Amy Vaughn:
Hello, everyone, and welcome to our weekly power lounge. This is your place to hear authentic conversations from those who have power to share. My name is Amy Vaughn, and I am the owner and chief empowerment officer of Together Digital, a diverse and collaborative community of women who choose to share their knowledge, power, and connections. You can join the movement at www.togetherindigital.com. And today, we have a true powerhouse joining us. Keenya Kelly is the CEO of Keenya Kelly LLC based in sunny San Diego. Keenya is a force to be reckoned with in the world of vertical video marketing and consulting. She’s not just about business.
Amy Vaughn:
She strategically empowers entrepreneurs to develop winning video and funnel marketing strategies. In just 3 short years, Keenya has built an audience of over 500,000 ranking an impressive 22,000,000 in revenue in her business. That’s 1,000,000, 200,000,000. 2,000,000. That’s amazing. That’s not all. She has been the secret weapon for thousands of business owners, helping them scale and thrive in the online marketplace. Keenya’s magic doesn’t stop there, folks.
Amy Vaughn:
Recently, her work has done wonders in the TikTok marketing platform, helping clients soar to over 2,000,000 in just 10 months. Partnering with Keenya means tapping into a powerhouse of influence. Her brand resonates deeply with strong female influencers and entrepreneurs, making her a game changer in the digital world. Buckle up listeners and get ready to be inspired. Keenya, we’re so excited to have you here with us today. You are in the right place in the power lounge because this is your audience. These are your people right here. We’re so excited to have you with us.
Keenya Kelly:
I’m so excited to be here. Thank you.
Amy Vaughn:
Absolutely. And we’ve got some very timely things to talk about, don’t we? That’s a day as well. Right? As in all things digital, the world never stops changing. But first, you know, we always love to kind of come back to the space of grounding ourselves in, you know, where we all got to start. And, I would love for you to share a little bit with our listeners about your career journey and what led you specifically to focus on video marketing and in particular, even vertical. Like, if we wanna get that nerdy, like, let’s do this.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. Yeah. For sure. So I, you know, I think, my entrepreneurial background kinda started when I got into network marketing in college. I got recruited into a company, and they were my mentors. They were very, very, very good. He I mean, I had a lot of success in the company, but he was someone that forced me to read books, you know, because I just, you know, all I knew was what I had been taught in school. And he really forced me to read books by John Maxwell, Robert Kiyosaki, Zig Ziglar, and all of them, Jim Rohn. And, like, I started doing these big presentations and, like, just being this kind of personality in my company.
Keenya Kelly:
And eventually, I left that company, but I still had this knowledge of, like, what people what I saw people do. Like, I had never seen somebody make $100,000 in a month. And then when I got into network marketing, I was like, people make that in a month. It just wasn’t on my radar because of, you know, I just grew up, you know, poor. And so because I was at my jobs making whatever I was making, I still had this knowledge that there was something more. And I just made a decision one day that I wanted to get into entrepreneurship. So my first business was actually a trade show, out of Virginia where I would get hundreds of people to come to learn how to care for curly hair, and I just became this event producer. So that was, like, my first career.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Yeah. I think what you were just stating there reminds me of a statement that a fellow Together Digital member once said to me, before I myself even landed in the path of entrepreneurship, that what you can make for others is finite. What you can make for yourself is infinite. And sort of once you kind of open your eyes to that and you’re like, oh, wow. Especially, again, like, growing up in a lower income family, it’s like, oh, wait. What? You’re telling me that there’s more out there to be had? Yeah. Okay.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. I’m curious. My interest
Keenya Kelly:
is big.
Amy Vaughn:
Let’s talk about making that money and building that generational wealth.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. Exactly. So it’s kinda like I just knew that there was so much more, you know, and like with the digital world, like what happened for me was that I started, I think it was 2016, there was an app called Periscope. Mhmm. That was yeah. Had put out. And I started seeing people doing this thing called live streaming. And I was like, what is that? And how are they making money? And so I had my job, and I was like, I’m just gonna get on here and see what’s going on.
Keenya Kelly:
And through that time frame, I just started teaching people everything that I’ve ever known from my jobs, and people really wanted to hire me to consult with them. And I was like, I didn’t even know anything about the consulting world. None of that. Uh-huh. And the first person paid me $25 for an hour, and I realized I’m on to something.
Amy Vaughn:
Uh-huh.
Keenya Kelly:
It’s time for me to start building that and not continuously building what I had going on with my job.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. That’s so interesting. I totally think it’s so funny. Periscope. I 100% remember it. We were so jazzed as marketers about it because it’s like there’s so many things, again, as industry folks that we get excited about because we see the potential and the opportunity, but then the consumers aren’t ready for it. And Yeah. You know, I said we’re gonna talk about some things today in the world of video marketing and vertical TikTok, obviously.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. But, like, Vine Vine and Periscope, those were huge. And we were ready as marketers, but the people weren’t were not quiet. Yeah. Correct. Right?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Absolutely. Oh my goodness. So how do I wait? I jumped ahead with my questions. I’m sorry. So okay. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Let’s talk about what inspired you specifically to focus on vertical video marketing in particular. And what do you think sets it apart from other traditional marketing methods? Because, obviously, video is pretty vast, and there’s a number of ways, right, in which you can use it. There’s a long form. There’s a short form. It’s traditional. It’s cinematic. There’s so many different ways in which we can leverage it. What is it about vertical and short form in particular that gets you so excited?
Keenya Kelly:
For sure. So when we first started building my business for the longest time, it was, like, more so horizontal vertical video. We did a lot of live streaming, And it wasn’t until 2020 hit, and we all knew something was happening in the world. We didn’t know what was happening. And I’m somebody I always pray for creative strategies and all that. And while I was praying, I felt like I’d heard God tell me to get on to TikTok, and nobody was talking about TikTok. I only knew about this thing called the baby shark challenge from, like, 2018. Yeah.
