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Social Media organisations have been promoting video as their preferred engagement medium for quite a long time now.  Making videos is more accessible for the average person than ever before.  But I think you want to consider very carefully how you want to use video to build your profile as a Portfolio Executive.  There are three big risks you have to address:  your content is not distinctive, your content is not noticed and your content has no value.

Personally, I have been very cautious about the use of video and I don’t currently post videos on my  LinkedIn profile or Portfolio Executive website on a regular basis.

However, I think there are cases where video can really enhance your proposition and your presence. Let me give you some  examples:

1 – Introductory Video

A short video introducing yourself and your proposition can give people an immediate feel for who you are and what you offer (this is one I use https://vimeo.com/326869603).  I would recommend that you have that done professionally with someone who really understands how to capture the essence of your proposition and how to show you in a good light.

I am very impressed by Business Film Booth (https://businessfilmbooth.com/) and the work they did to create a short video explaining the Portfolio Executive workstyle. I hope that it gave people an impression of who I am and articulated very quickly what the Portfolio Executive workstyle could mean for them.  They use a professional studio set up, have access to a lot of stock footage, and have a very clear process of shaping any proposition, so you end up with something that looks like a high cost professional production with a relatively small investment.    There is plenty of ‘gotchas’ that can result in poor video production but suffice to say the difference between something that looks professional and something that is embarrassing is obvious to the viewer.   Embarrassing will undermine your impact and your personal brand.

2 – Explainer Video

Explainer videos often use motion graphics.  Motion graphics are the next step up from the experience you may have had using Powerpoint to progressively reveal elements of your slides.  You may have come across motion graphics when you look at people’s software packages (here is an example done by one of my clients (EntertainingTV) for one of my clients (Krescendo)  https://vimeo.com/175047729).  An explainer video can be very simple.  It can be done relatively cheaply: in fact you can ‘do it yourself’ a bit of guidance.  The great joy of motion graphics is they work just as well without the sound on and if they are cleverly done, they will create a visual impact that is immediate and memorable.

3 – Video Podcast

The final thing that I think is worth considering is whether you want to have a regular video podcast where you use your position as the host to attract other people to discuss with you a topic of importance. This can be powerful in two ways:  it increases your presence and also gives you a powerful excuse to connect with people of influence within your industry or profession.  These could be potential clients or other thought leaders.   However, if you are going to go down that route, then there are three things I suggest you do:

• Adopt a very clear point of view and a style that is going to be distinctive to you. Ideally a point of view that is a little bit at the edge, a little bit controversial.

• Get a set of videos ‘in the can’ before you start promoting your podcast.

• Recognise that promoting that podcast is as important an activity as shooting it, and as important as activity and finding the people to come on that guest slot.

Dividing your efforts based on a third, a third a third is a good rule of thumb: one third recruiting guests, one third shooting and editing the video podcast, one third promoting the podcast. You may well want to invest in someone doing the video editing for you. Video editing is now very accessible and relatively inexpensive, but it can be quite time consuming to get a great result. The other thing is to make sure you’ve got a decent sound set up and quality microphones for all participants.  You can do something very straight forward of reasonable quality using a platform like Zoom to record both halves of the conversation.

Conclusions

I am not convinced that the new trend for lots of live streaming on Facebook, LinkedIn or even Tik-Tok, is the right answer for the average Portfolio Executive.  But I do think there is a real power in introducing yourself to your audience through a short, well produced video.  A well-crafted explainer video can bring life to your proposition in 30-90 seconds. 

I would also consider a regular video podcast with a frequency of once a week or once a month.

Each of these video formats can contribute to increasing your profile on social media.  Building the right presence on social media can be critical to attracting the opportunities that you most want to develop.  

Charles McLachlan is the founder of FuturePerfect and on a mission to transform the future of work and business. The Portfolio Executive programme is a new initiative to help executives build a sustainable and impactful second-half-career. Creating an alternative future takes imagination, design, organisation and many other thinking skills. Charles is happy to lend them to you.