Don't Be Discouraged If Everything Is Not Picture Perfect
Last week, Leesa Barnes, a guest on Indie Business Radio, posted suggestions at her blog to help readers produce video on a budget. She encouraged people not to be afraid of video and told them how to use an inexpensive Flip camera to create videos to post to blogs, websites, Myspace pages, etc.
Larry Lawfer, one of the commenters and the owner of Your Storys, a professional videography company, criticized Leesa. He said that, while a Flip camera is nice for "down low social media communications, using one for anything professional or corporate locks you into this low level presentation of your work."
There's No Such Thing As "Locked In"
I respectfully disagree with Larry. First of all, no one is "locked in" to anything these days. My first blog was pretty lousy. You might say it was even "down low."
So was the first business I ever started (lasted about 2 weeks), my very first batch of handmade soap (smelled like ammonia), the first (and only) retail store I ever opened (I got robbed), my first direct examination of a witness in open court (the judge actually prompted me with questions to help me out), my first time having a corporate logo designed (it was amateurish and hard to read) and my first attempt at an online newsletter (no pictures, mixed up links and bad layout).
In each case, I didn't have a clue what I was doing when I first started, but I gave it my all and I learned a lot. Have I been "locked in" to those first dismal attempts at making something out of nothing? Nope. I found a place to start and with boots shaking, I put myself out there.
And that's what each of us must do. We'll all start at different places, but start somewhere we must. In his comment, Larry also said, "If you shoot something with a consumer camera, then you forever have low level quality. This is not good."
There's No Such Thing As "Forever Low Quality"
Wrong again, Larry. If you have a relevant message for an audience of people who are interested in it, then you are not forever stuck with low quality. Maybe a particular video is forever low quality, but then so are the Beatles first recordings. That does not mean that the content is not worth enjoying and sharing with other like-minded people who can benefit from it.
In a perfect world, everyone would have access to professional equipment, consultants, designers, programmers and videographers. Heck! I'm married to a professional videographer, which sure makes it easy for me to tell everyone else that their Flip cam videos are "forever low quality."
What a low quality comment that would be for me to make.
Start Where You Are
You're an Indie Business owner. You have a nice website, maybe even a blog or two. You offer quality products and services, and you know that you will need to add video to your marketing repertoire at some point. Should you hide your light under a bushel because you can't afford to hire a professional or purchase fancy equipment to make your first video? Of course not!
Just do the best you can with what you have. Buy a video camera that you can afford and practice using it. Get started today sharing whatever your message is with the customers and supporters who will cheer you on, back you up and exchange their credit card numbers for your valuable products and services.
Chuck the nay-sayers, even the experienced and professional ones.
We don't succeed because of how much we have. Instead, we succeed because of what we do with what we have.
What do you think?
Do you think you have to come out of the gates with fabulous video to get started? Or fabulous anything else for that matter? Do you agree with me that, if we all waited for perfect before we got started, we'd never get anywhere?
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