It’s Social Media Hangout Time. I’m here today, Janet Johnson with Kimmy, our social media puppet, hey Kimmy!
Hi everybody! Hi!
And we’re also here with today’s special guest Jessica Brace, welcome Jessica.
Hey everybody!
Hey it’s great to have you Jessica.
Thanks Kimmy.
I’m going to have Kimmy introduce Jessica and talk about her background and where, what she does and we’ll start getting into our material and what we’re going to talk about today.
That sounds terrific. We’re going to have such a fun time on the interview today because Jessica is known as the YouTube queen. Jessica Brace can transform your struggling internet presence into a client-attracting magnet, wohoo, in two minutes or less combining the atomic power of video marketing with her passion for helping you feel both comfortable and courageous in front of the camera. Jessica helps you create compelling videos that cash or more for your business. Best selling author of “Ready, Set, Go Make a Video – 101 YouTube Video Ideas”, a hundred and one YouTube video ideas for your business. She’s also a renowned video marketing and business coaching specialist. Jessica Brace helps your business leverage the power of video, build a stronger brand and expand your audience and become the go-to expert in your field. Welcome Jessica.
Yes, welcome.
Thank you.
Yes, thanks for coming on.
This is my first time I had a puppet read my bio.
I love it!
Well you know what, let’s let Kimmy ask her favorite question then we’ll just start.
Well Jessica, have you ever been interviewed by a puppet before?
I have not. This is a first today and I’m going to put that right on my bucket list board.
Your kids will probably think, “oh my gosh, my mom is crazy.”
My son was here, he’s 4, he would take this as truly awesome.
Oh he would, he would. That’s great. Well let’s start with talking about where you came from, like how did you get started, what made you decide to get into the video marketing arena in the first place?
Wow, yeah, that’s a big question. So I started my own website design agency way back in 1992 and 5 years ago I was pregnant and really the worst 9 months of morning sickness, like no joke. Like I was sick before I even knew I was pregnant all the way until my son was born, which doesn’t make for a very happy person to be working and trying to focus on things. So I kind of took some time off from work and then my son was born and he had some medical complications. So all in all I was 18 months that I stepped away from my business and just kind of took care of my family and myself and when I came back, you know, the whole internet had changed. Like totally changed – everything was different. So like WordPress came out and people can now edit their own website. Fiber was there so people didn’t really need graphic design. They were getting graphic design work for business cards and things like that for $5 so I saw where the internet was going with what I was doing and I realized that it was not the best way for me to serve my customers anymore. So I started studying what was happening online and how things were working and I bought some courses and hired a coach and got some programs on different things and when I saw what was happening with YouTube and video and how fast it was growing and how successful; not people with dancing cats and little kids that bite fingers and things like that but real business people who are applying YouTube strategies for their business and have a great success rate, I knew that I needed to learn more and more about that and bring that to my customers and share it with them. And I just, I fell in love with it. I fell in love with everything about YouTube and how easy it was for people to get great results.
And were you a fan of being in front of the camera before you discovered YouTube?
No. I had spent years as an introvert working from home, working online, maybe talking to people on the phone but mostly I did most of my business through email, and the internet online and chat. So I, you know, to actually step out there and record a video was really scary for me. And my first few videos are still alive on YouTube, I’ve kind of work really hard to bury them but they’re still available, if you really do the searching.
And I see that as being one of the biggest challenges for people getting started with video is they’re so afraid how they look or how they are on video, but that’s the real, authentic now.
It is and I talk a lot about that. I have a technique that I teach how courageous on camera and it really is about focusing on, instead of how do I look or my hair or this I even have a little bit of gray hair but I’m still on camera today and it’s just all about focusing on what it is that you want to accomplish. And I’m a big, huge fan of Tony Robbins and his proponent and Tony talks about a gratitude flood. And what he says is that fear and gratitude cannot occupy the same space at the same time in your brain. So if you focus on the fear, that’s what your brain is going to focus on. So if you focus on gratitude, there’s no room for fear. So what he does is he teaches you this exercise where you go through and you focus on everything that you’re grateful for in your life. Is it, it could be anything – I’m grateful for trees and birds and beaches and ocean, my children, my business, my clients that I help, great hair – all of those things. If you focus on that, fear cannot enter into your brain. It’s impossible, it’s not how your brain works. So if you just keep focusing on all of the good things and all of the gratitude and you prepare yourself, just take one or two minutes every time you turn on your camera, that energy of your videos will magically change and people will be able to pick up on your authentic, happy, grateful you. And your videos will be much more productive, convert way higher for sales and you’re going to end up having a lot more fun.
