Need Video Content for your Business? Here’s How to Make Them Yourself

Your quick-fire guide to putting great videos together that will take your business to the next level!

Video content is expected to be over 80% of online material by 2022, according to Forbes, the moving image is the new king of digital marketing. But videos are a lot more complex and tricky to get right than words or still images. By their very nature, they are rich in information, complex, and can quickly become a nightmare if not managed correctly.

Videos are Too Expensive for Most

As videos gain popularity, creative professionals are taking advantage of booming demand, often charging up to thousands of dollars for 60-second clips. Many small businesses simply cannot afford the sky-high rates charged by most media agencies, and cheap, badly-shot videos can destroy a brand’s reputation. 

Everybody’s a Director Now

In 2021, there are many platforms and software options that allow us to design and create videos of our own without them looking like a high school project gone wrong. But before you dive in and start making like James Cameron, here are some helpful steps and tips that will ensure your next video isn’t a box-office bomb: 

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1. Set Out your Video Goals & Objectives

This is an often-overlooked but crucial first step in putting your videos together. Kick-off the process by drawing up a list of goals you want to achieve with your video. Here are some great examples:

• Achieve X sales
• Reach X number of clients
• Promote a new product
• Grow brand awareness
• Launch a new campaign

It is critical that you keep your goals and objectives central to your thinking, or you’ll get side-tracked, potentially derailing the entire process.

2. Assemble the Troops

This is where you’ll identify and select the best people for the job. You’ll need a director – to manage the project, a producer – to handle finances and decisions, a writer – to create a script, and a videographer or cameraman/editor – to shoot the video and take care of post-production. Of course, depending on the video, you may also need voice-over artists or actors, though these can be sourced from outside the business.

3. Create a Framework

Before the cameras start rolling, you’ll need a plan. Create a framework consisting of deadlines, a storyboard, and the general overview of your video. Begin with an introduction, add your scenes, and finish off with your conclusion, often including that all-important call-to-action.

4. Write Up a Script

This can be a challenging phase of your video-making adventure. Scripts are never fully finished and will be tweaked, changed, and revised as you go along. Begin by listing the most critical points of your script and add the content from there.

5. Get Your Studio & Equipment Sorted

From choosing a space to shoot your video to deciding which software and editing programs you’ll need, video-making gear usually consists of a camera, microphone, and computer. You won’t need a $10 000 dollar camera, though – the latest iPhones are capable of shooting in 4K, with exceptional quality.

6. Shoot your Video

Once you’ve done your prep work, it’s time to dive in and begin shooting your masterpiece. Depending on locations and the length of your video, this phase can take as little as a single day. Stick to budgets and deadlines while allowing a little room for re-shoots and unexpected obstacles. Check out our blog on keeping your video production line on a point.

7. Editing & Post-Production

Possibly the most important step in your video-making process is making sure the final product is of exceptional quality. Video-making software allows us to take even the grainiest, shakiest footage and turn it into a classic. Programs like Adobe Premiere Clip, Filmora, and Vimeo Business have been designed to let you edit and organize your footage with ease.

8. Publish

Many people drop the ball (or camera) here. While publishing your video is as easy as uploading a file onto a video hosting platform, you’ll need to make sure that people can find it too. Once you’ve finished with your video, the real work begins. Actively market your video. Push it on social media and incentivize people to like and engage with it. With the right engagement and exposure, your video has the potential to transform your business, bringing in new customers and taking your brand to the next level.  

9. A New Era of ‘DIY Videos’

Thankfully, in 2021, more and more businesses are realizing that they can go it alone, creating videos that look as if they were professionally crafted by design geniuses. Many free and paid online platforms and programs allow brands to design and build their videos – in-house – without spending their entire annual marketing budget. 

So while there is much more to making your own business and brand videos than meets the eye, following this general guideline is an excellent start to unlocking your video creativity.

Need all the ranking factors to get more views and subscribers on YouTube? Download the full guide below.