26 Oct 2022

Marketing Apprentice and video guru, Scott McDowell, shares tips and tricks for getting the most out of using video content to market yourself as a mindfulness teacher.

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You can hear the tiktok of the clock as the time that you are giving to marketing passes by and you reel-y want to put yourself in the spotlight so that the clients stream in but you’re coming up a bit short. Is this your story? 

Paying attention to the words in bold? Well great, because if used effectively these video content types will be your ticket to successfully promoting your mindfulness services and reaching more customers. 

This article is dedicated to showing you exactly how to use video content for greater impact and the good news is, it’s much easier than you might think!

Why Video?

People spend an average of 6 hours and 48 minutes per week watching online videos, such videos have an audience reach of 92% worldwide and 82% of global internet traffic comes from video - the time to create video content is now! 

Demographics

Before you begin, it’s important to know your target audience and where they spend their time online. Understanding the demographics of each social media channel will help you know where to reach these clients. That way you can make informed decisions about which platforms you should focus on to reach your target audience. Below are two handy graphs which will help you see just who is visiting each social media platform.

Instagram: 50 percent male, 50 percent female

Facebook: 57 percent male, 43 percent female

Youtube: 56 percent male, 44 percent female

Image Source: “Social Media Use in 2021”; Hootsuite social-media-demographics

Short is the new big with video content

Today, short form videos are an excellent way to build brand awareness and educate customers without losing their attention so it’s no surprise that 89% of marketers planned to increase (or maintain) their investment in short-form video in 2022.

In order to make the most of short form videos it’s important to understand these three things:

1. Audiences visit social media in order to be entertained.  Algorithms love entertainment. What are the algorithms I hear you say? Algorithms are a way of sorting posts in a users’ feed based on relevancy instead of publish time. Posts which are more popular will be shown to more and more people because the platforms want to keep people on the apps and engaged. If a viewer is entertained they will watch a video for a longer duration and the longer the audiences stick around the more the algorithm will boost it.

2. Think indie film not blockbuster. For a content creator in mindfulness it’s not about achieving hollywood level visuals - your authenticity, relatability and ability to engage people as a teacher will be your greatest strengths. 

3. Know your platform Often short form videos can be repurposed for each platform but certain approaches work better for particular platforms than they do for others so it’s important to understand these nuances and tailor your content to each platform individually as well.

Now that you have thought about your audience and where to reach them with your engaging videos, it’s time to think about how you can use each platform to get the most out of it. 

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Tiktok videos 

TikTok is a social app used to create and share videos. Videos can be up to 3 minutes long but the average video is 24 - 31 seconds long. Within that timeframe creators have so many creative tools at their disposal such as filters, effects, music and captions, so let your creativity run wild! The scope for collaboration and interaction is also huge; duets, stitches, videos replying to comments and reusing other people’s ‘sounds’ are all great ways to generate content ideas and ride on the coattails of viral content from other creators. There are Tiktok creators making content on almost any topic: comedy, DIY, dance and yes even mindfulness. 

An example of Mindfulness Content on Tiktok

This Tiktok video has worked so well because it’s:

• Short and sweet
• Relatable
• Uses a trending sound (trending sounds are boosted more by the algorithm when used while they are trending) 
• Provides value - it eases doubts
• Encourages long term mindfulness practice and therefore Tiktok follows

Top Tiktok Tips Put a fresh spin on existing trends  Include a call to action such as ‘follow for more videos like this’ at the end of your videos Experiment with different content types until you find what that works well for you and then hone in on that niche Post frequently but don’t compromise on quality Make it casual, like talking to a friend; you don’t need a super polished aesthetic, a lo fi presentation using your phone can perform better

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Instagram Reels

These are short vertical videos that can be customised with effects, stickers and music - sound familiar? That’s because Meta certainly tried to emulate Tiktok’s success. With reels you can record and multi-clip videos up to 90 seconds and once posted they will appear on your followers on feed, and in the wider Instagram community through the ‘Explore’ space. Instagram reels have the potential to receive 1000s of views even if your account has a small number of followers due to their amazing reach.

If you feel like the Tiktok video that you made would work well on Instagram you can repurpose it as an Instagram reel. Simply:

1. Go on your Tiktok video click share and then save
2. Remove the Tiktok watermark using Snaptik. Download the Snaptik app here
3. Post it as an Instagram reel

An Example Mindfulness Reel

This Instagram reel has worked well because it’s:

• Funny
• Relatable
• Well lit
• Clean aesthetically pleasing background and outfit.

There are so many creative possibilities with reels. Here are a few examples of reels that you could create as a mindfulness teacher to inspire you:

• Show people how to create a meditation space at home
• Teach a mindful movement exercise 
• Lip sync to some lines from the Dude in The Big Lebowski and link his attitude to mindfulness.
  

Reels tips that you can rely on Experiment  Use trends as inspirations Use on screen text and captions Inc a call to action such as ‘follow for more’ Find your niche and post consistently Make them fun

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YouTube

So now that we’ve explored the world of short form video it’s time to scale things up. YouTube is the home of long form video and although early on your videos aren’t likely to get the same amount of viewership as your average Instagram reel there are still many benefits to having a youtube video for your mindfulness business and these will become evident the more time and effort you put into the platform. These include:

• Creating youtube videos can improve your brand’s SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• Build a deeper relationship with your audience
• Grow your audience worldwide
• Build your email list 
• Your audience will promote you and buy from you
• Your content is there forever
• Tap into the wealth of YouTube traffic
• Build a community

What should your Youtube videos be about? Well there are plenty of options to choose from such as repurposing clips of your teaching, vlogging your retreats, giving your top 10 mindfulness tips or even start a mindfulness podcast inviting guests in the field. However, to succeed on Youtube it’s not about doing our idea suggestions, it's about getting good at generating your own brilliant ideas. After all the world’s most successful YouTuber Mr Beast said his best advice for youtubers was this:

MrBeast on Twitter: "If you're a small youtuber do this, spend more …

So make a habit of jotting down video ideas in a notepad or on your phone. This goes for creating short form videos too.

Winning YouTube Tips Make compelling content Include a watermark to your videos Advertise your videos on other social channels Transcribe your videos Publish your videos at the best time Use timestamps Provide value Use a tripod and film lighting

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YouTube Live Streams

Before you go and make a YouTube video armed with these killer ideas there is another type of youtube content that could be really useful and that’s Youtube Live Streams. How about live streaming a meditation practice every week at the same time. This way you would be giving value, building a community and by people experiencing what it’s like to have you as their mindfulness teacher they would be far more likely to book one of your courses or workshops.

Breathworks’ own Vidyamala Burch has mastered the art of the Youtube live stream with her Space to Breathe free mindfulness sessions which she does each week on the Breathworks Youtube channel. Watch this video below to see just how she does it:

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Pulling it all together

So we hope that these tips have helped you feel more confident and clear about how to create impactful video content. We hope you feel excited too because content creation should be fun. It’s a chance to share your knowledge and skills with such a large and diverse audience. 

Applying these tips and tricks will help you tremendously but what is really going to make a difference is your own creativity, consistency and playing to your strengths. Don’t forget you have access to informative insights such as Instagram insights which will tell you so much about what is working and what isn’t so find out what works and double down on it! Good luck and have fun, we’re sure that you can build a dedicated and engaged audience.

One last thing

So now you know how to reach your customers and how to create high-engaging content, how about putting what you’ve learnt into practice. If you create an Instagram Reel and tag Breathworks on the post, we will share your reel with our followers and if you wish, we can offer you constructive feedback on your content.