Keenya Kelly:
And I was like, well, the worst thing that could happen is that I get on this app and nothing happens. And so I really just spent the whole 2020, like, learning about the app and trying to create content there while still doing what I was doing with long form horizontal content. And once I had my very first viral video, I realized that there was something special that was happening on this platform that wasn’t happening anywhere else. And so the brand that I had been building on all the platforms, I said, well, let me add TikTok to that mix. And TikTok was the only one of them that made everything explode. I kept watching my influence and all this stuff just dramatically just Yeah. Go through the roof in a way that had never happened before. And so for me, I doubled down on it and everything, we just kept growing.
Keenya Kelly:
And then Instagram reels came out, Facebook reels came out, LinkedIn shorts, and all the others. And the more that I’ve been learning it and teaching it, I realized one of the things that’s happening with vertical short videos is that the average person has a very short attention span. And so when you’ve got short content that’s vertical, everybody’s always carrying around their phones. Mhmm. You’ve got people who always have access to content, and they can watch a 22nd video, a 30 second video a lot faster. They can watch many of them rather than watching one long video. Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Yeah. You make a couple of good points, and it makes me think about that time span right in between when we had Periscope and Vine and when TikTok came about. Right? I think the impetus of COVID really sort of kind of pushed, certain things into into play, into consumers, and it’s part of it’s sometimes native technology, right, kind of being built into our phones, better better lenses, better cameras, better storage. Yeah. Right? So we can capture content and videos that you know, and we kind of tend to keep our our phones vertical versus horizontal when we’re capturing even just kind of by nature and the way we hold our phones, the quality, the usage of our videos, kind of throw all those into the mix. Plus, yeah, we’re all stuck at home on our phones, and we can’t connect. But then the way we feel connected and more human is by sitting down and seeing each other do funny TikTok dances or, you know, relating through each other through these TikTok stories.
Amy Vaughn:
And I think that the algorithm specifically within TikTok as far as, like, the kinds of content that it was delivering and things like that, wicked smart in what it was delivering and what we kind of wanted and needed to see kind of at that time and place. So I think that in that instance, where Vine and Periscope were just a little too soon, it was just like that perfect storm, right, for TikTok to sort of be there, right time, right place. And I do remember some past webinars and conversations we had where it was just really cool to see folks that, again, like you said, you just kind of hopped on there, and you started noodling around, and you had this wild opportunity. It’s like, I love this is what I love about digital. It can feel like the Wild West. You just get out there, and you do something lo fi, and it’s like, boom, like, a 1000000 views. Exactly. You know? It’s so, so cool, and I think that’s such a fun thing about it.
Amy Vaughn:
It’s like it’s either out there gold you’re mining for gold. Right? And sometimes you strike it. You know? And that’s why you kinda have to just play. You have to get out there. You have to try it. I think sometimes we get tired. Right? We see stuff and we’re like, oh, you know, another video platform. I’m not gonna bother.
Amy Vaughn:
Well, you might be missing. You might be missing that opportunity. I agree.
Keenya Kelly:
I mean, there’s so many people who wish they would have jumped in on TikTok when it was, like, the moment in time, so to speak in 2020, and 2020 or whatever. Mhmm. And they haven’t missed the boat or whatever, but it’s still a lot of people who wish that when they saw it that they actually did something about it or even last year. And now they’re like, oh, no. You know? Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
Right. Yep. You might’ve yeah. You missed a little bit of opportunity, that window of opportunity when the API API is most friendly and maybe not quite so pay to play. Right. Exactly. Because I remember those days too on Facebook. I was a content creator for Pringles for a while there, and we were able to take our fans from, like, 7,000,000 to 20,000,000 in a year.
Amy Vaughn:
And it was, like, no no problem whatsoever. And it seemed like such an easy thing to do because it was no pay to play. It was great. Exactly. So which platforms I mean, we talked a bit about TikTok already, but which platforms outside of just TikTok, do you find effective for video vertical video marketing? And what strategies do you try to employ to maximize engagement on these platforms?
Keenya Kelly:
For sure. So I definitely think that Instagram is definitely the second, Instagram reels because, you know, millions of people are already on Instagram, and they already have a habit of purchasing, of using on Instagram. So if a company is like, you know, where do I start? Where are people already, like, used to making buying decisions? Then definitely face I mean, Instagram is the number one that I would say from a vertical video standpoint. The one after that would definitely be Facebook Reels. Now Facebook, I feel like it’s still a little bit clunky. It’s still a little bit like, how do I actually find what I’m looking for? Like, how are they actually sending content to people? But that would be the, I guess, TikTok would be 1 and then Instagram 2 and then Facebook 3rd. And then of course, YouTube shorts. YouTube shorts still kind of skews young for the most part still.
Keenya Kelly:
And it’s still extremely behind on all the features that all the other platforms have. But now LinkedIn just launched Shorts. And so Oh. Mhmm. Everybody doesn’t have it yet. I don’t have it, but they just launched it. I think that they’re gonna be quite the competitor in the business space.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. That’s great. You know what? I think I might have seen somebody actually a connection of mine just take advantage of that because she was doing I’m gonna plug her, Brooke Bytes. Brooke Sellas, if you don’t follow her on LinkedIn. She’s great. She has her own social media company. So, yeah, yeah, I think that’s fantastic because I think there’s a lot of opportunity, especially with LinkedIn, for education. Yes.
Amy Vaughn:
So I think shorts make a lot of sense in that space. That’s exciting. Woo hoo.
Keenya Kelly:
I agree.
Amy Vaughn:
Absolutely. Something new to take action on today. Alright. I I jumped ahead to this question because I I I, like, I keep alluding to TikTok. Right? Yeah. Yesterday? Was it yesterday? Just yesterday. Right? We Yesterday. Congress signed a bill.
Amy Vaughn:
Biden’s saying we’re gonna ban TikTok. It’s likely to happen after the election. How are we feeling about that? Keenya, like, what kinds of things do we need to be thinking about as marketers when we’re talking to our clients, when we’re talking to our internal teams? Do we need to be freaking out? How do we stay calm? Carry on.
