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With the rise of video marketing over the past several years, including video as part of your business strategy is incredibly crucial. Video is everywhere now, it comes into play throughout the whole entire buyer’s journey; from gaining new leads to landing customers.
The best part is, you don’t need a ton of fancy equipment! Your smartphone is able to record HD video, which will work just as well as an expensive DSLR camera. That being said, here are three tips to help you spice up your video quality!
In order to achieve your desired image, there are some areas which you should focus on:
Nobody wants to watch a video that is dark and grainy, so when it comes to lighting your video, bright and natural lighting is key! If you don’t have a ton of money to spend on various lights, we suggest you find a well-lit window to sit in front of.
Make sure you are facing the window rather than filming with your back against it as this will overexpose the video. The.png?width=300&name=Inline%20Blog%20Images%20(21).png)
sunlight works perfectly for that soft, natural glow. Bonus points if you can find a window to film in front of during golden hour, when the warm sun is about an hour before setting!
If you have the money and you would like to purchase lights for your office, a basic ring light and/or softbox light will do the trick.
During camera setup and before filming, be sure to check for any distractions or unwanted objects in the background.
When decorating, a clean, modern, or minimalistic look is best. You don’t want a background that is too cluttered, nor too plain. The appearance of the subject should contrast the background. For example, you wouldn’t want to wear a white or pastel colored shirt because it will blend in with the background. If the wall is white, wearing a bold colored shirt will make the subject pop.
Framing can be a bit tricky, but once you get it down, it’s super easy. For the most part, you will want your video to be horizontal and not vertical. Vertical video is good for posting on platforms optimized for vertical video, such as IGTV or TikTok. Horizontal video is best for YouTube and Facebook or longer formatted videos.
There are two ways to position yourself within the frame. The most popular framing style is centered in the frame with about an inch or two of headroom in between the top of the frame and your head.
The other way is to position yourself a third in from the frame on either the right or left side, then angle your body a little bit towards the center of the frame. This method is called the Rule of Thirds. Again, be sure to leave ample headroom.
Clear, quality audio is the cherry-on-top to your video. Again, if you don’t have the money to buy an expensive microphone, don’t fret. All you really need is a small, quiet room with minimal echo.
If you’re recording on a DSLR camera, the audio is usually decent. However, if you would like to take the audio quality up a notch without buying expensive microphones, pull out your smartphone and start recording on the voice memos app! You can sync the voice memo with the camera recording during the editing process. Most of the latest smartphones have great audio quality, so if you’re recording on your smartphone to begin with, just use the built-in microphone.
Authenticity is key for your videos. Overly produced and overly scripted videos are out the door. Social media culture is shifting from having perfect content to pushing out genuine, authentic, and transparent content. That being said, people are getting better and better at deciphering which brands are inauthentic and which brands are authentic.
When filming, align your words with your values. Be conversational in your videos and most importantly, speak from your mind and heart. If you need to, follow along to a very loose script or have some bullet points on hand. The difference between an unscripted and scripted video is that the unscripted video conveys more emotion and sounds more genuine to the audience. When a video is too scripted, it translates that way to the audience.
It all comes down to the editing—that's when your final vision starts to take shape. You'll want to pay attention to these key areas:
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Editing SoftwareWhen starting out, you don’t need extravagant editing software to edit your videos. There are many free programs and apps available to use, one example being iMovie (available on Apple iOS and Mac OS devices). Again, if you have the money and want to invest in an intermediate or professional editing software; Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and DaVinci Resolve are good programs—just to name a few.
For most social media videos, fast-paced editing is the way to go. When editing your videos, make sure the main topic is introduced within the first ten seconds; have a catchy introduction to hook the viewers into the video. After that, make sure the video is straightforward and gets to the point quickly so that you don’t lose the viewer. Longer-formatted videos that you plan on sharing to YouTube, for example, can be a little bit more detailed.
People on social media have adapted to this fast-paced editing style that uses jump cuts, interesting unexpected transitions, and the “Ken Burns” effect with fast zooms. This style keeps the viewers engaged because it is aesthetically interesting and dynamic.
During production of the video, remember to leave room for edits as you’re filming. Some examples of this include:
There you have it! With these several video tips full of information, you’ll be creating your own quality videos for your brand or business in no time! Video production may seem a little daunting at first if you’ve never filmed your own videos before, however practice makes perfect; don’t overthink it, and remember to be yourself and stay true to your brand values!
