Post By: Anesha Collins

The Guest Blogging Series: While Natalie is recovering from surgery, her friends have offered to bring you incredible content. Learn more about the author of this post at the end and be sure to leave some love.

Video visual presence within your business and is very important to your brand presence. The fact that you’re here is evidence of how important this is for you. Video presence within your brand increases search optimization ranking and also allows you to stand out; especially if others within your industry or niche aren’t using video within their brand presence.

HOW VIDEO IMPACTS YOUR BUSINESS
& WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

When it comes to producing content a lot of small business owners don’t necessarily know where to start. The cool thing is that you can start with what you already have. That’s right. Do you own a smartphone? If you answered yes, then you’re already on your way.You can use your smartphone to start shooting video content.

Video is one of the most genuine connections between your business and your target audience. It allows them to get to know you (especially if not in person), and it also helps to increase your SEO. Who doesn’t love that?

WHERE TO BEGIN:
GETTING STARTED WITH VIDEO

1. Do An Assessment:

First and foremost, assessing is the best place to start. When I was working as a nurse, Assessments were always priority. It was always pushed to get our assessments done at the beginning of the shift. It was a place to start with treating the patient for the remainder of my shift, it allowed me to get in contact with any Doctor’s so they could make their rounds to my hospital location, and it also helped me to create a day-of or foregoing plan for the patient.

Believe it or not, this same approach (to an extent) is how I serve my clients and audience through video content. On the flipside, imagine if I just showed up to work, didn’t assess my patient’s, treated them based on the assessment data from days or even weeks before, I’d probably harm the patient and nobody wants to experience that.

Let’s use this same assessment mindset for video visual presence (within your brand) and video-marketing content.

2. How To Assess:

If you already know that you don’t have any video content, then it’s a no brainer. On the contrary, maybe you’re straddling the fence because you think the content you have isn’t video-content worthy. As Gary Vaynerchuk says, “It’s better to get it done, then not do it at all. So, take this free assessment and let it motivate you.

These two pieces of content will further validate why you need to incorporate video within your brand. My Video Presence Brand Assessment will help you to see where you really stand when it comes to video-marketing. It will also help you to see how far ahead you actually might be.

 

After you complete the assessment and save it, download my FREE copy of “5 Ways TO Use Video-Marketing”.   This is to motivate you to get started and NOT make any excuses!

GETTING STARTED:
EQUIPMENT & SIMPLE TIPS

Below is a quick list of equipment with a few tips to help you get started with producing video content.

One: Camera

Option A.

What: Smartphone (iPhone or Andriods)

Where To Buy: FREE, if you already have one. 

Why: Smartphone It’s convenient and most phones can produce 4k footage. I recommend using a gimbal device with your phone to have smooth footage/reduce shake from handheld filming.

You can also invest in lenses to bring out the best in your iPhone/smartphone. Moment Lenses are very popular.

Option B.

What: DSLR CAMERA (Canon EOS 80D Digital SLR Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Image Stabilization STM Lens (Black)

Where To Buy: Amazon.com

Why: Footage quality. DSLR can give better dynamic range. You can get the nice blurred background that everyone loves which you won’t be able to achieve with an iPhone or smartphone.

 

Two: Tabletop Tripod

What:  JOBY – Gorillapod Tripod for Digital Cameras and Camcorders

Where To Buy: BestBuy

Why: Stable footage. This will allow you to reduce shake and it will also allow you to place your camera at a desirable height (ideally a table) without having to bring a large tripod to your desired shoot location.

 

 

Three: RODE MIC or Lav MIC

Option A.

What:  RODE MIC (Rode VideoMic with Fuzzy Windjammer Kit)

Where To Buy: Amazon.com

Why: Quality audio is important. People will be more inclined to watch if you have good audio.

Option B.

What:  LAV MIC (Audio-Technica PRO 88W Wireless Omnidirectional Clip-on Microphone System (W88-24-830)

Where To Buy: Amazon.com

Why: Quality audio is important. People will be more inclined to watch if you have good audio.

Option C.

What:  Zoom H4n Pro 4 (Zoom H4n Pro 4-Channel Handy Recorder Bundle with Custom Windbuster for Zoom H4n, AC Adapter, A Male to Type B Mini Male Cable (6′) and 16GB SD Card

Where To Buy: Amazon.com

Why: This is a more professional mic setup. I use this for weddings, video productions and interviews. I have used this for my videos on YouTube as well. Quality audio is important. People will be more inclined to watch if you have good audio.

 

 

Four: Lighting

Option A.

What:  Natural Light

Where To Buy: FREE! Find a nice window and setup near that window. Use a curtain as a diffuser to reduce harsh light. 

Why: Natural light is one of the best lights to film in and it’s easy to find. You don’t have to worry so much if you’re beginner about color temperature as much with natural light. There are a lot of benefits to shooting in natural light.

Option B.

What:  LED LIGHTS (Photography Studio Video Quick Softbox Lighting Light Kit Case, 600 Watt Output, EZ16x24kitcase)

Where To Buy: Cowboystudio.com

Why: Good lighting is visually appealing to viewers. Setting up good lighting can help you have a nice clean look to your videos.

 

 

Five: YOUTUBE or Platform to Showcase on

Start a YouTube Channel so people can subscribe and find your content.

Focus on your WHY for vlogging.

What kind of content will you produce?

What audience are you speaking to?

 

 

Six: Content

Your content depends on what you want to bring forth visually to your ideal audience, but having a plan is actually more important. Knowing what you want to present, say, and do is valuable. It will help you to produce the content you desire, making it easier for you to stay committed and ultimately fall in love with all things video.

 

BONUS TIPS:

#LEARNWITHAC has two essential items within the SHOP  that will help you immensely with video.

1. Content Creation Tracker & Strategy
*Join Waiting List | December 2017 Release

2. Video-Marketing Course: Don’t Get Left Behind (Get Ahead Now)

 

Anesha Collins is a photographer, cinematographer, and educator currently residing in Orlando, Florida. She is a New Yorker at heart, a granddaughter, an aunt, and a lover of quotes. She is invested in visual arts and loves to also be a resource to creatives, couples, and small businesses. She is a self-starter with a lot of initiative and obsessed with being organized and having direction. Her work has been featured in The Huffington Post, NFL, Borrowed & Blue, MunaLuchi Bridal and more. Before shooting weddings and events, she specialized in event and company promotional videos. She is also the recipient of Central Florida’s 2017 Best of Weddings Award for Best Photographer & Best Videographer.

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