Keenya Kelly:
So the one thing that I have been telling our clients and they even when I’m doing live streams is, like, what congress is basically what they’re saying is that we’re not trying to ban TikTok. We are trying to force them to sell it to a United States company. And so I think that the positioning that they has they’ve had for so long is a threat to national security. Yep. But if it’s a threat to national security, like, why is, president Biden, like, ever, like,
Amy Vaughn:
kinda hanging on the app? You know?
Keenya Kelly:
So we’re like, that’s kinda weird. Yeah. Exactly. We really think it’s a money player, what have you. I think that it’s gonna take if they’re gonna ban it, actually, I think it’s gonna take quite some time Right. For that to be able to happen. I think that marketers should continue doing what they’re doing there, probably ramping it up and then, utilizing the community that they’re building there and getting them off of the platform, not onto another platform, but onto their email list. Because if you’re pulling people off of TikTok to your email list, you can control, like, 1, being able to sell to them.
Keenya Kelly:
But 2, if you’re gonna go to Instagram or YouTube, now you’ve got them on email, and you can go and tell them what to do. And you can tell them as often as you want to, and you have control over how they get the message. So that would be the top things that I would say. But I definitely would not stop posting on TikTok Yep. Because I think that with over 5,000,000 American businesses being on there, like, that’s a huge issue from a financial standpoint of affecting that many Americans. And I think they’ve actually got a really bigger problem on their hands that they don’t even realize as it pertains to the election. Because if you’ve got 150,000,000 Americans on there who become very upset, like, you’ve gotta have a problem when it comes to whoever needs votes. Yeah.
Keenya Kelly:
Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
No. Exactly. Yeah. I agree. It does feel like a money power and privacy play. And, again, hopefully, it’s just sort of a political move almost in the sense of trying to get them to sort of acquiesce to the demands of the United States to kind of make the moves that they need to to feel like there’s more security in the data and the information that they’re taking, because it is it is a massive platform. Right? And, I mean, as consumers, we’re like, I love it, and we’re on it. And it’s fun.
Amy Vaughn:
But if there are safety, security, privacy concerns, and it’s completely out of our hands, like, I mean, I definitely see both sides. And I love your thought of this kind of stay the course. And I think it’s smart, and it might just be a matter of positioning too. It’s like, okay. Yeah. We’ve got all these great TikTok users and communities, but instead of freaking out, like, why don’t we talk about a strategy of how do we move these people down deeper into our funnel? How do we actually bring them closer to that point purchase versus just keeping them in our TikTok space? Right? So let’s look at this kind of ripple or disruption as an opportunity. Right?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. I agree.
Amy Vaughn:
I love it. Yep. And just as much as I just plugged Brooke, I think, Keenya, I just started following you as well on Instagram. Thank you. Go follow her y’all. Seriously, it’s such great content. She’s, like, she’s going to live all the time. So if there’s, like, critical things going on, but then also just, like, great fun advice on how to grow your followers, vertical video content, and then just really relatable content as an entrepreneur as well.
Amy Vaughn:
I will say I appreciate that, as a fellow entrepreneur. I appreciate that. It speaks to me. So thank you. All right. And then let’s see. My next question was, what inspired oh, no. Which platform so I’m gonna get this right eventually.
Amy Vaughn:
I’m so glad it’s Friday. I even highlighted my next question, and then I still went right past
Keenya Kelly:
twice.
Amy Vaughn:
Have you seen the landscape of vertical video evolve over the years? I mean, I’m sure the answer is yes there, but what trends or changes do you anticipate in the near future with vertical video?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. So a lot has happened over the years. Like, it’s been 4 years since we’ve all been really, like, learning about this. And the first thing is it used to be so fun and trendy and just challenges and, like, dance songs and all that. Then it became more skits and pointing. Now businesses have learned the art of advertising to consumers in a creative, quick way. So one of the things that’s been happening lately is they’ve been using a lot more influencers. The people that have, like, big platforms on, on social media to, to help with their advertising spend.
Keenya Kelly:
We’ve also saw where the Emmys and the Grammys and all them, they’ve started going and getting, you know, influencers from TikTok and Instagram Reels to actually be on the red carpet and draw attention to some of these shows that are, like, not doing as well, like the Grammys and the Oscars and all them. The ratings have been down. But now you’ve got these influencers who are talking about the Oscars, and it’s causing it’s bringing life back into, into all those things. I think that one of the things that’s probably gonna happen if TikTok stays is I think TikTok is gonna start launching a thing. And this is just my own prediction, that there’s a lot of creative people on the platforms, on vertical video, and they are creating these different, like, series types of things on the platform, I think that they’re gonna turn these things into, like, a subscription series, kinda like a Netflix style on TikTok, because TikTok has been really encouraging you to do more long horizontal content. Mhmm. And they had this thing called the TikTok series where it’s basically paid to watch. And right now, they’ve hidden it, and they’re revamping it.
Keenya Kelly:
And so I’m like, you know, with all of what they’re doing, I think that, you’re still gonna be watching shorter content, but I think you’re going to get more of the things that instead of you watching television, you’re gonna be on places like TikTok, to do that. Mhmm. YouTube hasn’t quite done a lot of the updates yet, but I think that eventually they’re going to make sure that they are in the ballgame when it comes to short short vertical video. They’re kinda 3rd right now, but I think that they’re gonna really like it because it’s YouTube. It’s Google. You know?
Amy Vaughn:
I know. I was so floored by that stat to hear that, you know, the younger generation especially is using YouTube as search more so than Google. Mhmm. I’m like, what? Just it’s such a visual generation that that’s where they’re starting to do their search. And, yeah, it’s gonna be interesting to see how it evolves over the next few years. It might just be that, yeah, you’re subscribing, and that’s, like, your reality reality TV. Yeah. Exactly.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Oh, yep. It’s gonna be interesting. Like I said, buckle up, folks.
Keenya Kelly:
I mean, we used to get all of our news from Facebook. Now we’re a generation that’s getting all their news from TikTok. So I’m getting more money news now from TikTok than I am from Facebook.
