How to Use Audio & Video for Social Selling with @SueAnnBubacz #VCBuzz

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How to Use Audio & Video for Social Selling with @SueAnnBubacz #VCBuzz

Social selling is a new way of selling which we have all been excited to watch making its way into digital marketing world.

It is quite awesome that these days everyone is not only a public voice but also a brand. Selling through social media is available to everyone.

It is a huge opportunity for anyone looking to build income.

Yet, social selling is quickly changing. We need to constantly monitor trends and come up with new creative techniques.

This time we are going to learn one such innovative social selling technique from one of our hard-working bees: Using audio and video for social selling.

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About @SueAnnBubacz

@SueAnnBubacz is a writer crafting creative business content to connect with people.

Check out Sue Ann’s website: Write Mix For Business

Questions we discussed

Q1 How did you become a digital marketer? Please share your career story!

As a business owner for more than half of my life, marketing isn’t new to me, but digital marketing wasn’t a factor for my first, physical business. Then, as digital became a thing, I was already well-established and not looking for new business nor did I have time to work on the computer. 

However, as I began thinking about a new, less physically demanding career, and taking an interest and educating myself (initially) with copywriting, a passion for digital marketing and web writing sparked for me. Big time. And I can’t seem to stop! 

I truly love everything digital and still surprise myself with things I’ve learned and am working on, having zilch for computer or technical background at the start. Plus, because the digital marketing space offers unending opportunities for more learning, interesting and creative projects, and writing collaborations of all kinds, I am having fun and earning, digitally. I’m most proud of figuring out everything for my digital business from scratch, literally zero, and how far I’ve come so far. 

Similar to my first business, Write Mix for Business, gives me a chance to work with and learn about all types of extraordinary businesses and services. The projects I do are still creative and give me the pleasure of helping other businesses grow. 

Q2 What does the term “social selling” stand for and is it for any kind of business?

In my own words, “social selling” is a modernized, digital form of word-of-mouth advertising which, in my book, is the hot-diggity-dog best way to market. 

I’ve written and often talk about my theory that marketing is business and business is marketing, in that everything you do as a business reveals who you are. In this way, every interaction and every touchpoint you put out there is part of marketing for your business. “Social selling” in the digital space is an extension of business marketing. But, it’s not hard sales or overt advertising, in most cases. 

“Social selling is the process of developing relationships as part of the sales process. Today this often takes place via social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, but can take place either online or offline,” according to Wikipedia.

Because social selling entails engaging and interaction to build business outcomes; and starting with goodwill, including building community, and ending with sales, it goes hand-in-hand with introducing audio and video components to your social sales mix. 

According to this recent post, the future of content is in connecting face-to-face in a two-way interaction for a shared experience as is the goal of audio and video for social selling. You need to create an event, David Schools explains. Events are:

  • Live — you’re actively engaged and present.
  • Connecting — you’re meeting other people, participating in a tribe, and networking.
  • Face-to-face — you’re meeting someone in an authentic and personal way.
  • Two-way interaction — you’re having a real conversation and collaborating.
  • Shared experience — you’re building a bond with other people who are going through the same thing you are.

The post by Schools states, “The future of community engagement is connection, not content — it’s people, not posts.”
Here are three more resources for content idea development, engagement on an emotional level, and applying a YouTube strategy to your video content productions.

Q3 How have you been utilizing video and audio for social selling and which results did you see?

In 2017, I started a podcast, MIX/SIZZLE & SHAKE YOUR BUSINESS and immediately, and ever since doing it, I notice a different reaction than from all my previous written work. I hear from a lot of people from all over the world with feedback and comments, giving me a lot of ideas for future shows, as well as letting me know I’m doing some things right. 

Most of my podcast feedback comes to me directly rather than publicly so does that represent a deeper connection to people? Hmmm. I also like the idea that podcasts are easily consumed and offer a way to serve up content in a different but complementary way to possible new audiences. I’ve even had a show guest let me know she obtained a new client after hearing her interview on my podcast…win/win there! I genuinely like doing audio content, and I really do think it “speaks” for you in a more intimate way with your audience. It helps with the know, like, and trust, jazz. 

But, my bigger and more recent experiment in the video space has been in doing a series of promotional, Workshop, and coursework videos, much of it with a mega comfortable and experienced video-maker, Ryan Biddulph, for a How to Bling Your Blog Online Course offering. 

This had a huge impact on my business and social recognition as well. Plus it was a seriously major step for me outside of anything resembling comfort or any happy zone. Much to my surprise, it IS true, video does get easier with practice. Now I hate it AND love it. Weird, huh? (Probably I just wish I was younger!! Lol) 

My latest video endeavors are two and I think these are ideas useful to any business especially right now. And they entail even more media mix and some repurposing components as well. 

First, in conjunction with my How to Bling Your Blog Online Course and leading up to the next BETA 2 opening, I’m creating a video series. What a great way for people to get to know you and what you’re about, and to showcase, share, and educate your audience, warming them up to want to join in for the next session. I feel like it’s fun, helpful, and as an added bonus, a great chance to practice presentation and speaking skills. 

Providing a solid interactive course adventure means I need to move outside of simply writing in the digital space. Yikes! So what’s my second idea for you? Well, talk about scary, I’m talking LIVE STREAMING videos! What? I know, I can’t believe I’m going there either, frankly. 

