We are so proud and excited to be launching Make Your Own Video Training Academy!
Training people to make their own videos was an idea that came to us when we were filming training sessions for a client in 2015. It was literally like a light bulb being switched on. We had spoken to hundreds of small business owners and sole traders through networking meetings, so we knew there was a demand for marketing videos. The problem was their marketing budget didn’t stretch to the volume and regularity of videos demanded by social media.
Watching a trainer empowering a room of eager learners was our ‘eureka’ moment. We began to think about how we could train business owners to make their own videos.
The first step was to conduct a survey; we sent out a poll to a significant number of business associates asking them whether they would be interested in learning how to make their own marketing videos. The feedback was a resounding yes. We also asked them how they might like to receive their training. The consensus was through a combination of online, printed and face-to-face methods.
We started formulating the course by throwing everything we knew about video production onto pages and pages of notes, then filtering out anything we thought was over complicated or unnecessary. We realized we had a book’s worth of material (as well as advanced information we could hold back for subsequent volumes).
So the book began to take shape, and along with it the material for a practical workshop and online modules. We carefully designed and shaped each element so they would work hand in hand or alone depending on the learning preferences of individual customers.
As the material for the workshop took shape, we decided to hold a pilot session with four people who had expressed a specific interest in learning how to make videos for very different reasons. Our ‘guinea pigs’ consisted of a children’s author, a retailer, a network marketer and a project manager. We wanted to test whether our material was general enough to appeal to different sectors, whilst being specific enough that they were all able to make a video unique to them. The response and the results were even better than we’d hoped.
The pilot allowed us to see what was working and what wasn’t. We encouraged our learners to provide honest feedback, which helped us shape and improve the workshop. It also gave us confidence that what we had to offer would be valuable for sole traders, business owners and employees alike.
At the same time we asked some other business owners to read the book and make a video following the steps. Again, the feedback was encouraging. It helped us to modify the steps and language of the book to ensure it could be understood by absolute beginners.
Following the success of the first pilot, we decided to hold a more formal pilot with another four people. Again, our learners were from diverse sectors: a web developer, a fashion designer, a business coach and a charity fundraiser. We were excited to put the lessons we had learned from the first pilot into practice, and delighted to see the positive results. All four of our learners went away with a fully filmed and edited video that they were happy to share on social media. It was a truly uplifting, enlightening and empowering workshop for all of us.
So now we’re ready to launch! The book will come first, followed by the workshops starting in September. We’re so excited to be taking the next step in our journey, and we’re incredibly grateful to all those who have helped us come this far. We look forward to helping as many people as we can to make their own promo videos for web and social media, and we welcome you to join us on our continuing journey.
Ruth & Glyn