Amy Vaughn:
Oh, yeah. Well, because it’s just more bite sized and concise too. Right? And I think it’s sometimes more grounded and more real, and it’s, I don’t know. Like, it just feels less overproduced and less sensationalized sometimes. Like Yeah. Yeah. I get it. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
I get it.
Keenya Kelly:
Exactly. Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
I get it. So let’s talk about a short form video in the context of benefiting businesses. What are some common misconceptions when it comes to using short form video for business? Because I think a lot of companies kinda shy away from it, or they just don’t really explore it.
Keenya Kelly:
Mhmm. Yeah. So one of the things that, you know, they tend to feel like because, like, many business owners knew about it in 2020 when they were stuck at home or their kids or their grandkids were showing them these funny videos. And so they still have the thought of, oh, we have to dance. We gotta be goofy. We had to do things that are off brand for us in order to have success. And that’s because they haven’t really gone back to see what it is today versus what it was, you know, 4 years ago. A lot of businesses also don’t don’t think you can sell products and services there, but they don’t realize that, like, some of these people in their thirties twenties are making 1,000,000 of dollars, selling their products and services on TikTok using short for short vertical video because it’s so easy to digest.
Keenya Kelly:
It’s so easy for a person to just see it, click it, buy it, like in a way that they could never experience on Amazon. You know, I love Amazon, but the way I can experience a product on TikTok or on Instagram is just totally different. And so I think businesses don’t really understand the power of what is going on there, and they think that people aren’t really making money there.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. I read a headline the other day about an 11 year old girl who just retired because she’s made several $1,000,000,000 selling bows and something else online with, like, YouTube. She’s retired from heaven.
Keenya Kelly:
I have
Amy Vaughn:
I have not heard that. Good for her and good for her parents. Like, it just tells me that she’s got, like, some good money management and parents who don’t just take her money in front. Yeah. You know? But, yeah, I mean, I’m like, if preteens can do it, man, oh, man. I think the best companies could. So, you know, for those who are interested in starting to kind of look at short form video as a way to maybe grow, scale their business, or even just begin to leverage it for their business, what would you say are some of the most important elements for a successful video marketing strategy then?
Keenya Kelly:
For sure. So one of the first things is really understanding what platform that you’re on. Okay? So if you’re using a form like TikTok, it’s important to know that you can’t act like you’re on Facebook. You have to come over to the TikTok platform, and you’ve gotta spend some time watching content there. But, like, you don’t have to watch just any kind of content, but you really need to watch content of, like, watch some of your competitors, watch people who are in whatever your product space is or whatever your offer is. And like, just really start digesting what is happening there. But not only that you want to, I always have our clients. We say, take a look at the video that caused you to stop and watch to the end.
Keenya Kelly:
Why did you stop and watch this video? What were you experiencing? What made you watch that? What made you want to take action? And then do that a bunch of times until you really start to see a theme of what you’re experiencing. Like a lot of businesses don’t realize that when you’re creating content online, like people have so many things that they wanna see and wanna experience. And they don’t come online to experience us. They come online to experience what they wanna experience. Right. And we are the commercial for their entertainment. Mhmm. So we’ve gotta show up in a way that doesn’t mean that when they’re scrolling on social media, that they actually wanna stop and watch what it is that we’re doing.
Keenya Kelly:
And so businesses have to learn the art of creating what I call scroll stopping content. Okay? And it doesn’t mean it has to be anything goofy, anything off brand, but it means that whoever is in the crew doing the creatives and the production and editing has to understand that I’ve got 1 and a half seconds or somebody is going to scroll on by me. So that first one and a half seconds should do something for them. Like the text, what you’re saying, the visuals, something has got to stop your, your, your target audience, and get them to want to watch your content. Again, all your videos don’t have to be going towards 20 year olds or 30 year olds. It can go to whoever it needs to go to, but you’ve got to know your customer and know how to create content in whatever space you want to be on.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. That makes sense. Makes a lot of sense. I just wanna make a quick note. We’ve got a a live listening audience with us here today, which I always love, love, love having groups listening in with us because we’ve got lots of great questions here, obviously, for Keenya, but I wanna make sure that we’re covering all the things that you all need and want to know. So if there’s something that you just have a burning question about, don’t be shy. Drop it into the chat. We’ll be paying attention and listening to that kind of as we go through.
Amy Vaughn:
So I just wanna make a note of that just to make sure that you drop those questions in the chat. If you have any, we’ll make sure that we get to them before the end. Alright. Let’s talk about authenticity. You’re talking about scroll stopping content. I think something that does it feel like an interruption, right, or an ad is important, but something that is also authentic too. Like, who you are as a brand, as a company is important. How do we do this while also achieving our marketing objectives, staying on brand? That’s a lot of balance.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. For sure it is. And so that’s why, you know, I think that most companies have, here’s how we have always shown up. Here’s how we’ve always marketed, which worked when it worked. Right? But companies have to go and revisit and go, okay. What does being authentic look like to us? Okay. But also what does being authentic look like to our competitors that are actually doing it really well on social? Because like, you know, I’ll talk to people sometimes and they’re like, I feel like I gotta tell everybody everything. I gotta tell them what’s going bad and this, this, and this.
Keenya Kelly:
But the truth is that you don’t have to do all of that. You just get to go, okay. What, how do we truly connect? How do we truly feel about what we do and who our customer is? So we have a lady that I know of. She teaches women over 4050 about menopause. Right? And one of the things about her authenticity is that I am a menopause, right? I am someone who is trying to figure out why my body is doing this, why my body is doing that because no one has ever taught me either. And so the more she talks about her menopausal journey and all the women she has served, it is truly connecting with every single woman that is going through it. It’s connecting with the men with partners that are going through it. And it’s basically saying, oh, she’s not superhuman.
Keenya Kelly:
She’s just like me. And she’s a gynecologist, doctor, you know, all the things, but it makes you truly, truly, truly connect with her, you know, and her brand. You know? I’ve seen other, like, social media strategists who have been, like, I don’t know what’s going on with Instagram today. My content is swapping too. I lost X amount of followers this month. And the more that you’re just allowing people to experience the actual brand and not, because, you know, a lot of advertising could be just made up. We just say things to sell things.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah.
