They say the year of video has already begun. But has it really? As marketers, we’ve all read the newest statistics behind video (or at least should have by now), which not only highlight the power of the format but also showcase the quantitative benefits of utilizing video throughout the funnel.

There is no doubt that every company knows it should be producing more videos. Sadly, that will is not always carried out in practical terms. The recurring problem we see when talking to companies who would like to get started doing videos with their employees or even to do more of those kinds of videos, is the mental block many experience when getting in front of the camera.

Getting Personal With Personal Videos

Providing a unified definition of what personal videos actually are, turned out to be a little more complicated. The term personal videos seem to be very loosely interpreted. From videos that have been made with big production value and where the only personalization comes in form of a name insert - to videos that have been shot on the go by one person and no editing involved - the range is wide.

So, what are we talking about here? For me, a personal video is made to be exactly how it sounds: personal. They are meant to be authentic, impactful and disposable. Why? Because people want to interact with people online just as they do in the real world, face to face, human to human. The authenticity of personal video separates them from traditional sales outreaches, customer support, and other mediums where video creates a deeper connection.

As opposed to other marketing videos, personal videos are often made for a single person or a  very limited number of people, for a specific purpose. And no matter what that specific purpose is, the main idea remains the same: to rise above the noise with authenticity.

3 Easy Ways to Get Started Creating Personal Videos

By now, it’s been established that personal videos cut through the noise in an efficient manner, thus making a lasting impact on the receiver. Here are 3 simple tricks on how to easily incorporate and start using personal videos - from sales outreaches to customer success management.

1. Creating Personal Recognition With Video

As a SaaS company, we know it’s not always the easiest to explain your service in just a few words. What better way to do that than in the format of video? For us, this means we use a lot of product videos, where our CTO and co-founder Steffen goes through the different parts of the platform and explains our services in an engaging way.

Although this actualizes the product definition well, it is in no way a personal experience for the receiver of the video. - Unless they happen to know him - they won’t attach any connection to seeing Steffen on the video, nor will it spark any recognition.

To turn this around and add a layer of personalization to these videos, our team came up with a great idea: Why not use video for this as well?  After a few iterations, we discovered a playbook for creating our sales emails with video incorporated. For each email we send, we always record a simple personal video that introduces ourselves and breaks down why we’re reaching out.

2. Videos > Text

Take a second and count how many emails you receive on average. (Spoiler alert: it’s about 90) What if there was a more engaging - and let’s be honest - a more fun way to do this? What if you could convey your message from human to human - and ensure that you make a lasting impact?

As a video marketing platform, we have seen the power of video and we want to, of course, drink our own champagne. For us, this means that anything that can be made in the format of video will be done so. Booking a meeting? Make a personal video. Providing an answer to your customer? Explain it in a video, so they can share the information with their colleagues. Want to say thank you for a great meeting? Get in front of the lens and say it. Setting up an OOO message? Wish them a happy holiday via video. The possibilities are endless!

3. Use Personal Video on Social 

Let’s talk about video on LinkedIn. Yes, the hottest topic of the moment, especially if you happen to be on LinkedIn. Since the introduction of LinkedIn video, most of us have been trying out different things to see what works and what does not - and the results are impressive.

Spring is always a busy time with a number of events in our industry, so I decided to run a few AB test with an event invitation on LinkedIn. The first version contained a “traditional” post with text and a picture. The next invitation was one step further, with a simple personal video inviting you to the event, nothing fancy and no subtitles. For the third version, we put in a little more effort - still talking about a personal video, but with a more visual execution as well as adding subtitles. As you can imagine - the third version performed the best, with views, likes, and comments. What was however pleasantly unexpected was the amount by which these metrics increased: 16x the likes, 4x the comments, and 10x the views.

This also played into our best-practices at TwentyThree to use video across the funnel. By using video to tease the event, we were able to increase our reach but also provided a link for the audience to sign up. Through this link, we could move those casual viewers into identifiable leads when they eventually signed-up for the event.

As Jayson Duncan wrote, “Right now, LinkedIn loves video and they will put it in front of as many people as they can.” So there is no better time than now to start using video to promote your posts and make sure you reach a wide audience.

Whether you are a B2B or B2C company, or even an influencer, the best way to get started with personal videos is to get yourself in front of the lens, get comfortable, and simply start filming. Find out what works best for you and discover your own style. And remember, perfection does not mean impact. In personal videos, authenticity is impact.