But in an effort to grow as a person and business, I’m jumping in using SteamYard, a tool I found via a Stephanie Liu/Agorapulse and gang LeapIntoLive event I recently checked out in-depth. Then, Lisa Sicard got me on the app and going LIVE in five minutes flat one day! 

It’s kind of exciting, really. Honestly, I think it will save time in retakes, redo’s, and perhaps even editing once I hone things. 

And again, new audiences, new reach, new media, and I like what Brian Fanzo suggests in his “Hit The Damn Button” presentation saying that in doing LIVE videos, we “shrink the distance between us and consumers.” He also brings up one of the most important points of social video content calling it, “participatory content” and saying “connections are better than engagement.” 

I have to agree, when you make connections, you create new business! 

But so not to go too crazy with everything I’m already juggling, instead of a completely new show or topic, I’m jumping to LIVE video doing the MIX/SIZZLE & SHAKE YOUR BUSINESS PODCAST in video format, too! I’m still talking about “everything business and content” in this new format but, I’m taking Brian and Stephanie’s advice to level up using social media platforms to get closer to an audience and to reach people while building trust through value and credibility. 

It took me a minute to create a new intro for the show for doing LIVE video…here’s a sneak peek! 

Q4 How to easily create video and audio content for social selling? Are there some examples to share?

While you can create audio and video content simply, it’s important to make it professional as well. I don’t mean a 50 million dollar production is necessary, but you do want to create and produce meaningful content worthy of consuming. 

Remember, you need to earn the currency of attention in your market and create a gateway to action.

You can create audio and/or video as easily as using your mobile phone. My podcast is often created via my phone using the Anchor App, a free podcasting platform, now owned by Spotify. I record audio to use on other projects through this app on my phone sometimes too. The audio quality is that good. I also invested in a Blue Yeti mic for better sound than my laptop offers.

Sound is the most important factor, even for your videos! Test sound for quality as a top priority. Keep in mind as you go, everything improves with practice.

The point is, simple is fine, but purposeful is imperative for succeeding. Start simply but think about quality and reputation. So, here’re a few things to plan or consider before doing your audio or video productions for social selling:

  • Branding or Show Identity Features
  • Title, Tagline & Episode Headlines
  • Intro and/or Outro Clips & Thumbnails
  • Show Format & Content Strategy
  • Equipment Checklist & Set Design Plan
  • Scheduling & Channels Planner
  • Social Promotion & Distribution Schedule
  • Coss-Promotion & Repurposing Sets
  • Goals/KPI’s & Measurement Strategy
  • Establish AV Project Systems & Processes 

Some of my favorite LIVES and video-makers: 

  • Drew Davis: The Loyalty Loop
  • Stephanie Liu: LIGHTS/CAMERA/LIVE
  • Think Media: Grow Your YouTube Channel
  • Agorapulse: Agorapulse Weekly
  • Ross Brand: StreamYard Connect 
  • Social Chatter: Christian & Jim’s Show

Q5 What are your favorite social selling tools?

My brain is based in Trello—it’s a love affair since I first found it (thanks to Ann Handley) and I organize most projects there. The cool thing about Trello is you can manage different things in different ways and you can also work with teams and manage project schedules or flow as well. I’m always learning new ways to work within Trello and there are new features and tricks I am still discovering. (Hat Tip to Gail Gardner!) 

Other key tools for me for social selling:

WordPress: Your website and blog are your digital home and the activity center for successful digital businesses! This is the one piece of real estate on the Internet you own. 

Social Platforms: Twitter is my favorite social platform and probably where I spend most of my social time. But, as things evolve, other platforms are moving up in importance and I am working more on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Instagram is under consideration right now, especially if social selling through audio and video moves into a more central role for business. As a side note, Pinterest, like YouTube, is considered more of a search engine than a social media tool but I argue that they both encompass social selling at its finest. 

YouTube: An important channel to enhance your blogging, build your community, and grow your business. (Once you’re brave enough to go there!) I need to keep working to improve on this channel and to be more consistent, but it’s exciting and fun and interesting. So, keep experimenting.

To create audio and video work, I have narrowed down my tools, lately, to excel with what I’m using instead of chasing a million choices. I’m pretty set right now with the following group of assets I use most often for creating digital media: 

  • iPhone and HP Laptop 
  • Blue Yeti Mic
  • Logitech Web Camera
  • Tripod with LED circle lighting 
  • Camtasia Video Software
  • Canva (my absolute fav for visual magic…again thanks Ann Handley!)
  • PowerPoint (big Hat Tip to Ana Hoffman, Traffic Generation Cafe’)  
  • DepositPhotos for licensed visual assets 
  • AudioBlocks for licensed sound clips
  • StreamYard for Live Streaming Services
  • Anchor.fm for podcasting 

Other tools you’ll need to dig into is creativity and mad writing skills. Writing is at the foundation for everything created and produced online, in my opinion, and a treasure to develop and hone in your creators toolkit. 

Also, there are so many great friends and colleagues who are instrumental in helping boost me to where I am today with their support, friendship, kindness, feedback, and help. Without all of you, I wouldn’t continue to create and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. 

Happy selling on social with audio and video and thanks for having me! 

Our previous social selling chats:

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