Video is a powerful tool that has become extremely easy to share.

During my political campaign I created (filmed and edited) more than 20 videos and uploaded them to my YouTube page. By no means am I the next superstar Hollywood producer, but I can get the job done. So can you.

Video Camera

You don’t have to go out and spend thousands of dollars on a video camera. Actually, that would be a pretty dumb move for the average individual/company. My campaign videos were recorded with The Flip Ultra (this is not sponsored post) and I have always been happy with the results.

The Flip cost just over $100, records 2 hours of video, runs on two AA batteries (some versions have internal batteries) and the video is uploaded via a USB port that pops out of the camera. It’s very easy to use, but there are two other big reason I like it so much – size and durability.

Editing

Windows Movie Maker and iMovie are video programs that come standard with any PC or Mac; both allow you to edit your video and add simple effects. They both have tutorials and operate in very similar ways.

Now if you happen to be thinking, “I might need a more expensive editing program that can do a bit more.” Stop. I’ve already had that thought, spent the money and realized I could have accomplished everything I wanted to do with the two previously mentioned programs.

They both allow you to splice video and add opening/closing screens, transitions, sub titles, music and more.

Tip: Before you hit record have an idea of what you want to film. By not having excess video your upload and editing time will be drastically reduced.

Impact

Video allows you to tell a story that written copy simply can’t do. Here is an example.

During my campaign a 16-year-old was shot and killed in my hometown of Greensboro, NC. Several days after the incident took place I went out and talked to his mother, some friends and was show where the shooting took place. It was still rather gruesome because you could see where the police used a solution to get rid of the blood.

What if I could bring that story to life? You would be able to see the setting, the mother, the friends, where the shooting took place… you would “feel the story.” It just so happens that I did make a video that day and you can watch it here. Note: this was an extremely disturbing event for me, not to mention the child was killed on my birthday.

Hopefully you agree that “Video is a powerful tool that has become extremely easy to share.”

I just wrapped up my first political campaign yesterday and it was a heck of an experience.

Given that I am very new to the political scene, don’t make gobs of money or know lots of wealthy people, I knew I had to take a very different approach to campaigning. I did not win the race (received just over 1,600 votes), but managed to use social media in a way that has never before been seen in a Greensboro, NC political race.

By utilizing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and VoteShell.com I was able to reach a very diverse group of individuals and engage in levels of conversation that were previously unheard of.

Accomplishments

In terms of accomplishments, I was able to raise awareness around a number of issues and got people that could typically care less about local elections to vote. That’s huge.

Here are some quick stats from the campaign Web site (five month time period):

– 22,000 views by primary day
– 180 blog posts
– 285 blog comments

I was already using Facebook and Twitter prior to launching my campaign, but estimate that I made roughly 150 – 200 new connections on each site. In terms of Facebook, I created a Page that garnered more than 210 Fans, a group that had more than 150 members (used for fundraising) and ran ads (highly targeted) that were very effective.

While social media played a large part in my campaign, it is important to note that it was just part of the communication process.

As a coach may say, I “left it all on the field” and am happy with the accomplishments that were made along the way.

I have been thinking about this for a while and have decided that I would like to help businesses establish their presence online, especially in the world of social media.

Not only am I familiar with the tools available, I know how to make them work and the pitfalls to watch out for.

If you need help with your online marketing please let me know.

If you happen to be searching for political information and stumbled on this site, please note that my campaign site is www.voteshell.com.

To tell you this story I have to first admit that I ate lunch at McDonalds yesterday. No, it did not help my diet one bit. While enjoying my chicken sandwich, fries and a diet coke (diet makes it all better right?) I overheard a short conversation.

A lady walked to the register and said, “I’d like one Oreo McFlurry.” The customer then paid and the employee proceeded to fulfill the order. A few moments I saw the employee hand the McFlurry to the customer and I noticed some hesitation on the customer’s part.

She then said, “Do you not mix these up anymore?” Meaning that she had a cup of ice cream and a big pile of crushed up Oreo’s on top.

The employee then said, “I can’t reach the mixer.” Evidently the store had something placed in front of the mixer prohibiting the employee to easily reach the mixer.

At this point the customer had a pretty evident “are you freaking kidding me look” on her face, as did I. Eventually the employee [insert sarcasm] went the extra mile to actually mix up the McFlurry and all was well.

Maybe next time the customer will skip McDonalds and go to the newly opened ice cream shop across the street where they actually do what they are supposed to do… without being asked to do so.

Good customer service really goes a long way.