Looking for tips to create a video for your business? Video is one of the most underutilized aspects of internet marketing. A picture can tell a thousand words, so just think how many words a video must tell!
Not only can you convey more information through a video, but it will also be more engaging, more emotive and persuasive, and much better at quickly grabbing attention.
Video also gives you a lot of new marketing opportunities – allowing you to build a following for a brand through YouTube, to embed a different kind of media on your website, or to grab attention on a sales page by telling people in person why they should buy your product PLUS letting people get to know you are one more benefit of video marketing.
The only problem? Video can look a bit complicated compared to a lot of other forms of marketing and this can make it off-putting as a potential time investment. Here are tips to get started.
The Hardware
A good place to start is with the hardware. Likely your best camera is in your cell phone. The clarity of up to date phones is better than many of yesterday’s video cameras.
Also useful, is to use a microphone such as a clip on mic or the Blue Yeti Snowball. This will allow you to record crisp audio directly onto your video, rather than having to record the audio separately and then sync it up.
Getting a decent tripod and have bright lighting will help too, as they allow you to quickly set things up in a way that will produce the best quality footage.
The Pro Tips
Clap at the start and end of each take and double clap when you get it right. This will make it easier to edit your footage because you can see the spike in the audio.
Keep a space in your home with a good backdrop and everything set up ready for filming. Then you just need to step into the shot and start recording! I like to record outside on sunny days. The only dilemma with outdoor recording is the noise created by airplanes, helicopters, traffic, wind, and dogs. I often have to stop and start before completing my take.
And once when I was recording in Baltimore a man came up to me and asked me if I was with CNN. In the Colorado mountains, an interested cow observed my video recording. When I turned around, there she was. 
A Quicker Way
Don’t want to go on camera? Find that this all still takes too long?
You could consider making videos as slideshows instead! You can save PowerPoint presentations as MPEG files and then simply record them. This means you now have no need to record yourself and you can make videos much more quickly. This type of content is perfect for your site pages too. It is something that web users have come to expect on such pages, lending your site an air of professionalism.
Just the thought of creating a video for your business can seem intimidating and out of reach for you. To compete on even ground with your competitor’s means you must include video on your website and social media platforms.
Pat Iyer is president of The Pat Iyer Group, which develops resources to assist LNCs to obtain more clients, make more money, and achieve their business goals and dreams.
Pat’s related websites include the continuing education provided on LNCEU.com, the podcasts broadcast at podcast.legalnursebusiness.com, and writing tips supplied at patiyer.com.