Although many business owners know how beneficial it can be to use video content as part of their marketing activities, not all of them can afford to splash out on the services of a professional production company. Luckily, you can create an array of creative videos in-house using fairly inexpensive equipment. Let's take a look at some of the options available to you.
Getting Started With Corporate Video Creation – What Equipment Do You Need?
The main thing that you'll need is, of course, a video camera. You can purchase camcorders for as little as £120 but if you have some extra money to spare, it may be worth investing in a DSLR camera. Not only do they enable you to produce high-quality videos, but you can also use them to take still photos which you can use on your website and marketing material. If you aren't in a position to buy either of these, you could record your video on a smartphone, although the quality may not be as good.
- You may also want to consider buying:
- A tripod, so you can make sure your camera or camcorder is steady while you film;
- Studio lights, for a clearer, brighter image;
- A USB microphone and clip-on lapel microphones, so you can capture sound effectively;
- Relevant software packages – for example, if you want to make a digital video recording of your computer screen (a 'screencast'), you'll need software like Camtasia;
- A gimbal for smooth moving shots.
Effective Video Ideas For Budget-Conscious Business Owners
If you want to get a return on your investment, you'll need plenty of content ideas. Creative members of your team will probably be able to come up with a host of exciting concepts, but here are seven that we've found to be particularly effective.
1) Customer Testimonials
Video testimonials can be powerful sales tools; anyone who watches your video will see satisfied customers and view them as real people who they can relate to.
2) Talking Head Videos & Interviews
If you want to demonstrate your company's expertise to increase customer confidence in your brand, try doing it in a video. You can explain key concepts directly to the camera or interview your in-house specialists.
3) Whiteboard Videos
Whiteboard animation videos, in which concepts are explained using videos of cartoon-like images being drawn on a whiteboard, are both popular and inexpensive to make. What's more, if you're a JDR client and don't have a digital whiteboard tool, you can use ours!
4) Screencasts
If you're selling software, you could create a screencast of it, so you can talk to potential customers through its features. These are great for software training and customer service videos too. You can also create screencasts of sales or PowerPoint presentations.
5) Events Videos
Recording or live streaming your internal corporate events could encourage people to attend future events, while recording footage from external events that you've attended (as we've done with our videos from Inbound) can inform your customers and increase interest in your brand.
6) Webinars
You can broadcast a live webinar, pre-record one or even broadcast pre-recorded content with interactive features to simulate a live event.
7) Company Informational Videos & Virtual Tours
If you're aiming to increase brand awareness and engender trust in potential customers, try publishing a video introduction to your company or a video tour of your premises.
Help & Advice
If you need more advice about creating video content, please contact JDR and speak with one of our content marketing team.
Image source: Pixabay
