Expand Your Fempire Podcast #37 Transcript

Podcast and Video Strategies for Entrepreneurs with David Kersten

Welcome to Expand your Fempire with Caterina Rando, the podcast for women in business on a mission. Sharing ideas to support you to grow and thrive. Now here’s your host, Caterina Rando.

Caterina Rando: [00:00:24] This is Caterina Rando, and welcome back to another info-packed and uplifting edition of the Expand Your Fempire podcast. I have a wonderful guest today. I am very excited. David Kersten is here. He is a video marketing expert, a podcaster, a leader in his business community. And he has so many super tips for you.

[00:00:53] David, thank you so much for being here today.

[00:00:57] David Kersten: Thanks. I’m excited to be here.

[00:00:59] Caterina Rando: David, now I know you do so many things. Before we talk about what you’re doing, before we give everybody some super tips, let’s hear a little bit about your entrepreneurial journey. Where are you from? What was your first J.O.B.? What was your first career and how did you get to here?

[00:01:19] David Kersten: Yeah, thanks Caterina. And I just wanted to say, I know it’s a honor to be on here as a male guest. I understand that it’s primarily targeted to women.

[00:01:29] Caterina Rando: You’re only the second male guests we’ve had. And I don’t know if we’ll have any more.

[00:01:33] David Kersten: I have a lot of women on my podcast and they’re great. I feel like women are better speakers in a lot of ways, you know, can be more exciting. So, I’ll try to fill those shoes, so to speak.

[00:01:45] You know, I actually come from the world of politics. I worked in California politics for 20 years. So, I was really born into a political family. Both my parents worked for the state of California for their entire careers.

[00:01:58] So I was really a trained as a policy analyst. I majored in political science at UC San Diego. I did a Masters in Public Policy at Georgetown University. So, I really worked in politics as my primary vocation for 20 years.

[00:02:14] And you know, it probably took me about seven years almost to get out of politics completely, but I really transitioned to the private sector just based on really being burnt out on politics and not really seeing a purpose for me to be in politics anymore.

[00:02:32] And I really kind of had to almost change my identity to enter the private sector. And I did communications in politics for more or less for 20 years. But I did do a lot of policy analysis and actually still teach public policy at the university of San Francisco.

[00:02:51] I’m actually going on to speak to a class later this afternoon on ethical leadership. So, I still do keep a hand in. But it’s just a fascinating intersection, how politics can prepare you so well for communications in the private sector, but there’s a lot that you have to learn in the private sector that I didn’t know.

[00:03:12] And I learned it starting about three years ago when I joined the BNI network, that’s really when the change came. So, I took my video business from a small side business to a full-time vocation and doing video marketing. 

[00:03:26] Caterina Rando: I love that. You know, I went to USF for my undergraduate and my graduate degree. I didn’t know that you teach ethics in leadership. What an exciting topic. I wish I could be a fly on the wall in that class.

[00:03:42] Well, let me ask you this cause you know what? I love talking about integrity and business. David, what would you say related to entrepreneurs? Anything from your ethics in leadership class that you want to make sure entrepreneurs are aware of?

[00:04:01] David Kersten: Well, to clarify, actually, I’m not teaching this class I’m a guest speaker in the ethics and leadership course, although I teach public budgeting and I’ve taught economics for public managers so this course is part of that same program that I teach with.

[00:04:20] But I have studied leadership and actually the person who hired me to start working at USF was a leadership expert. And actually, really got me involved in looking at leadership more than 10 years ago.

[00:04:32] So I would say that really leadership cuts across all sections. You know, leaders are leaders, whether you’re a non-profit, you’re a political leader, you’re a business leader. So, I think what’s so exciting about studying leadership is that you really see how it sees certain qualities that make leaders and then you can be a leader in any kind of segment that you work on.

[00:04:58] I think from a teaching perspective there’s niches that people generally only learn from the people in their same sector. So you have, you know, healthcare leadership programs where people study healthcare leadership, they’re in with their cohorts, learning from other people in the healthcare field.