That’s a fantastic tip because it is something that I think a lot of people, well and even when you’re doing those videos and watching them back, we are our worst critics.
Yeah.
So when you watch it back like, uhhh, then suddenly oh this is wrong, this hair is out of place, this, you know, any little thing, we’re our worst critics and we notice way more than others do, correct?
You know, people don’t notice it at all and one other thing is that some of them say to me when I started speaking on stage and that was a big move to go from a video camera to a stage.
Yeah.
When I first started speaking as if one of my speaking coaches said to me, you know what 10 seconds after you say it they’re not even going to remember what you said because you’re already saying something else. And that’s really true. The whole point of video and why it works so well is about video visibility. And it’s that you’re out there and you’re doing something that other people are not doing which instantly makes you the expert. So if you’re yourself and you’re quirky and that’s you, then people are going to love you for being exactly who you are and it doesn’t have to be about being that model-perfect, or that newscaster or all of those things because that’s not what works with YouTube. YouTube is a social media and we want you to be social just like you’re having a conversation.
That is true, being social and you know, that’s the thing is I’m a big networker. I like to be out in the community and so oftentimes when people take pictures and then post them on Facebook I think oh my gosh, did I really look like that? But obviously I do. So just getting over the fear of hopping in front of the camera and not worrying about it and just knowing you can edit your videos later.
And it is and you know while you’re speaking of networking I will tell people all the time would you go to a networking event with a paper bag on your head?
Maybe pink hair!
Maybe. Yeah, sure. But you know you’re going to a network event and you’re talking to people like if you had a customer call you up on the phone and leave you a voicemail that says, “hey my friend told me about you and said you are the absolute, best person for what I need on and I want to hire you right away to get this on. Can you call me back?” Would you call that person back?
Of course!
Of course. Well that’s what video is. All video is just leaving a video voicemail because right now there are thousands of people online searching for exactly what you have to offer. And they are leaving a voicemail, so them searching online is like them leaving a voicemail and by you not having a video, you’re not returning their call.
An interesting concept I haven’t thought about that. So do you have any ideas on, because I own a salon and a small business owner, what kinds of videos could I use on my hair salon?
Oh it’s amazing, I actually just wrote a whole book about that because that’s one of the biggest questions that I get asked all the time is that’s great about video and I know that it works and I’ve seen it but I don’t know what to create videos about; so my book actually has a 101 YouTube video ideas for business owners. And some of them are just really simple, like who are you and being authentic. Or here’s a really simple one for you guys to start out with and it’s what are the questions that you get asked most often Kimmy in your salon? What are the questions, you know the ones that people ask you over and over again all the time and you probably answered them a million times already?
Yeah, one of the questions is should I cut my hair short because of the shape of my face and so they’re afraid to get it cut short because they’re not sure what they’re going to look like.
Now here’s a thought of a different color. So if people are asking you this in person and you’re seeing just a small amount of people and there’s thousands of people online that are asking that question, I bet you they have the same exact questions that’s going to be answered by you answering that question on a video online you’re creating yourself as the expert, the go-to person.
Yeah that’s true. And the other one would be the types of products to use for my hair if I got curly hair vs. really fine, thin hair. You know and if I have conditioner or not to use conditioner or gels, all that kind of fun stuff.
Kimmy I see some very helpful YouTube videos in your future.
I’m sure you do. Hey Janet we got to get on that.
That’s great. Well I love, that makes, so basically expanding your audience from that person in Kimmy’s instance, the person sitting in the chair to expand it to a whole world-wide audience by doing the video.
And it is because you know, like for me I’m on vacation right now on Cape Cod and I have some gray that I noticed this morning when I was fixing my hair I was like well that’s not just going to do. So here I am on vacation and when I get off this call my to-do list for today is to actually google someone, a salon in the area that I can go to and make an appointment to get rid of this gray. And I don’t know where I am, I’m on vacation but I definitely have a need for that service and whoever shows up in Google as the expert is the person who’s going to win my business today.
Yeah and I suppose you would pick somebody with testimonial videos over somebody that doesn’t have anything.
