Generally speaking, I’m shy. I’m an introvert. While I love to take pictures and videos, I have a hard time getting in front of the camera. You won’t see a lot of selfies on my Instagram feed!
But there’s a good reason to be in front of the camera. Your potential customers and clients can get to know you, like you, and even trust you long before they meet you face to face. It’s called a parasocial relationship. By definition, parasocial relationships are “one-sided relationships, where one person extends emotional energy, interest and time, and the other party, the persona, is completely unaware of the other’s existence.” Think about your favorite celebrity or athlete. They don’t know you … but you know them!
It can be hard to get in front of the camera and start telling your story – talking about you and your business. But in doing so, your business becomes more than the product or service you’re trying to sell. People can see that information on your website. When they’re watching a video, let them see you! Let them see your human side and what makes you … YOU! People want to do business with people, not brands and logos. Show them your face and your personality. You may never see half the people that end up watching your video. But those that you do will be more likely ready to do business with you, because they’ve already established that parasocial relationship.
NOTE: Parasocial relationships have nothing to do with paragliding … it’s just what I thought of when I first learned of the word. That and now I want to go paragliding sometime 😉