Keenya Kelly:
But instead of going to sell saying things to sell things, what if we’re actually talking about why we started this cut customer testimonials and real authentic things that are just true to people. You know? I mean, I’m 43, and I’m, like, dealing with perimenopause, menopause. And I’m like, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m taking these vitamins and these vitamins that people can relate to. You know?
Amy Vaughn:
Yep. I agree. I think there’s a lot to be said about relatability, vulnerability. Nobody likes to know it all. You know? And nobody does know it all, especially about menopause because, you know, there ain’t a whole hell of a lot of research out there about it. Right. Because, you know, we only really started doing clinical research for women about me in the nineties. Exactly.
Amy Vaughn:
And so I think just the whole idea of, you know, trying to figure it out together and being open to that and and learning it and figuring it out together, I think that’s such a great approach. And I was doing a talk yesterday about, with the better biz for the Better Business Bureau about, brand reputation and kind of it it reminded me a bit. I was talking about the brand testimonials you mentioned. And I’m not, like, a huge Chick Fil A fan because of some of the things they’ve done in the past, and I’m technically not technically. I am a vegetarian, so I don’t eat chicken. But I love the testimonial ads that they have been doing where they bring in customers and then pay them to share their experiences
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Of these, like, everyday little nuance things, like this couple whose caterer just, like, the day before their wedding canceled on them. And they were like, we went to a Chick Fil A the first time we, like, got to meet together in person, and Chick Fil A came in and catered their wedding. You know, things like that. I think it’s just really cool and, again, authentic way, to sort of, you know, bring that experience, you know, into light in a way that feels relatable, vulnerable
Keenya Kelly:
Exactly.
Amy Vaughn:
And fun. So Mhmm. And it builds trust. Right? Because it’s not like you’re like, we’re the best. Look at us. We saved their day. It’s just them and then, like, the restaurant manager that they worked with in order to kind of make the whole thing happen. Right?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. People we love love a good, good person. You know, everybody wants a good person and a company can be a good person by just being a good, being a good company. You know what I mean? And they just wanna know, they just wanna hear from you. They want to experience you. That’s like when people on TikTok cancel companies or cancel CEOs because they’ve done these really bad things.
Keenya Kelly:
And it’s just like, when are you gonna just be human? Like, just connect with the human. That’s why Toms have done so well because everybody knows every time you buy Toms shoes, they donate it and do this. So you’re like you know, people just love that. You know?
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. That model is amazing. Well and I think too, it’s like it’s all in the execution. Right? Like, you know, Chick Fil A in that example could have just sort of championed themselves and pat themselves on the back as, like, being the heroes of the story and, you know, kind of done a completely different execution in that video. But instead, they just have a simple setup of, like, the white sweep background, the couch, and the couple, and the restaurant manager. Right? Like, just keeping it so simple, I think, makes a lot of sense. I love that. Agree.
Amy Vaughn:
100%. Mhmm. Yeah. It’s all in the execution and how you own that. Alright. You’ve shared a couple of examples, but I wondered if you could share maybe some other success stories where, some of your strategies maybe have helped businesses achieve high growth through vertical video marketing.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. So I have one specifically. We all love to talk about her name, doctor Anna, and she is a pediatrician. And she sells different products, like naturopathic products for moms or/or families that have children. And, you know, one of her things was that she wanted to be able to reach people that, you know, on TikTok and on Instagram. And so I told her I was like, well, tell me some of the things that you believe. And she told me, you know, that was kinda conflicting with, you know, traditional medicine. And I said, okay.
Keenya Kelly:
Well, why don’t you go ahead and take that stance? You know, like, one of the things was about food and potato chips. And so I said, take a stance and say, I believe this over this. And so she basically went into the grocery store and she said, I know we know that potato chips are bad, but did you know that these are not actually vegetables? Like, you know, those little veg veggie strips or something like that.
Amy Vaughn:
Yep. Yeah.
Keenya Kelly:
And so she showed them and she’s talking about them in the grocery store, and she posted on TikTok. She goes away. Well, in 3 days, she gained 80,000 followers because of the people who were like, what We’re like, who is this and what are you talking about? And when they all reached her, they were like, we want more of this. And as a result, her business started to grow. But one of my favorite ones is probably Mercedes. Mercedes, she had a full time job as a VP of marketing and she started in mystery shopping. You know, where you go to a store and you’re like, they don’t know you’re a shopper and you get paid. Uh-huh.
Keenya Kelly:
And she was playing around with her business. She was just like, oh, whatever. So she came to us, and we taught her how to create short vertical videos. She was basically in the line at Target getting ready to check out, and she said, let me just do one video. So she goes around the target really quickly recording herself, spying, looking at different things. And she edits the video, posted on TikTok. She went super viral and she made $20,000 in 7 days more than she had ever made in her business. She doubled down on it and started using that same marketing on Facebook and Facebook reels.
Keenya Kelly:
And fast forward, she’s now made over $2,000,000 in her business.
Amy Vaughn:
Wow. That’s incredible. Mhmm. That’s incredible. I think it’s amazing, and I just love that you said this. And I think I’ve said it before in past episodes. It dawned on me several years ago. I I was working at a video marketing company, and we were doing short videos that we use on social media and for our clients.
Amy Vaughn:
It just really kinda struck me at some point. In my past life, I was a copywriter in marketing and advertising. And it just struck me that it’s like, I think if brands looked at the opportunity of having a tone of voice for as much importance and effort that you put into a tone of voice for a brand as in a point of view, a POV. Take your TOV and turn it into a strong POV like you did with those veggie straws.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
People respond to that. They want you to have values. They want you to have a point of view in the world, and it’s gonna help you find the people that are your truest, most loyal, most likely customers.
Keenya Kelly:
Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. I love that I love that example because, yeah, I mean, as much as I like those vegetables, yeah, she’s right. Yeah. A lot of it. I’m breaking my brain in my world.
