Hello, and this is my first video back after a while. My name is Al Carmona, and I want to go over why I’m making this video. So first, I’d like to show you my outline. I think that when you’re making a video, just like any presentation, having an outline helps you stay on top of what you’re doing and have some key points to go through instead of trying to make things up on the fly and improvise. The first thing I wanted to do was create an outline. In this outline, you can see it’s very simple, just on a regular notebook, with some of the points I want to touch on. So, let’s get started on that, and the first point will be the introduction, where I’ll introduce myself a little bit.
My name is Al Carmona. At the time of this video, I’m 49, about to turn 50 this year. I’ve been in marketing for a little over 20 years. I first started off during the first.com boom and bust, where I worked as a graphic designer and a web designer. So, I’ve made a lot of those early websites that you saw, kind of like web 0.0, and a lot of flash websites with interactive media. Obviously, flash and macro media are kind of extinct now, and you don’t really see them that much on the web.
But that’s what I specialized in at the time. Then, I started to work in different companies as a designer. Back then, there was no such thing as a digital marketing director, so they basically took the people who understood the internet the most, which were the graphic designers, programmers, PHP guys, HTML guys, and those who knew how to make websites and small applications on the web.
Back then, internet marketing was just starting out, so nobody really knew anything. SEO was kind of non-existent, and there were just some things that people were trying out to see how they could build websites and drive traffic to them, using that to gain traction online for businesses. So, while doing that, I learned on the fly as I went, since the digital landscape is constantly changing and has changed so much in 20 years, and it’s going to continue to change a lot. That’s one thing you have to keep on top of.
So that’s the first part of the outline, which is basically when you’re doing any kind of marketing, including this one.
You have to think about your audience and who you’re talking to. So you might be watching this video, and you could be a young person in your early 20s, or you might be a little bit older. But I believe these videos are geared towards showcasing my experience and the length of time I’ve been doing this, with the aim of helping other people at a similar experience level—those who have over a decade or decades of experience in online marketing and want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends.
We want to know what’s happening, what the new technologies are, the new ways of handling marketing, and what’s working and what’s not. We want to try out these new approaches because, in our positions as marketing directors, managers, or CMOs, we encounter new things all the time, and we need to decide whether to allocate a budget for them, test them out, and stay ahead of the curve.
So, that’s basically the second part of my outline: who I’m doing it for. The third part is about getting started and improving as you go, which is the hardest part, especially when putting yourself out there on camera. The process involves making that video, making mistakes, and then reviewing it. I know it’s going to be cringe-worthy when I look at this video, but I’m going to share it with some people close to me to get some advice. In the next video, I’ll try to make it better, refining some things and making my points more clearly to improve the overall experience for my audience, for you, the person watching this video, so you can get the most out of it.
Now, the fourth part of this video’s outline is belief in building an audience. I believe the way the internet and online marketing are evolving, every person will have to build an audience, whether they work for a company or are freelancers or business owners. You’ve got to get yourself out there and establish a presence and an audience.
For instance, I came across an article on LinkedIn today, mentioning they’re training over 80,000 employees to be LinkedIn influencers. This means they want everyone to promote their brand on social media. If you work for a company, you’ll likely be asked to post something on social media tied to the company you work for. That way, they’re going to average all their employees, turning them into content creators if executed correctly. I think this is a great approach and something people should embrace.
Some might see it as just another task from their company, and they might feel overwhelmed with work, wondering how they can create content and put themselves out there. But it’s worth it for several reasons. First of all, your profile and content belong to you, not just the company. So even though you’re producing content related to your work, it stays with you. If you apply for another job in the future, potential employers will see that you’re a great content creator and brand ambassador. Additionally, it helps you gain more followers, which opens up more opportunities for the job you want. Also, it benefits the company you work for by leveraging your followers. I believe this is a direction everyone will want to pursue.
In order to build your audience, you need to know where to do it. There are platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn where you can publish your content. Repurpose the content you create by cutting and pasting it, creating clips, and turning it into blog posts. To get started, focus on what you’re good at and what you do day in and day out that can be helpful to others, whether it’s writing a tweet, creating a LinkedIn post, or making a video.
Once you have your first follower, keep in touch with them and build a core following. Connect with your first 10, 20 followers on a personal level through messages and emails. Creating an audience is personally rewarding as well, especially if you’re shy or introverted. Expressing yourself and sharing your knowledge helps clear your mind and provides space for new insights.
As you make more videos, you’ll see gradual progression and improvement. For making videos, you can start with a simple HD 1080p webcam and use OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) for capturing and editing. You can also edit the video using software like Final Cut Pro or iMovie for Mac or even within YouTube itself.
The most challenging part, especially for introverts, is getting in front of the camera and speaking. However, the key is to get comfortable with speaking and talking about what you know. Later on, you can work on creating intros, animations, and transitions for your videos. Encourage viewers to subscribe to see more of your content in the future.
I hope this was helpful. Please leave a comment below, and if you enjoyed this video, don’t forget to hit the subscribe button. Your support is greatly appreciated. Thank you!