Working From Home? 14 Tips To Help You Get Started On Shooting Video

Have you suddenly found yourself needing to shoot or participate in some sort of video? Maybe it’s for your marketing, webinars or meetings. Either way, if you’re working from home, you may want to learn how to use video technology so you can stay connected with your customers and team members.

Even though it’s not business as usual, it’s not true that every business is falling apart. Some businesses have found ways to adapt and are thriving.

Here are 14 tips to help you get started using video for your business:

Feel free to read the tips below or watch the full training video:

1. Your first video will be your worst.

…Just accept it. Video is a skill. It takes practice to get comfortable speaking in front of the camera.

This is no different than stepping onto a stage in front of a hundred people. You are going to be tripped up by things. Everyone does. You will get tripped up by how you look, how the video looks or that it’s not perfect.

Don’t let it get in your way. Just start.

2. Get clear on your objective.

The more prepared you are, the better – specifically when it comes to content. You need to decide what the objective for your video is:

• Is it to share information with people?
• Or to do a live Q&A?
• Maybe to have an interview conversation with someone?
• Or to upsell somebody to something? (tip: tell your audience this upfront)

You can use video in a tasteful manner to take people on a journey, but make sure you’re clear on what it is you are going to do.

This will help you not ramble or overthink how you’re coming across. Instead, you’ll be able to focus on adding effective value to the person watching your video.

3. Jot down your talking points.

To ensure you stay on track:

• Write your preliminary notes down on a piece of paper.
• Stick Post-It notes right below the camera with your main topics.
• Use a flipchart in your video with bullet points.

Bullet points and talking points will help trigger your mind to know where to go next. It will help you feel more prepared and authoritative on the subject too.

4. Know what your intro, outro and call to action is.

Start with value right away. Get clear on how you’ll present your:

• Intro (how you introduce yourself)
• Outro (how you wrap up your video – ex: thank people for watching)
• Call To Action (a direct and succinct ask that ties in your objective). For example:
  • “Subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking here.”
  • “Enter your name and email in the box below.”
  • “Go to my website and click buy now.”

Practice saying your intro, outro and call to action out loud before going live on camera.

5. Pick your platform(s).

You have two formats to choose from: live stream or posted videos. There are many different platforms to host your videos. You need to choose what kind and where you want them depending on what kind of engagement you want.

Here’s how I use each, and why:

1. Live Streaming

When live streaming, you can engage with people who jump into your video at that moment. Algorithms like this kind of engagement – so videos will help your visibility.

You can either stream on the social media channel itself (ex: Facebook, Instagram Live, LinkedIn Live – which only some people have access to) or use a third-party app like Zoom Webinar.

I prefer Zoom webinar because I can connect it and live stream on Facebook while engaging in both places, in real-time. With Zoom, I can save my video and post it natively on other platforms after, such as LinkedIn or Youtube as well.

The only downfall is that when a video is live, people may miss the beginning of your video. They’re jumping in at a random point and may not have the context they need to keep watching. Because of this, retention is another downfall of live streams – your audience isn’t as committed.

2. Posting Native Videos

Native videos have their own sets of pros and cons – which is why I like to use both.

Your audience is more likely to watch until the end on hosting websites like YouTube or Vimeo because they’re looking for information. I prefer YouTube because it is the second largest search engine and they’re owned by Google, which is the first search engine.

Another plus of these hosting websites is that you can take the code and embed it onto your blog. You don’t need to link your content – it will actually upload the video directly.

Which one should you use – live streams or native video?

Consider this: hosting websites like YouTube will attract strangers to your content. Whereas most people who visit your social media platforms (Facebook, LinkedIn) already follow you.

Remember, every platform is its own business and wants to keep viewers in their platform. So play along and upload your video to the appropriate channels to get the appropriate visibility

6. Add captions to your video.

Use them. Not only do they make your content more accessible, but upwards of 80% of your viewers will listen with the sound turned off.

Here are a few options for adding captions to your video:

• Rev.com – transcription service. You pay to get your video transcribed (as for a an .SRT file).
• Facebook – will automatically generate captions for free.

7. Prep your set.

There are four ways to prepare your “set” for the best exposure on camera. Make sure you test these before you go live:

• Ensure your face is well lit: use a regular desk lamp, natural light from the window or a Diva Ring.
• Choose your camera: I personally use a Logitech BRIO camera because the camera quality is significantly better than my laptop or phone.
• Prioritize good audio: people will forgive poor visual quality but not audio. I use a Rode microphone, Blue Yeti or my Movo – which is better than my laptop or phone.
• If you need stabilizing equipment: invest in a Gimbal for walking videos, or a Tripod or iPhone mount from Amazon.

8. Look at your camera when you speak.

This tip is underestimated, but important.

You may be tempted to watch yourself speak, but you’ll have a better connection with your audience if they feel like you’re talking to them. Be aware of how your audience is experiencing your video and talk to the camera as much as possible.

9. Watch your positioning.

Are you properly sized in your video? Here are some things to consider:

• Give yourself enough head space at the top, so your face isn’t cut off.
• Don’t create too much space above your head so your body looks tiny.
• Camera placement should be a bit higher than eye-level. You don’t want people looking up your nose or cranking your neck to see the camera.

10. Slow down when you speak.

When people get nervous, they speak fast and begin using filler words such as: but, like, you know, and uhm.

Slow down. The pace of what you’re saying should match how fast your brain is working. Otherwise, it’s distracting and your audience will not take your content seriously.

11. Simplify, simplify, simplify.

You don’t have to have all the bells and whistles.

Simplify the approach you take until you get more comfortable shooting video. If you want to add additional complexities, like a better camera, a green screen, bookends – add that in after.

You will improve as you go along.

When it comes to editing, keep it simple. You can Google how to edit using the tool you want to try out, but I encourage you to become a one-hit and one-shot wonder.

Instead, worry about delivering valuable content on the camera regularly.

12. Be mindful of time.

There are all kinds of schools of thought on how long a video should be, but here are my two cents:

The quality of information you share is more important than the length. If you are sharing something that is valuable and people are interested in, they will watch a longer video. We don’t actually have the attention span of a goldfish…

Focus on being engaging and providing content that gets to the point.

13. Engaging during a video.

Are you talking with people or are you talking at people in your video? You decide.

My suggestion is this: engage, build community and decide on the spot if you respond to absolutely every single comment or question. It will also depend if the comments are relevant to the content.

Keep in mind that statistics show that your engagement back to people watching your content (responding or liking their comment) can result in a 250% increase in views and visibility of your content.

Engagement is king on social media platforms.

14. How to Connect Zoom To Facebook.

Ready to get going? If you want to use Zoom for Facebook Live and have a native video to share (see tip #5), use these steps:

1. Register for a Zoom Webinar Account.
2. Click the “More Option” when you launch the webinar.
3. Hit “Live on Facebook” and select where (timeline, group, page etc.)
4. Type in a description and click Go Live.

I hope these 14 tips help you. And remember – just start.

What other questions do you have about video or business?