Keenya Kelly:
I was like, nope. That’s not good for you.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. It’s true. Alright. We do have a question cut that came in from our live audience. I’ve got a few more questions for you, but I wanna get to this one because I think it sounds great. What kind of data do you look at to help determine if your marketing strategy has met its mark or hit its mark? And where do you source that data, via the application or the platform itself or another source? This is a great question, Paula. One that I didn’t have in my list, so this is why we ask you all.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. So my number one thing is, first of all, what is your goal? Okay. So I have had clients that say, I want to go viral. I want 10,000 followers. And I’m like, what is that the real goal? You know, we have an attorney, she’s an immigration attorney. And she said, I want 10,000 followers. And I said, do you want 10,000 followers or do you want more clients? She said, I want more clients. I said, okay.
Keenya Kelly:
So our, you know, our marker is her getting clients. Okay. So I said, alright, let’s develop a strategy where no matter how many followers you get, you get your desired results. Okay. So we did a video. I think the video had like 6,000 views on it. That was it. And she came in Monday morning and her team was going crazy and they were like, what did you do? And she was like, what do you mean? They said we got 121 calls over the weekend and they got 10 paid clients.
Keenya Kelly:
Now she has gained probably 3 followers from that video. So she was like, I don’t want followers. I want the calls. You know? So Yeah. If you are whatever it is that you’re doing in your business, you’ve gotta determine what is gonna tell you that this is actually working. So for me, I don’t care if I go viral. I don’t care if I have 1000000 followers. I want more people to join my email list and purchase my products and services.
Keenya Kelly:
And then we use Google Analytics on all of our socials, and we know all these leads came from this place and convert it into a paid client.
Amy Vaughn:
Yep. Yep. I’d like to talk to our production team right now. I want that segment cut and I want, like, captions in bold over that. And then I want the volume up louder for the people in the back over and over
Keenya Kelly:
and over and over. Exactly.
Amy Vaughn:
I cannot tell you since, like, 20 10, like, even before that, like, we want a viral video. If you wanna break agency people’s brains, ask for a viral video because, again, it’s like, what is the point? What is the goal? What is the objective? And you’re right, Keenya. Ultimately, what we want is we want sales. We want leads. We want closure, and we want new clients. You know, we want products off the shelves, and we need to look at measuring that. It’s not necessarily about those views. It’s not the views.
Amy Vaughn:
Yes. Views are great. And it’s not about the followers, and it’s not about the viralness of it. Because even finding and figuring out what a viral is, that’s an interesting thing to measure. Alright, Keenya. It looked like we lost your video for a second, but the audio was good. Can we still oh, you’re back? All good.
Keenya Kelly:
Yes. Like, I don’t know what happened.
Amy Vaughn:
You’re totally fine. I was like, she’ll be back. I have faith. Here you are. Yeah. So great question, Paula. Thank you so much for asking. This is why we have you in the power lounge with us because you all bring it, the great questions.
Amy Vaughn:
Fantastic. Keep them coming if you guys have them. Alright. Next question that I have for you is, in your experiences, what are the challenges businesses face when implementing video marketing strategies, and how can they overcome them other than maybe asking for viral video?
Keenya Kelly:
I would probably say one is having the right person on video. Okay? Like, I was watching a video of someone talking about one person who was the chief marketing officer and another one was the CEO. And they kept trying to help the CEO get more confident on camera and they were just struggling. And the interviewer said, well, why don’t we stop trying to get the CEO on camera and get you on camera since you’re very confident? And I feel like what businesses do is, like, trying to force a team member to be on camera or force a CEO to be on camera when they actually should hire someone or a resource, someone that is competent to be able to show up and deliver what needs to be done. Because it’s important to know that, like, we it’s all about us. Like, because if we are consuming you and we don’t like you, we find you repulsive or you’re just you feel awkward to us and we’re, like, uncomfortable. Nobody’s gonna stay in a place where they’re not comfortable when they don’t like a particular person. So that’s one huge thing that a company needs to understand that you’ve gotta have a comfortable person there.
Keenya Kelly:
The second thing is that it’s going to sound kind of, you know, I don’t know, kind of, what’s the word? Controversial. But you have to have a diverse group of people in your marketing, you know. So if you’re going to do video marketing and you’re saying we are for the people, you’ve got to have the people, you know, in your marketing, you know? Like I have, one of my friends sells plant things, the things that plants can be in. And all of her marketing looks like her, you know, and it’s just very muted and plain, plain and like a minimalist type of thing. And I’m like, that’s beautiful. But if your audience is not a minimalist and they’re not the way that you are, then you’re missing them. And she said, what do you mean? I was like, what about the college student in your marketing? What about the man in your marketing? What about Asian people? What about the Muslim person? How about the woman who’s wearing a hijab? What, how do you connect with those different people? And she was like, Oh, my products are for them. And I’m like, they want to see themselves.
Keenya Kelly:
It’s like more than ever since 2020, everybody is like, Hey, if I can’t see that you are for me, then you are against me. And that’s kinda like not everyone, but there’s this like stance of how people look at marketing now. And so if a company is gonna be implementing video marketing strategies, it’s really important that they are, you know, standing by that, you know, we are for you and, you know, you should show up in their marketing. It’s kinda like Chick Fil A. Chick Fil A has made it clear because they have had, like I’ve seen so many commercials of, like, employees and they’re, like, instances when like employee did something for someone and like, or like you said about the couple that like had Chick Fil A cater their wedding, it’s like all these different stories that you never would have known about Chick Fil A. All you know was that they got chicken and they’re closed on Sundays. Yeah. You know, but now you’re learning all these other things about what happens at Chick Fil A with people because they are putting it to the world.
Keenya Kelly:
Mhmm.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Yeah. I agree. I think it’s all great smart storytelling and strategy. And again, we love as humans, we love good stories, right, about people. Make it about people. Right? Make them make them the hero. And, having been a former creative director, having had to do 2 days worth of shooting with talking heads of executives for a major bank that I shall remain nameless, I can totally appreciate not forcing, not just for the sake of those who are having to create the videos or view the videos, but even for those executives themselves, they did not enjoy that project any more than the rest of us having to get in front of the lights, in the, you know, in front of the camera and just be fed lines, you know, and then forced to read them again and again because it’s, like, you’re just never gonna get any kind of intonation in their voice or, like, variation in their tone or anything.
