Here’s the scenario. You’re a small business or company, with a busy team and a tight budget, working hard to build your client base and develop your services.
And you know you need to make videos for your website, and maybe social media as well, but you are:
(a) too busy,
(b) don’t know where to start
(c) can’t outsource it.
But the good news is that you have a lot of the resources you need at hand, and with a small investment in equipment and time, you can get your video strategy up and running without too much trouble.
STEP ONE
FAQs – what are the frequently asked questions that your potential customers ask of you all the time? Write down 6 of them.
STEP TWO
You now have 6 video ideas. Script the questions and the answers. Maximum 3 minutes. That’s about 300 – 350 words. Do the word count.
STEP THREE
Do a rehearsal of the first video, by recording it on your phone. Place the phone in landscape, on Airplane mode, and either record a selfie video or else get someone to record you. Ideally the 2nd option because you will look much better.
STEP FOUR
Record the video on your Zoom or similar meeting. This time, you are sitting and looking at yourself on the laptop camera or webcam. Look into the lens when you are filming yourself. Assess how you look, not too critically – we all dislike ourselves on video, believe me.
STEP FIVE
Improve this recording – get the light right, by ensuring you are facing into a window because this is the most flattering light. Check the background is suitable; ideally do not blur the background, but if you have to, don’t move too much. Frame yourself within the screen with just a little space above the head and looking straight ahead – this might involve lifting the laptop higher to ensure you are not looking down into the camera.
STEP SIX
Editing is the next step. And it doesn’t have to be that difficult. You can use iMovie if you have a Mac computer, which is an easy to use editing tool that enables you to tidy up your video, to add captions, and logos. In Windows computers, you can use a great programme called Clipchamp, with similar functions. Now you add text and logo, tidy up the beginning and the end. And export.
STEP SEVEN
Where to host your video? Vimeo is a great platform if you don’t like YouTube, but YouTube is owned by Google and will do wonders for your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). If you don’t have a YouTube channel, now is the time to think about one. Your website editor can also embed a video from Vimeo directly to your website which is a very tidy, clean way of watching videos directly from your website.
STEP EIGHT
Equipment is now on your horizon. A good camera, a tripod, a light and a microphone will all up your game. However, they are not obligatory. If I was to recommend one piece of equipment to improve your videos, it would be a good webcam like the Logitech Brio or Logitech C920. These have both good cameras and also good microphones, which really help you look and sound better when recording onto Zoom for example, or directly into an editing software programme. If you are going to record on a decent camera, consider a Canon or Nikon DSLR with a microphone input and a Rode mic attachment – either a clip on mic or similar to bring really good quality to your recording sound.
Check out our blog of our recommended equipment for smartphone video-making for more.
STEP NINE
A pop up studio location is essential for making regular videos – you don’t need the whole studio set up, but to save you time, find a good spot at home or in the office with good light, good sound, and a good background where you can easily set up your cameras and microphones and lights to make a good video when you need one. We also have a webinar available, that provides the steps on setting up your very own pop-up studio. Get in touch to access this webinar.
STEP TEN
Establish a regular schedule for recording video, e.g. every Thursday morning or every Friday morning – where you can record a batch of several videos in one go. It takes time to get the equipment, lighting and camera ready, so it’s best to give at least 3 hours to make a batch of videos, that can be used over a few weeks or months.
GOOD LUCK!
COPYRIGHT AILEEN O’MEARA MEDIA LTD.
Aileen O’Meara is an award-winning journalist and producer, and the founder of the Rathdown Media Institute, a training service that specializes in online and tutor-led media and communications skills courses.
Find out more about upcoming and new courses at www.rathdownmediainstitute.ie
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