The Biggest Video Mistake? Not Getting Started! Alyce Currier, Wistia’s Video Queen, Tells Us How

Video is seeing an eruption of consumer popularity and marketing interest. Sitting atop this volcano is Alyce Currier. For Bruce Clay and Murray Newlands’s Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals, we tapped Alyce as our go-to expert to help readers ramp up video marketing production. To be honest, it was obvious we were only skimming the surface of Alyce’s video production expertise, so we asked if she’d be so generous to share more tips and resources with us. Read on for:

• 3 tips to get you rolling if you just make the time
• the most common mistake she sees
• an incredibly educational primer on lighting
• her favorite video examples we can take notes from, and more.

When, after this small dose, you realize your business and your brand is ready for more from Alyce and her team at Wistia, consider attending Wistiafest May 20-22 in Boston. Talks on Wednesday and hands-on workshops Thursday will cover scripting, storytelling, lighting, shooting and even A/B testing videos.

BCI: Can you tell me your top three favorite learning videos and why?

Alyce Currier: I really enjoy CodeSchool‘s videos; they’re well-scoped and offer a good balance between creating human connection and showing examples. Moz’s Whiteboard Fridays are totally classic for marketers: they’re not flashy, but they’re packed with great information that’s helped them gain a very loyal following. In a more general sense I’m a big fan of videos in documentation; I can watch it whenever I want to instead of having to get in touch with a support person for something they’d just be repeating anyway.

Can you give me three actionable tips for video content that brands small and large can use for 2014?

1. Start small: don’t make your front page video first. Instead, practice with smaller videos about your audience’s pain points.
2. If you’re going to invest in equipment, get lights first. Camera isn’t as important: you can even use an iPhone to shoot acceptable videos these days. We made a video about building out your first lighting kit: http://wistia.com/learning/down-dirty-lighting-kit
3. Try worrying less about view count and more about how you’re scaling communication and how engaging your content is to your core audience.

Editor’s note: Here’s the down and dirty lighting instructional video, an educational must-watch that will come in handy in that toolbox of a brain of yours.

Down & Dirty Lighting Kit

What social network is the best for our readers to connect and follow you?

Our Twitter at @wistia!

When is better to upload to YouTube versus on a website?

We usually recommend treating YouTube like you would any other social network. There’s a type of video content that works well on YouTube, and you can make content specifically for that channel just like you would for Facebook or Twitter.

Can you share 2 or three of your favorite industry blogs?

I’m a big fan of the Moz blog and Harvard Business Review. STET is a recent favorite for longer pieces about writing, culture, and technology.

Biggest video content mistake in 2014?

Not getting started! The best way to learn is to start small and give it a try, then iterate your strategy based on analytics and feedback.

Thanks, Alyce. Pick up Content Marketing Strategies for Professionals and give chapter 6, “Video: It’s Time to Shine” a read to learn how to create great interview content, how to use Google Hangouts and live-streamed videos for your brand, what to keep in mind for SEO and visibility, what makes videos work on YouTube, and of course, Alyce’s “6 Tips to Help You Get Started Creating Great Video Consistently.”

Virginia Nussey is the director of content marketing at MobileMonkey. Prior to joining this startup in 2018, Virginia was the operations and content manager at Bruce Clay Inc., having joined the company in 2008 as a writer and blogger.

See Virginia's author page for links to connect on social media.