5 Soapbox Videos for Everyday Use
June 15, 2017
Topic tags
Jordan Wellin
Creative
One of the great things about Soapbox is that anyone can use it, regardless of their level of video production know-how. Now anyone can create, edit, and share videos — for any area of a business. But what about contexts outside of the business world?
Whether you’re leaving instructions for your dog walker, creating a virtual holiday card featuring your dog, or sending your pup a video while you’re on vacation (we have a one-track mind here, clearly), there’s almost always a way to make everyday communications more memorable, compelling, and beautiful. And you don’t even have to own dog in order to get started!
We hope these 5 Soapbox videos inspire you to communicate creatively. Why write an email when you can get on your Soapbox?
Welcome guests to your Airbnb
When you book an Airbnb, your comfort is in the hands of a complete stranger. So wouldn’t it be nice to know more about the place where you’re staying — as well as your host — before you arrive?
If you were booking Dan’s Rhode Island beach house, you could probably tell that it’s the perfect getaway just by looking at the pictures on his Airbnb listing. But by going a step further to give a warm welcome and take you through a couple of need-to-knows, Dan ensures that his guests will have a great time, right down to nearby attractions they shouldn’t miss.
You may not agree with his taste in DVDs (the Pocahontas II inclusion is especially troubling), but there’s no denying that this Soapbox video gives you a feel for your friendly host and the clean, comfortable home he maintains.
Teach piano lessons remotely
Interacting with students doesn’t have to be limited to the classroom. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Thankfully, Soapbox provides an easy platform for teaching. Whether you need to show off a report, check in on a homework assignment, or just encourage your students with a warm greeting, Soapbox makes it easy to connect and communicate.
Here, Jordan follows up on a piano student’s question using Soapbox’s handy split-screen feature to highlight the tricky passage on screen. With a custom call to action, Jordan points his student to an additional resource right from within the quick video.
Give your family tech advice
What do you do when you launch a new podcast, but your family has no idea what a podcast is, let alone how to download it? Or maybe your uncle’s trying to buy theater tickets online for the first time and can’t quite figure out how to use the seat selection feature.
You could write them a lengthy email telling them how to do it. You could even send them a quick video message taking them through the steps. Or better still, you could use Soapbox to give them a little bit of both experiences.
In this video, Fernando uses Soapbox to go through a detailed tech tutorial that not only saves him a trip home, but also gives his mom a chance to see his smiling face. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Hi mom!
Walk your grandma through your last vacation
You may not have been able to convince your grandma to get on Facebook or Instagram yet (and maybe that’s a good thing, depending on her penchant for publicly commenting on every update). But you still want to share your adventures with her, and phone calls and emails alone can only do so much.
Enter Soapbox. With the ability to share your stories through words and pictures, you can connect with your grandma in a more special and personal way.
Take a cue from Meryl, who used Soapbox to give a quick vacation recap that couldn’t have been easier to make, edit, and share. We bet Grammy is going to be delighted — in fact, she’s probably booking her own trip to Guadeloupe this minute.
Announce the arrival of a new family member
So you’re having a baby — amazing. I’m sure all of your friends and family are dying to know all the details. But at the same time, they probably don’t want to find out from a Facebook post, or worse still, secondhand from another family member or friend.
But if you send them a Soapbox video, you can convey this information in a way that guarantees everyone is on a level playing field when it comes to receiving this privileged news. And while you may still hear Aunt Rose ask why you didn’t tell her sooner, she’s going to have a video keepsake to show all of her friends at roller derby next week.
Thanks to Soapbox, Camille is able to show off her elated face, answer some FAQs that most expectant mothers are faced with, and give an exclusive preview of what her child might look like, finger guns and all.