[00:05:17] You might have, you know, business leaders or I guess nonprofit leaders or political leaders. So, each people kind of learn in their own tracks, even though the kind of the big picture everything’s really connected. So, I think, you know, 80 or about 80% of it kind of transfers between fields, if that kind of helps kind of set the landscape there.

[00:05:41] Caterina Rando: Thank you. Okay. So, guess what, Dave, I’m wondering then, how did you get into video marketing? How did you get into being a video strategist?

[00:05:50] David Kersten: Yeah, really, I came at video as a content guy. And I saw the potential to use it, to market my business and politics when I was still doing political consulting. And so, I had it kind of as a to do my marketing, I would go out and do interviews. I had some great interviews with the former mayor of San Jose, Chuck Reed, and some academics out of Stanford as a way to share content on emerging issues.

[00:06:20] And so I call it a “60-minute interview.” So, it’s like over the camera shots and it’s a back and forth, very dynamic and engaging. And I just saw that nobody else was doing that, especially in that field. So that was about seven or eight years ago. So, I kind of kept it as my marketing arm for that business.

[00:06:39] But when I transferred out of politics, and joined BNI, I saw the potential to take this side business and make it a full-time business. Focused on entrepreneurs to help entrepreneurs use video to transform their business.

[00:06:55] So that’s kinda the short end of it. And I really took all that background and knowledge from my communications career in politics, and instead of running kind of a political campaign that I used to run where, you know, even statewide campaigns or regional campaigns, I’m running campaigns for a specific person or business.

[00:07:15] So again about 80% of it transfers over, but you have to change your identity first to be able to connect and identify with people in the private sector. Cause the goals and the vision is totally different in the private sector versus being in politics.

[00:07:30] Caterina Rando: Although, you know, David, my best friend, her name’s Jana Sanchez, she’s running for the house of representatives in Texas right now. I got a call. No, I called her and she said, “Caterina, I’m dialing for dollars.” So, I gave her a donation for her campaign, but the thing is I was thinking about, you got to do a lot of sales calls to raise money in politics, only you don’t call them that. You call them fundraising calls… Sales is definitely a big part of it. Would you say? What are your thoughts about that?

[00:08:03] David Kersten: Yeah, sales is huge. And I actually liked fundraising calls too. Most people probably don’t like those, I guess it’s different. A lot of the political representatives, they don’t like to make their calls cause they have to make so many of them so to speak.

[00:08:18] And you know, I’ve always worked for causes that I believe in. So, it makes it easier to ask for money. And it’s about kind of who you ask, and a lot of that experience has been invaluable in the private sector because you have to ask people for business.

[00:08:35] So yeah, I mean, if you can’t fundraise, you’re not going to be successful in politics. And I think the beauty of a fundraising. And there’s such a connection between video and fundraising, because you really want to warm up all those leads by doing video and other things on marketing. So, when you call those people, you know, they’re already are willing to give and they’re already kind of warmed up, so to speak.

[00:09:00] So there’s just a lot of synergy that comes with the different pieces of a campaign and marketing and you know, people, you know, they want to feel good about giving. If you talk to them and they don’t want to pick up the phone from you because they don’t like what you’re doing in office, they’re not gonna give.

[00:09:17] There are certain folks that people just give cause they have to get, but you want to be the person that they want to give money to.

[00:09:24] Caterina Rando: And we want to be that way in business too. We want to be the people that they want to give money to. And I like your analogy of using video to warm up the market. David, what do you see that works for your clients with video, that we want our listeners to embrace for themselves in their businesses?

[00:09:45] And what do you see that doesn’t work?

[00:09:48] David Kersten: Yeah, great question. And I actually think what works the best and it’s why I have a couple podcasts too, is a podcast. That if you’re going to start anywhere out there in the landscape, go on a podcast interview as the first thing.

[00:10:04] And then put that on your LinkedIn, put that on your social media, maybe even put it on your website. Because it really starts with your story and the content, you know, who you are. And that comes across, even if it’s just audio and no video, that comes across in that podcast. And then you can actually write that up as a blog or something.

