BLOG

Video production is an investment, and if done right it can pay off in spades. But we don’t always have the financial resources for a full production. As much as production companies would like you to believe you need to pay for their services, there are four types of videos you can create yourself, with (practically) no budget, and that are just as effective as a professionally produced masterpiece. In some cases they work better than professionally produced video because their no-frills, homespun quality support the message. Self-produced videos are about creating an authentic personal connection. It’s different than branding or tutorial or commercial work.

Let’s dive in.

Behind the Scenes

You do stuff: you make stuff; or you solve problems. As with most things, the process of getting things done can be just as interesting as the thing itself. Short clips from behind the scenes are one type of video you can do yourself. The key to successful Behind the Scenes videos is to focus on the little picture—not the big. Show how one piece of your product is made. Give them a taste of an event. A behind the scenes clip of your business is different than a tutorial or how-to; it’s not a teaching video, which takes more polish. Behind the scenes are a great opportunity to build connection and trust.

Something They’ll Remember

Thank-you

Thank-you videos are one of the least utilized video tools in business. But imagine if your sales receipt/confirmation email had a thank-you video that introduced your team and welcomed them into your “community” (of users, doers, or thinkers). That’s something they’ll remember. A Thank-You video doesn’t have to be personalized (though if you deal in big ticket items, maybe you want it to be). You can produce a yearly thank-you to everyone and post it to Facebook, send it by email, upload it to YouTube, and embed it in your About page. This type of video is about building relationships and trust, and they have virtually unlimited distribution possibilities.

 

How To Tips for your Product

People want to know how to get the most out of your product, and videos are their preferred way to learn. It’s faster, more engaging, and requires less “effort” on their part. Tutorial vidoes also establish you as an expert in your field. And people don’t expect an elaborate set, TV lighting, or motion graphics. They came for the knowledge. The great thing about Tips and Tricks, How To’s, Tutorials, Guru Gifts, and Expert Hacks, is that you don’t have to focus solely on your product. Whatever you do or sell, it’s part of a field of knowledge. Share your expertise in that.

Social Responsibility

A corporate social responsibility video is designed to showcase what your business is doing to help your community. You can make a glossy, professionally produced video, but simple and personal is often just as effective. The guiding principle here is, “if the act is small, make the presentation small.” You don’t want a big glitzy video of you handing a check to the Director of a non-profit; that’s appalling. But a short video, shot on your phone, saying what you appreciate about them and how good it feels to contribute goes a long way. If you’re funding an effort to plant a thousand trees, yes, hire a company and a drone and show it off. But so many of our acts of social responsibility are local, personal, and intimate… and they tell volumes about what we value and who we are. Don’t underestimate their power.

Vlog (If you have the patience for it)

Vlogs, or video blogs, are essentially a diary you share with the world. They’re personality-driven, so if who you are is important to your business, they can be a great tool. The essential ingredient of a vlog is content. You need to offer content that solves a problem or provides valuable insight, and you need a lot of content. Vlogging is really a bi-weekly activity, and it takes a good six months before you start seeing results. For that reason, it’s not something I recommend often. But if who you are, and your brand, is crucial to your success, it may well be a time investment you need to make. These days, if you’re looking for a house cleaner you’ll probably search Google and be presented with six or seven options (who scrolls beyond that?). In the future, though, it’s more likely you’ll ask your voice assistant (or Siri and whatever) will give you one result. Just one. So the question they ask better be, “what’s Sandy-the-house-cleaners telephone number?” not “find me a house-cleaner.”

How do I do it myself?

So I say you can make these videos for yourself, but that probably doesn’t help you get it done. You’re probably asking, “what equipment do I need?” Honestly, many of these can be shot on your phone. You just want… no need… a tripod to keep it steady. And you’ll need an external microphone. Audiences have a harder time listening to bad audio than watching bad video, so this investment is a must. A $35 lav that connects to your phone will do just fine. If you have a well lit area, you don’t need video lights. Just face your window—but make sure you’re not standing in direct sunlight; that will create harsh shadows. If possible shoot indoors and somewhere quiet. Basic video editing is easy to learn, and the free software that came with your computer can do 70% of what professional software does… and 100% of what you need it to do in this situation. If your computer didn’t come with video software, try Video Pad (https://www.nchsoftware.com/videopad/). Now you can scale up your equipment from there—after all, professional gear costs tens of thousands of dollars—but I recommend starting with the simplest tools and then letting your interests and desires tell you where you need to upgrade.

To be clear, I’m not saying that these videos should never be professionally produced– you may feel more comfortable with an expert behind the camera—but you can get excellent results with the work you and your team create. There are some types of video that I never recommend companies take on for themselves: Company Profiles, Testimonials, Commercials, Branding, In-Depth Tutorials, and Documentaries are best left to professionals. You just need that layer of polish for them to be effective.

For more inspiration and marketing tips, follow us on Facebook!