CONNECTED & CONFIDENT with Melissa J Scott

Our guest on the CONNECTED Podcast Episode 2 is James Lopes, the award winning and celebrated videographer, cinematographer and marketer extraordinaire from Arc Shot Media and Heretic Creative Agency.

James’s story is interesting because he was a mechanical engineer for 25 years with Bluescope Steel in Wollongong. He also toured the world with his band The Cherrypickers as the main songwriter and lead guitarist, and when he turned his hand to video production ten years ago.

When you consider that 78% of people watch videos online every week, 55% watch every day, and 80% of the internet is dedicated to video, it’s incredibly important that every business owner makes video a very important part of their marketing strategy and even more importantly… gets the messaging right.

Here are some of James’ expert tips:

1. When you create video… remember, pants on!
Ok, so we’re joking obviously, but the point is, if you’re trying get a cheap laugh, don’t.

2. Prepare your script – whether it’s notes or a full script, practice and be prepared
Tell your story succinctly, write your script, write it again, share it with people who you trust.

3. Know who your target audience is and address them personally
Address your target audience personally or directly with the word ‘you’ in the opening lines so they feel engaged, and try to create a pattern interrupt to captivate your audience.

4. It’s all about knowing your points of difference and getting them across
There are 300 hours of video downloaded to the internet every minute. You will only cut through if you are true to who you are and know what it is about you that your audience will love.

5. Practice at becoming an engaging presenter
A lot of people are so uncomfortable in front of the camera that they prefer an interview style shot. As opposed to a more direct presenting style which is addressing the camera directly down the barrel and where your focus should be.

6. Sound and Lighting are extremely important
Direct sunlight is harsh and unflattering, and conversely dark or weird shadows across your face can be disconcerting so be aware of your surroundings.
Bad sound can even be worse than bad vision when it comes to a video.

7. Get comfortable in your own skin
The second you become comfortable in your own skin it doesn’t matter what you look like. The camera is an amplifier of how you are feeling and it can pick up if you’re being fake or ‘pretending’ to be someone you are not.

8. If you don’t have the marketing budget to use professionals, you can still produce good content with your own phone
Focus on the details, prepare the script and know what you want to say. Consider the sound and light. You can buy an affordable microphone to ensure that your sound is clear.

And if you want to continue the conversation, this is where you can find us:

https://melissajscott.com
https://divinecreative.com.au
https://hereticcreative.agency
https://www.connectionmar

This is our very first podcast and video. I know, I’m coming a little late to the party but had I launched any sooner it just would have been like all the other digital marketing and branding podcasts out there. Connected is soooooo much more!

My name is  Melissa J Scott, and I’m leading a Connection Movement across the globe, because I believe the western world is literally starved of true connection and instead, we’re burying ourselves in busy-ness and “things” to fill the gaps in our lives, but we’re missing something really deep. We keep looking for the answers outside of us, so we buy more stuff and we consume more how-to videos that all promise the world if we just buy their thing….

And we live under the hope that technology is going to keep us feeling connected, and yet loneliness, depression and anxiety are at epidemic levels. It feels like the more we are connected through tech, and the more stuff we buy, the more isolated we truly become because it isn’t filling us up. It’s just added to the clutter.

So why should you be listening to me?

I’m the Founder and Creative Director of two advertising agencies, Divine Creative Agency which is coming into it’s 21st year in business, and Heretic Creative Agency which we’ve just launched. I’m also the very proud creator of our online course Connection Marketing – Rockstar Brand Edition – where we teach business owners and marketing managers how to connect to their teams, their own business, their customers and potential new clients through our own version of connection marketing that I created.

It’s fair to say that I am a bit obsessed with connection. Because it just works. And it’s the difference between have a decent business that chugs along, compared to having a business that is just off the richter where all your team are motivated and inspired to be working with you, and your brand is sought after by your target audience. 

My personal mission is to impact over a million Business Owners, Brand and Marketing Managers, and entrepreneurs through our method of Connection Marketing. Too many people in my industry have mistaken technology and cookie cutter sales funnels and strategies that work great for one person and then dismal failure for another… as connection. They are not. They’re just tools. It’s about people, it’s us showing up authentically and with a deep desire to do good things in the world through our business and our personal beliefs that creates true connection.

So who is this podcast/video channel for?  

It’s for people like me, and it’s for people like you.

We dare to dream really big, because we know that we should be asking for more in our lives because we are capable of so much more.

My business partner and I have a belief… that we are part of the 2% in this world. If you look at the Diffusion of Innovations Model where you have a typical bell curve of how quickly people respond to change and technology, you have the innovators at the very front of the bell curve just making up 2.5%. then you have the next 13.5% who are early adopters, and so on and so forth.

I believe this to be true in life about pretty much everything. The leaders, the innovators, the entrepreneurs, the business owners and the free thinkers… we sit in this 2% at the front of the bell curve. We are the people in society that really want to inspire and be inspired, and connect more deeply with our own truth so we can share that with others and make real change in the world.

If this is resonating with you and you’re still here listening… I welcome you to subscribe and tune in each week!
Melissa
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