective on what type of content you should make. After figuring out your branding, begin a series of content where you talk about your business, the mission behind your business, or talk about a client experience.
Yesenia says batch recording is a productive way to create content. Educational content like how-to videos is effective. You can make them entertaining by transforming them into an Instagram reel or a Tiktok video.
Yesenia also highly suggests equipping your videos with these three essential things:
Hook - grab your audience's attention within the first couple of seconds
Core content - the core message of your video
Call-to-action (CTA) - invite them to follow, subscribe, send you DMs, sign up for a newsletter, etc.
Keeping these three things in mind as you create your videos is key in making sure that you are marking off the information you want to deliver in every video.
Don’t get intimidated by all the high-end production videos you see online. You can begin your video marketing journey simply by picking up your smartphone, finding good lighting, and creating content that is you.
It doesn’t matter if you can’t record a 15-minute video yet. Start by recording a 15 to 30-second video of productivity tips for your audience or life hacks. These types of content work well as a reel on Instagram or Tiktok.
One last pro tip: Make sure your content is multipurpose. It should work on any platform. Take this blog post as an example. This blog is based on my recent podcast episode with Yesenia. That podcast episode is in a video and audio format— both of which I can repurpose into so many things.
And there you have it…
Remember that showing up is not enough. Be where your audience is at. That is such an important thing to note here. Show up where you are needed and be consistent with your presence. Finally, create content that serves your audience above anyone else.
To listen to this podcast episode use this link
To connect with Yesenia Bocanegra
https://view.flodesk.com/pages/5f283696406ce8002664cb13
https://www.focusandbloomstudios.com/
https://www.instagram.com/focusandbloomstudios/
I’m a photographer and marketing coach to photographers. I specialize in Brand Photography, Weddings, Content Creation, and I help photographers grow their brand with purpose and joy through strategic content creation, 1:1 coaching, and online courses.