Well yes, exactly. And the thing in Google is that if you notice when you do a search in Google everyone else that has websites that have done really great and are showing up at the top of Google, they worked really hard to get there but their websites are only showing just texts, that’s all it is is just texts. But if you have a video, your video has a picture. And it’s the only thing that’s going to show a picture and I can click on that picture and learn about you and get to know, like and trust you before I even pick up the phone and call you.
That’s true, very true.
With the recent changes with the YouTube bringing in the videos compared to how it used to be?
It’s actually gotten way better which is amazing and that YouTube which is owned by Google, Google wants you to play with their toys. So if you are a local business and you have, you know, it’s set up that you have videos on YouTube and naturally when you have a YouTube account now you have to have a Google+ account. So those three things together, Google, YouTube and Google+ all work together now when you have your videos uploaded. So what happens is is that if you have your videos on YouTube and you’re a local business chances are your other local salons aren’t going to have videos because they don’t know the secret we’re talking about today. So what ends happening is your videos go right to the top of Google and you’re seen oftentimes long before the other websites are seeing in. I’ve even have results with my local clients where their videos show up before the Google locals or the Google map listing show up and they’ve gotten a lot of business from that.
Yep, you can get in that position, that’s, specially above, exactly. Can you talk/expand more on that about how you go about doing that, few little tips there?
Yeah, it’s actually all about keyword research and how you use your keywords. When you upload your video to YouTube, there’s a specific process that I teach but the most important part of that whole process is how you title your video. So if you’re a local business you want to make sure that you have the city of you business in the title because that’s how Google is going to start ranking you and differentiate from ‘should I cut my hair short’ would be a question that someone could be searching for or ‘short hairstyle for face types’, those types of things. But when you add in, like Kimmy what city is your salon in?
Minneapolis.
Minneapolis. So you would say Short Hair Styles Minneapolis Hair Salon. By having Minneapolis in there it lets Google know that you’re not looking for customers from all over the world because maybe someone from Japan isn’t going to fly to Minneapolis to get their hair cut, very rare, although it would be fun. So you want to look for people who are looking just from the Minneapolis area. And the good thing about Google is is that it doesn’t even need to know, that person doesn’t necessarily have to type in Minneapolis. Because if their computer is in or anywhere near Minneapolis, Google knows where their computer is located that they’re using. So it’s naturally going to default to show you search listings that are surrounded by where your computer is located.
That’s fascinating really.
Yeah, it’s really cool. So as a local business you have an advantage way more successful with video results than someone who has a world wide business because local results are much easier to get to the top of Google, less competition. And Google is actually helping you out by knowing that you’re a local business.
Terrific!
Yeah, yeah. So talk a little bit more, we’re kind of coming to the end of our half hour that we like to stay at, we want to talk a little bit more, I love this information though and I think the local business is it’s so, so important to them to bring video in. I’ve always, I’m a huge proponent of doing video, too. So let’s talk, I’d really want to hear little more about what is involved in your book Ready, Set, what is it? Ready, Set, Go Make a Video, love it!
Yes, Ready, Set, Go Make a Video and here it is here I’ve little copy for you guys.
Hey thanks.
And if you guys when we’re done, email me your mailing address and I will both mail you a copy of the book.
Oh thank you. Can’t wait to see it.
Yeah, we love it.
Kimmy you’ll have a hundred and one ideas to get started on those videos.
There’s no excuses.
No excuses now. In fact, for you guys one of the case studies that I have in my book is about local facial spa that I worked with specifically and we created a series of 6 videos for her. And out of those 6 videos she ended up with 25 first page listings in Google for what she wanted to be found for.
That’s fascinating, awesome job, way to go!
She did really well and she got a lot of business from it. In fact she has to hire someone to answer her phone.
That’s terrific! Can’t wait to see all those tips.
Absolutely! Absolutely! So the book is, to answer your question..
Yeah…
… the book is a lot about how YouTube works so the small business owners, in simple terms, can understand the power of YouTube and why it works. And then we go into a workbook in the back of the book which is a hundred and one questions. And all you simply do is read the question and then look into your camera and record the answer to that question and viola! you have a YouTube video ready to go.
That’s neat! That simple.
That is really good and you know, how about where you sit? I mean could you do video sitting like where you’re at now?
Absolutely!
I’m just trying to think gosh it takes forever to set up my studio so I got to make it easy.
Yeah, absolutely. And you know the book talks a lot about and there’s some great bonuses in the book. When you order the book there’s 10 bonuses that are included in there. And one of the bonuses is how to use your cellphone to make great videos. Almost all the smartphones today have great video cameras in it. In fact I use my iPhone more than I use my professional video studio.