Amy Vaughn:
It was like, you know, they just some people just aren’t meant to be in front of the camera, and that’s kind of okay. Yeah. That’s not their job. That’s not their day to day. So don’t force it. By all means, don’t force it.
Keenya Kelly:
Correct. You know, I’m like, I love the camera. Put me in front. But like my best friend is like, I ain’t no way I ain’t ever. So don’t force her. You know?
Amy Vaughn:
Yep. Yep. Absolutely. Absolutely. So we talked a little bit earlier about video marketing trends within verticals, but do you see the other, like, overall trends in video marketing that are kind of on the horizon? And what are some of those things that maybe we can begin to capitalize on, like, in the broader space of video marketing, would you say?
Keenya Kelly:
What else would I say? I would say that livestream is becoming even bigger than it was before. Yeah. But not just not just streaming, but, like, making your streams feel like a show. Okay. Okay. So for example, like I’m here in my, in my home office or whatever. And granted this wall could be white the way that it is when I first move in, but I painted it and I put different things behind it. But I’m getting ready to move to Houston in 3 weeks.
Keenya Kelly:
Right. And when I build out my office that time, I have way more intention. I’m putting lights on the bottom so that way I can change out lights at different times. So there’s some of these tools that you could have like sound effects. And you can use a tool called Ecamm And there’s, like, these clapping sounds. There’s these, like, different things you can do. So when you’re screaming, if you’re, like, you want people to feel like something else is happening, like giving people those types of experiences. I feel like having, like, doing lots of interviews is kind of like what you’re doing here.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. But also I think that what’s going to happen at some point in time, I don’t know how people will do it, but I know because on TikTok and Instagram, you can bring in people from the audience to come in and, like, answer questions or whatever. I think we’re gonna experience a lot more of that as time goes on. I mean, we’re already experiencing it, but I think it’s gonna be a lot more where you’ve got people that come in and go out and come in and go out. But lastly, I think that a lot of this is gonna start translating into TV. I’ve been predicting this for a little while with TikTok, because with the TikTok app, it’s on smart TV. Yeah. And last year, TikTok has been focused so heavily on long horizontal content.
Keenya Kelly:
And I said, why would they be focusing on horizontal content? And I was like, television. Because many people watch YouTube on TV. Yeah. They’re like and they’re mouse and they’re scrolling on them watching YouTube on TV. And I’m like, people don’t watch TikTok on TV because it’s vertical. But if people are making way more horizontal content, then there’s a likelihood that people will start watching more content horizontally, on TikTok because that app also is in Tesla’s.
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm.
Keenya Kelly:
And so it’s right now it’s vertical. But if you’re driving, you don’t wanna watch someone vertical. You’re like you want something that kinda like, you know, that’s big on screen where you can focus on the road and see little things here and there. Mhmm. So I think it’s gonna be more horizontal content, and TV.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. I see it now. This is a livestream podcast slash TV show. I’m Oprah, and it’s like, you get a car. You get a car. Exactly. Exactly. Oh, and I could see that too where it’s like, you know, when you get this opportunity to kind of create, like, almost like a game day live game day experience.
Amy Vaughn:
Right? When you turn on the I had a in college, when I took a video marketing class, the guy that taught my class did a lot of this, like, game day on the ground production. I had no idea. You know, you watch football games, and you take for granted the live screen graphics that are on there, the commentary, the number of cameras and camera angles. And granted, it’s gotten a million more, like, light years more sophisticated than when I graduated from college, which we won’t go into how long ago that was, but, you know, the amount of production that goes into that. But I’m thinking with all of the technology, the advances we’ve had, just how much cooler that could even be to sort of those, like you’re saying, those livestream on the ground type of experiences with events and things like that that you could kind of, you know, start to make that sort of a thing, you know, not just in these kind of cool NFL experiences, but, you know, concerts and other on the ground events and things like that. That’s really cool.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. Yeah. Because I remember, like, I think TikTok did, what was it? It was a huge concert. It was all streamed on TikTok. It was like they were in some type of arena and there were people there, but it was streaming. Like, all these different artists, you’re just like, what is happening? You know? But Uh-huh. So cool.
Amy Vaughn:
Yeah. Yeah. Fantastic. Alright. This is my last question. So live listeners, I know we’ve got some chat going on here. We’ve got some horizontal, video fans, FYI, in the chat. If you guys have any other additional questions, don’t be shy about asking them.
Amy Vaughn:
But I believe this is my last question that I have for you. Keenya, what advice do you give to our entrepreneurs or influencers who are looking to leverage short form video to grow their brand, their business, and their reach?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. So my first advice would be to hire me. I can help you. No, but seriously, the number one thing that I would say is, like, if you’re just getting started doing it, I would 100% start watching content on TikTok. And don’t watch it from the standpoint of, oh, I like cats. I like dogs. Go and search for your industry or a couple other, like, professional industries and start binge watching the content there and how they’re doing it. Like, how they are engaging with people.
Keenya Kelly:
Like, how they’re starting their videos. They’re in the middle of the videos, the end of their videos because you really gotta come up with a framework of what in the world is happening before you can actually start creating. Because the average person, when they start, they feel like they just have to point and click and say whatever they’re going to say outside or whatever. But it’s really important to like to learn. Okay. So first don’t just point, shoot, post thinking it’s going to do what you’re it’s going to do. And then you’re going to get frustrated when it doesn’t do what you want. You really want to spend some time going, okay.
Keenya Kelly:
So if the Wall Street Journal is doing this and Delta Airlines is doing this, Chipotle is doing that and starts watching and getting a theme that’s gonna help you kinda get started. The second thing is you’ve gotta learn how to utilize whatever platform that it is. You know? It doesn’t matter which one you start on to actually create, but you gotta spend some time learning how to use the features on the platform. Because to go live on YouTube or post a YouTube video or create a Facebook post is very different than creating an Instagram reel Mhmm. Then creating a YouTube short. You know, you wanna spend some time learning how to use the different features because for you as a company, you want your campaigns to be successful. You want your videos to be successful. And the best way for them to be successful is for you to actually spend some time learning how to do what it is that you wanted to do versus just wishing, hoping, and praying.