[00:10:25] So for example, this podcast, when we’re done and it gets put out, I could write up a little tidbit saying here’s what we went over. Here’s why you should listen to it. Here’s what I shared. Here’s who Caterina is, to promote you as well, promote what I said, and then share that to my network.

[00:10:42] I think that’s kind of the most bang for your buck in terms of video. I usually just start people by coming on one of my podcasts, even newer, existing clients, or maybe people come on the podcast first and then they decide they want to be a client.

[00:10:56] But beyond that, it’s really starting with 60 second interview and I’ve really developed kind of a formula here. You want really a 30 to 60 second short video that kind of just says who you are, why you do what you do, what you do, and then with a call to action at the end. And that’s the formula. That’s kind of what I call the “flagship video” to stick it on the top of your website.

[00:11:22] I’d say what doesn’t work is really being overwhelmed by video. I just see people you know, D.I.Y. You know, “do it yourself” video. Video is a very hard thing to do well by yourself. It’s such a collaborative thing.

[00:11:38] So if you don’t have people who you can trust to give you insights or, you know, ideally, I think you have to work with a professional or at least somebody else who has a good eye for video to have quality control, but help you scope out the segment. So, you could take a bad script versus a good script. So, just going on video for 10 minutes may not be good and putting that up on your website.

[00:12:04] But having a short, tight scripted segment is what you want. Something that accomplishes your goals instead of just going up there and trying to wing it.

[00:12:13] Caterina Rando: Right. Well, that’s important cause I feel like a lot of people, they use the “wing it” strategy. And when they do that, they usually talk for way too long and they ramble, and they don’t usually say a whole lot. Would you agree with that?

[00:12:29] David Kersten: Yeah. I would, I would agree. I do see that in interviews where,” okay, what they just conveyed there might’ve taken them two or three minutes. Let’s say that in 30 seconds.”

[00:12:41] That’s why you need the script because it needs to be succinct, and it needs to have impact. I think somebody like you Caterina, you can go up there and look like you’re winging it because you’re an accomplished speaker and you have so much experience. But until you get to that point, people really need to kind of write out a script and just have it be a discreet thing, you know what I mean?

[00:13:05] Caterina Rando: I guess I would say, you know, I’m anti- script, but I’m anti- script because I guess I know my stuff so much. So, I just do like “must make points” I call them. You know, which is a little bit of an outline. I do agree though, if you’re new, you definitely need a script. The thing is that you have to make sure that you practice it enough, so it doesn’t sound like you’re reading a script. Because the script is never appealing if it comes through, but if you do a good job of learning it and you can articulate it well, then I think it’s very effective.

[00:13:38] David Kersten: That’s an excellent point. And I’ve kind of almost came full circle on this issue. Earlier in my career I really said I hated scripts. And I just said, “Oh, you want it to be natural, off the cuff? Well, you just have to speak, and it has to appear natural.”

[00:13:57] But I’ve just found there’s varying degrees. So, you can kind of write out a script of what you’re going to talk to, and then you can make it sound natural. So, it’s kind of like notes, you know, a guy who I look up to is John Maxwell. He goes on there and he’ll write some of his stories out on a pad, but he’ll kind of have a rough roadmap in his mind.

[00:14:17] And I think this is what the experts do, you know, like you who are public speakers and are good on video. You have it in your mind, but then you say it in real time. And so, it looks like it’s unscripted, even though you had a plan. And that is really the ideal.

[00:14:33] Caterina Rando: Yeah. And, you know Malcolm Gladwell says in his book Outliers, you know, he says it takes 10,000 hours to get to mastery.

[00:14:41] And I think that that’s a very depressing number for anybody that’s getting started with speaking or writing or video or business. At the same time though, every hour is one hour closer to mastery. The more time they spend on their videos, the better they’re going to get. And the less they’re going to sound scripted. We hope.

