Content creation is often a small business’s barrier in marketing. You need content to run social media campaigns or to promote your business in other venues. More often than not, your expertise may lie primarily in the business you are already running. If you’re suffering on the content front, we have compiled some excellent tips from our team, on how to generate professional-looking videos, when you’re just starting out.
The average consumer spends more time on watching videos, than doing anything else online. Video traffic has grown over the years, amounting in 82% of all online traffic in 2020. Taking advantage of impressions counts, wherever you can get it. This powerful and versatile medium can be intimidating to those new to marketing, and on a budget.
Beginner Video Production Tips
- Plan Your Content
It doesn’t have to be the most involved video to be an effective one, but it does require planning before you start rolling.
- Outline Your Goal
What do you want your audience to gain, or do, after watching this video? Create multiple segments and a script, to ensure it flows in a logical order before you ever sit down to film. Define your goal.
- Identify Your Audience
Who are you looking to target with this video? Think about your audience and what their interests are. This will assist with how you craft your content, and help identify how to edit and distribute your video.
- Find Good Video Editing Software
A good video editing software will help you stand out in the long run. You might not need to invest in egregiously expensive editing software to do the deed, either!
Leave the expensive products to the professionals and more experienced content producers. The good news is that there are cloud-based options for those on a tighter budget, who need resources and graphics that have already been curated for use.
As such, websites like Promo.com can give a newbie everything they need to get started from the get go. Not only do they have templates for your videos, and free graphics with your membership, but you also get a free trial before you commit.
- Use a Dedicated Audio Recorder
You might not want to make huge investments up front, but investing in a dedicated audio recorder is important to give your videos that additional professional touch. This is the most simplistic way to improve the quality of your content. It’s not the worst thing if you don’t have one, but we humbly suggest eventually investing in a separate audio recorder.
- Use Your Existing Equipment
Don’t stress about which camera to use, particularly in the beginning.
If you feel compelled to buy a quality video camera, it’s not completely necessary in the beginning. You might be surprised at what you can do with your smartphone and a camera! Good editing goes a long way!
This video is an excellent demonstration on what can be done with just an iPhone, from real filmmakers!
- Film in Short Bursts
If you create several shorter clips, versus filming an entire video in one shot, this will help you create cleaner edits down the line. Additionally, it is easier to edit out any bloopers without ruining an entire clip!
- Use Natural Light
If you don’t have the extra cash or lighting know how, making use of natural light is best. Many photographers rely exclusively on natural lighting, depending on the shoot. This is the cheapest and easiest way to ensure quality, consistent lighting.
Best Times to Shoot:
- 1 hour after sunrise
- Outdoors, on a cloudy day.
- An hour before sunset (also known as the “golden hour”)
If you must shoot indoors, use a room that receives a lot of natural light during the day, and add a few additional sources of light, like lamps and ceiling lighting.
- Learn Basic Video Composition
This is one aspect that will make your video more appealing to a broader audience. The more appealing and professional looking, the better your overall results. The easiest way to do this is to use the Rule of Thirds.
The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine breaking an image down into thirds (both horizontally and vertically), creating nine parts. Just like this:
The theory is that this creates points of interest in the intersections of the lines, making the picture more balanced.
- Share, share, share!
Distribute content through all your online channels, and even though paid ads. After all, they won’t work if no one sees them!
The Bottom Line
There are a myriad of tools available for content production on a budget, that are also friendly for beginners. Video production isn’t easy, but with a little patience, tools that you’re comfortable with, and excellent content planning, you will be well on your way to creating quality content that people will love to watch!
What tips do you have for video production beginners? Let us know in the comments!