If you’re not using video for your business, it’s time to start. Video is a powerful way to tell a story and get your audience engaged, and the facts don’t lie.
Business Insider, from a report by Cisco, illustrates that video will account for more than 80% of all internet traffic by 2021.
Additionally, according to the Social Science Research Network, 65% of people are visual learners.
Add that up and the question becomes: If you aren’t producing videos, why not?
Some common objections businesses have, are that they think video takes too much time, is too expensive, or too complicated – but none of those are always true.
With a little effort, and tools you likely have at your fingertips right this second, you can start producing videos that engage, inform and educate your audience – the flooring consumer – relatively easily.
Time is on your side
One of the nice things about producing your own videos is having the latitude to decide how long or short they are. While you probably won’t need a Peter Jackson-style, 18-month shoot, you’ll not want to exactly skimp, either.
The type of video will help determine its length. Some examples include:
- Business introductions/histories
- Showroom tours
- Product spotlights
- How-to’s
- Customer testimonials
- Sale announcements
- Employee features/interviews
There’s no wrong answer for the kind of video you want, and you’ll often find the production time is not as lengthy as you may have thought.
Video costs can vary
The cost involved is entirely dependent on which method you choose. Hiring an outside company is a viable option, but it will require some homework to find the best value for your budget. If you want to do it yourself, standardly, you’ll need a video camera and related equipment like a tripod, microphone(s), lighting and editing programs. Such material has a price tag, of course, but with a little research it all can be found rather inexpensively. You or someone you know might even have some of it just laying around.
On the other hand, if you’re willing to dive in and create something quickly, your smartphone will work just fine for recording (and even editing) – and that’s free!
Content matters most
High quality production is great, but consumers value a company’s honesty and spirit, flaws included. Being authentic and communicating your message is more important than the overall quality at the onset. Just ask Don Lovato of Carpet Source in Albuquerque, who, at the FCA Network 2019 Fall Conference in Kansas City, explained to dealers how he’s found success with little, if any, production values in his gritty, off-the-cuff videos.
The content is most important. Over time, your recording and editing skills will improve, and quality will follow.
Where to start
Just grab a camera or your phone and press record!
For beginners, a good way to ease into creating video is to do a slideshow of images like your logo, showroom, products, employees, etc. Nothing needs to be ‘live shot’ right away. You can still tell a story in slideshow style, and its perfect content for your social media and website.
Facebook Live is another simple tool to stream and publish real-time video from your phone right to your business page without any post-production complexities.
Video shooting and editing is a trial and error process, but rest assured, the more videos you work on, the better each one will get. The key is just to start!
So, what are you waiting for?