Hmmmm, yeah. And I’ve heard that from a lot of people so I know that definitely could work. Do you have an outside mic then with your iPhone when you do the videos? Or you just use the mic that’s in it?
You can use the on-board one but as you guys know from doing your show that audio is very important to video because it’s actually more important. The audio is more important than the video, believe it or not. Because if people can see you clearly and they can’t hear you, they’re going to leave. But if they can hear you clearly and maybe your video’s a little bit off, they’re still going to stay because they’re processing what you’re saying more than what they’re seeing. And that, so with your cellphone there are ways, which I talk about in the book, of how you could buy a professional video microphone for only $20 from Amazon and that plugs right into your cellphone and gives you fantastic audio. In fact iPhone users, I see that you have, do you have an iPhone with that headset with that white cord?
Oh yeah, of course.
Awesome! Did you know that you can plug that into your iPhone and that has a microphone in it so when you’re recording your videos you get better sound from that? And also the plus sign (+) will start and stop your video camera.
Oh.
I did not know that.
It’s a remote for your video camera.
Wow.
Yep, the iPhone, the white headphones that come with your iPhone are remote for the video camera and a microphone, which you already have if you have an iPhone.
I didn’t know that, I have an Android.
Ah no, you’re an Android, just kidding.
Whatever! I love Android! Android is great.
My sons’ are too but I just stuck with the iPhone. But you know, teach their own. Everybody has their favorites.
Absolutely, absolutely.
That’s great. Well let’s, one thing I want to ask you Jessica is to give our audience a tip that they can use in the next 24 hours to take action with video in their business.
Yep, absolutely. And what Kimmy and I were just talking about is the frequently asked questions. So think about the questions that people ask you all the time in your business. And you know what they are, you don’t even have to rehearse anything for this video because you probably answered them hundreds, if not thousands of times already. So you’ve already done the rehearsal part, you’re good, you know your lines, you’re ready to go. All you have to do is just take out your cellphone and record that question. Just say the question out loud and then record it and you’re done. Your video can be done in 5 minutes or less and you can go out and do this right now. Go ahead, go on, you got it!
You’re so encouraging Jessica.
That’s take action. Just do it!
That’s why her book is Ready, Set, Gooooo! Go make a video. So in your workshops Jessica, do you actually have people in your audience go out and make videos?
We do. We actually, I have a workshop coming up in a couple of weeks in Florida that’s sold out. And what we’re doing is we’re actually doing a whole video scavenger hunt where they have to go around and ask for questions in specific areas that are top secret. They’ll have to figure out the clues and that what I found with that is it makes it fun but also gives them a little bit of relax to focus on, I’ve got to get this done, I want to win the big prices. So it’s kind of like the Great Amazing Video Race.
That is fun!
Yeah, it’s going to be a lot of fun. We love doing that event. And it’s really all about taking action. You know I have coaches and people that I work with to help me to bring my business to the next level and one of my coaches said to me one time and I’m all out crying, I’m all upset in things that didn’t work out the way that I wanted with something and I didn’t get a big deal that I worked so hard on and you know what, he said to me was “imperfect action will always get you better results than perfect inaction, now get out there and go do it.”
Good quote, good coach.
Yes.
Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, better to make mistakes, I agree.
Let’s have Kimmy wrap it up with you and then… This was awesome, I mean I so appreciate all the information because it just wants to make you go to a video, too.
I’m going to hold you for it, I’m going to be looking for it.
Jessica we’re going to be very excited to get this book. So where can our listeners and viewers get access to your book, as well?
I actually set up a page. My book currently sells on Amazon for $30 with the workbook, the bonuses and the mini course that comes with it. However for you guys today, I have a special secret page on my website just for you guys. It’s readysetgomakeavideo.com and it’s smhangout. So it’s social media hangout.
SMHangout
SMHangout and if you go to that page you guys can get a copy of my book sent to you for free with all of the bonuses. All you have to pay is just $9.95 for shipping and handling.
Nice.
That’s a huge, very generous office, offer.
Yeah, yes, thank you. And we will also have that in our show notes, this is show #26 so we’ll make sure that it’s also in the show notes on our website, too, we’ll have that link also. So that’s great! Well thank you so much Jessica for your time.
Thank you. Bye Kimmy.