[00:15:02] David Kersten: Yeah. And the beauty of video is that to make good video, you don’t have to have ever done video. And I say that about anyone, because if you work with somebody who knows what they’re doing, I can write that script, I can get all the assets, so they’re kind of, I call it “stone soup,” where all you need is the stone, and we’ll bring everything else and make it a great video. And that’s the beauty of it. You don’t even have to be a good public speaker.

[00:15:29] Caterina Rando: That’s a good metaphor. I love that. Okay. Yeah, you don’t even have to be a good public speaker.

[00:15:35] Let’s give our listeners a couple of super tips related to podcasts because you seem to be very well versed. Tell everybody what your podcast is, so that they can listen. And I know you’re you have a couple more in the works.

[00:15:51] David Kersten: Yes. So, I have two podcasts that I’ve run for about eight months now. One’s called “quantum leap” and the other one’s called “the ripple effect.” and actually I had an earlier podcast, a video podcast, when I worked in politics called “Inside Source.” so, I’ve learned a lot and I’m actually launching a podcast that’s aimed at monetization.

[00:16:15] So there’s a number of different benefits of podcasting. One I would recommend just get out there and everybody should have a podcast. It seems like all the celebrities have one these days. You know, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, even Paris Hilton has a podcast.

[00:16:34] So it’s the way to get your voice out there and your message. And I think the biggest benefit of it is really relationship building and how much you’ve learned. So even if you don’t make any money off it, what you gain from talking to those people is hugely valuable.

[00:16:50] I think it really helps with networking. And I think the key is to just have an idea, have a rough idea and then get on the air. You know, I see people sit on these things, I call it getting “stuck in the gate” where you come up with a great idea and it’s kind of like a stillborn idea, unfortunately, which is kind of a sad thing, but you have to actually put it into action.

[00:17:14] And it’s kinda like being married. You know why people get married and why they stay married are two different things. So you don’t actually quite know where that podcast is going to take you until you start it, and see what happens and kind of see why you stay married to that podcast. Or maybe you evolve it or change that podcast. And pardon that analogy. Somebody used that with me the other day about something and I think it’s pretty interesting about a major undertaking because you never quite know where it’s going to lead you.

[00:17:43] Caterina Rando: Well, that’s true. That’s true. I mean, my gosh, if I knew where my business would take me, I probably would have started a different business way back when you know?

[00:17:53] What I do want to say is that I a hundred percent agree that… well, many years ago, everybody, we had to have a website right? Now everybody has a website. It’s standard operating procedure, if you are in business, you have a website. Podcasting is definitely the same thing for anybody that is a coach, speaker, teacher, trainer, mentor, consultant, it’s standard operating procedure.

[00:18:22] And if you don’t have one, you are not in the same league, so to speak as those that do, would you concur with that?

[00:18:33] David Kersten: Yeah, I would. I think it depends on kind of what business you’re in that maybe it’s not for everybody, but I do think there are huge benefits of it. And I think there’s a way to do it so it would be almost invaluable for anybody, depending on what their line of work is. But you know, there are some exceptions. I feel like things that might get you close. Maybe it’s not a podcast. Maybe it’s a video series on 10 tips. But I think if you’re in business, you really need something that serves that purpose to take you to that kind of higher level.

[00:19:09] Caterina Rando: Absolutely. Okay, David, so we talked about your intro video. Now you just mentioned a video super tip series. I’d love for you to say more about that. And also, I’d love you to say what are videos that business owners should be using and what should they be doing with their videos?

[00:19:28] David Kersten: Yeah, I think that there is. You know, most people start with a one-off video. Solopreneurs who don’t have a video, that’s kind of the basics. You know, you need that flagship video on your website.

[00:19:42] You probably need, ideally, at least a testimonial video or some, I call it a “mini biopic.” It’s essentially your biography. So, you want the flagship video and then you want a video on your about page about you. And maybe that one video serves that purpose.

[00:20:00] But to really be successful with video, you need an ongoing program. And that’s why the beauty of the podcasting because it is ongoing. You know, I come from the world of political campaigns. You want to think about it as an ongoing campaign of what’s going to drive you towards your goal.

