How a video can benefit my business

Please feel free to come along and tell us what you enjoyed (or didn’t enjoy) about the carnival and discuss any ideas you might have for MC17. It’s always helpful to get a fresh perspective on the event and some new ideas, too.

One of the first questions we will be asking is whether we change the date for 2017. There are pros and cons to all alternative dates and we need your feedback on this, particularly on whether it’s vital we hold it on a Bank Holiday.

The other week, Carla and I were invited to a workshop at The Globe Arena, organised by Workshop Media, entitled ‘Are You Ready For Video?’

Workshop Media works very closely with us on the carnival, undertaking all our design work, running our social media platforms as well as the website, so when they invited us to the workshop I did feel a little obliged.

We turned up at The Globe for 3pm not really expecting too much out of the session. After all, how would a video benefit my company, even if I could afford to commission one? Here’s where I hold my hand up and say, once again, I was wrong. I know I get these preconceived ideas about things and stubbornly stick to them.

It took me three years before I’d watch The Full Monty because I didn’t want to watch a film about male strippers and I refused to believe it was actually a comedy.

Anyway, it took me a lot less time to realise I was wrong about this workshop; I learned an awful lot from it and began to question a number of things I do, within my business. I, like many small business owners, spend a great deal of time ‘in’ my business (‘Doing the Do’ as Workshop put it) rather than working ‘on’ my business, which is a common trap to fall into when you’re as busy as we are.

However, by taking a couple of hours out and getting some (free) marketing advice, I identified things I could do better and realised there are times when I can use a video, not only to benefit my customers, but to save me time and even open up new revenue streams.

I was also pleasantly surprised to learn it isn’t expensive. Carla and I hung back after the workshop: me to ask further questions and Carla to eat more of the complimentary Haribo sweets.

We have decided to work with Workshop Media to improve our business and I’m looking forward to being on the big screen, starring in my own video very soon.

If you have a business, I strongly recommend you inquire about these workshops; they’re currently free to attend and they’re extremely thought provoking.