Keenya Kelly:
And when it doesn’t do what you want it to do, you give up on it.
Amy Vaughn:
Yep. Makes a lot of sense. Do some research, do some studying, know your platform, know your audience, know your business. Right? Stay true to you. Right? Stay true to yourself. Don’t go out there acting like everybody else. I think people are gonna see that and be like, yeah. Who are you trying to be?
Keenya Kelly:
What are you trying to do? Exactly.
Amy Vaughn:
You’re not kidding me. You’re not kidding anybody else. Mhmm. Fantastic. Keenya, this has been such a fun and awesome conversation. I love I guess, you can’t tell just nerding out over all of this stuff. You know? This, again, is a constantly evolving platform. It is such an exciting space to watch, as it continues to grow and evolve because it’s a constant space for opportunity.
Amy Vaughn:
It’s a constant space for learning and growth, which is, again, very much what, you know, I’m about, what our community at Together Digital is about. So I was so thrilled when we had the chance to connect and bring you into the community and onto our space so that you could, you know, speak with our group and our community. Let’s see. Oh, we got one more question, and we’ve got a few minutes if you don’t mind hanging out for another minute.
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. I don’t mind. I’m like, I got my hand over here because my cat is trying to get on camera. So that’s why I’m
Amy Vaughn:
speaking to Megan’s appearance. We don’t mind. I love it.
Keenya Kelly:
She is like, hi. Let’s be here. And I’m like, oh, I’m alive.
Amy Vaughn:
I think you’re playing goalie. So Julie was just really wondering how much I should concern myself with personal versus professional accounts or content? I’m assuming, Julie, you’re speaking from, like, an entrepreneur standpoint. So if I’m incorrectly speaking, feel free to correct me in the chat. There is some overlap and some divergence audience wise. And this is a great question.
Keenya Kelly:
How much should I concern myself with personal versus professional accounts or content? So I think it really depends upon what your company is. So my company is Keenya Kelly. So the Keenya Kelly brand can be personal and business. If I was creating content as if you brand it, which is our company name then I wouldn’t be sharing any personal content. I wouldn’t be talking anything about my cat or anything like that. It would be 100% about what we do for our clients, who our company is, who we serve and things of that nature. So the Kia Kelly brand, when I’m creating content online, you’re gonna see me talking about social media marketing, entrepreneurship, how to make money, systems, processes, funnels, and things of that nature. You’ll also see me saying, hey, I’m at this conference this weekend or I am getting ready to move to Houston.
Keenya Kelly:
Here’s some of the struggles that I’m dealing with as an entrepreneur. You know, you’ll see me be more emotional about, like, overcoming divorce and all that type of stuff because the Kia Kelly brand is human. It’s not a corporation or what have you. So, it’s really important that you go, okay, what is the actual goal? Because I don’t really know what you do, Julie. It’s you’ve gotta determine, like, who is showing up? Is it you the brand or is it the company brand?
Amy Vaughn:
Mhmm. Yeah. I think it’s important to think about that, the goals and objectives for you, and your personal brand versus your brand as a business. I think that does make a lot of sense because there is a little bit. Right? That’s, like, almost a Venn diagram. There are some places where that might overlap. And I haven’t gone through this exercise myself personally, but I think somewhere kind of in the back of my head, I have done a little bit of that, right, where there’s, like, overlap of me as an individual and who I am and what I represent, my mission, my values, my purpose as a person. But then, obviously, there’s a lot that overlaps within that and other digital spaces, but, obviously, we’re 2 separate things.
Amy Vaughn:
So there’s, like, that overlap. So sort of where I share and show exactly what you’re saying, Keenya, is, like, you know, that personal aspects of who I am as a person and sort of where I express myself and share things maybe more vulnerably, is a more personal brand. Right? But I wouldn’t put I wouldn’t put any of that on the digital stuff. Right? That would be something completely different. So, hopefully, Julie, that that helps kind of give you some of those more specific places where you would consider
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
You know, not sharing certain things versus other things. So, like, if to even get more specific, like, I have a and, obviously, I have a we have Instagram for Together Digital. I would never put anything with the Amy Vaughn brand together, digital. Right? But I have an Amy Vaughn account for myself, and then I actually even have my own, like, personal personal Instagram that I keep private for just, like, my friends and family, because I would never technically like, I have kids, so I wouldn’t, like, put my kids on like that necessarily. Like, I might, but it’s like, you can’t, like, see them that closely or anything. So a lot of it’s just really kind of sort of going through that time and exercise and and kind of deciding what’s comfortable and right for you. Right?
Keenya Kelly:
Yeah. Exactly. 100%. Yeah.
Amy Vaughn:
Well, thank you for the question, Julie. I hope that was helpful. And thank you, Keenya, again, for sharing all of your thoughts, ideas, and advice. They’re spectacular. Again, everyone, make sure that you follow her. LinkedIn, Instagram’s another great place to follow her as well. We’ll include that in the show notes, once we get everything posted up as well. We’ll go ahead and call it a day, everyone.
Amy Vaughn:
I think Katie’s trying to make another appearance.
Keenya Kelly:
Oh, yes. He’s not kidding around. She’s like, hello. No.
Amy Vaughn:
Later. She’s like, I’ve been holding out for, like, 50 minutes now. Come on. Yes. Yes.
Keenya Kelly:
I was like, girl, what is going on?
Amy Vaughn:
Fantastic. Alright. Well, we’ll let Kitty get her time then. We’ll wrap it up here. Thank you so much again for your time, Keenya, everyone. We hope to see you all next week. Take care. And until then, everyone, keep asking, keep giving, and keep growing.
Amy Vaughn:
We’ll see you all next week. Bye, everyone. Bye, guys.