[00:20:18] And the word campaign actually, I think, dates back to the Romans that, requires kind of your goals and your planning. And so, where are these videos going to take your business?

[00:20:31] So I usually start out with kind of a strategizing plan where there’s no bad ideas out there. Get all the ideas out there. And I know you’re great at this too, as a business coach. But then how are you going to put that into action in terms of a video plan?

[00:20:47] So I think ideally for the full version you want two or three videos a week and maybe they’re a short video.  You know, it’s not the level of production in every video, but that’s what I recommend. Maybe it’s one video a week, but to really get to the full kind of market saturation and the impact, think about if you’re running a political campaign for your friend out there in Texas. you know, one video a month, isn’t gonna cut it. You’re not gonna get elected on that.

[00:21:17] Advertising works because it’s repetitive and they see in different takes, you’re speaking to different markets. So, I’ll leave it there, but I like to kind of go with what people start with and where you want to get to, and you can be somewhere in between, but you want to really build it out.

[00:21:35] Caterina Rando: Okay. So, David, we’ve got some great videos now, what do we do? What do we do with them?

[00:21:40] David Kersten: Yeah, the distribution is key. I think there is been some major changes in the social media landscape. In that you may put a video on Facebook and only five of your friends see it or something. Even if you have over 500 friends, you know, it just depends on their algorithms.

[00:21:58] And they want to make you pay to show that video to more people. So, I think Start with the organic route, which is just to put it on all your social media and your website and your various platforms that you have. So, I think the kind of bare bones where you start is a YouTube page, a Vimeo, your social media of LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, your website, and then…

[00:22:30] … I don’t actually do paid advertising with my video. I’m still kind of a newer business, but say it was a campaign, you start promoting that video on Facebook. So, you do paid advertising on certain campaigns. And another essential is a newsletter at least a monthly newsletter, maybe biweekly. So, when you come out with a new video that gets sent out.

[00:22:55] Because I talk to people all the time who you know where my friends, but they don’t see my video unless I do those face-to-face meetings. So, when you do face to face meetings with people, share that video with them. Like “have you seen my latest video?” Put it in your signature. Put it in different groups. Show up to a networking event, put it in the chat.

[00:23:15] So that’s the beauty of these videos. And when you have new material coming out every week, it creates this energy and this buzz just sets you apart from everybody else likely in your field, especially if it’s well done.

[00:23:28] Caterina Rando: That was great. And I, I like that super tip you said about, “Hey, when you go networking, put a link to your video in the chat.”

[00:23:35] That’s something I never even thought about. Bing, bing. Fabulous. Okay. David, any final words for what actions our listeners should take based on our time together today?

[00:23:47] David Kersten: Yeah, for new tips on video, follow me on Facebook. I can send you the link. All my podcasts are on my wide-angle media Facebook page. And I know you’re going to be speaking at an event in May that’s actually targeted at speakers. So do attend that event.

[00:24:07] I’m actually going to launch a workshop at that day on really how to do video, how to get up on video and it’s going to be very accessible and that’s a great place to start.

[00:24:18] I do free consultations if you have any friends or colleagues who want to hear more about how they might use video, feel free to reach out to me. I can give you my email in the chat, or you can email me at David M as in Michael Kerstin, K-E-R-S-T-E-N@gmail.com.

[00:24:39] Caterina Rando: Awesome. And just acknowledge that you have some little people in the background cause I don’t think we’re going to be able to edit all around that. That’s beautiful. Cause we’re all working from home and we’re doing this via zoom from your house in my house. Beautiful.

[00:24:55] David, thank you so much for being with me today. Let’s encourage everybody, everybody don’t worry about, you know, uh, you got to lose 10 pounds or or, you know, you have too many wrinkles. Don’t worry about any of that, because what people care about is feeling your heart. They care about what you communicate. And to see if you’re a good match for them. Take David’s advice. Get started on video ASAP.

[00:25:24] This is Caterina Rando, thanking you for being with me for the Expand Your Fempire podcast. You can find out more about David in the show notes, and we will see you next time.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Expand Your Fempire with Caterina Rando.