Six tips for creating better in-house video content for your brand or company

If you’re a small business or social enterprise, you may choose to create short videos in-house to support your marketing and PR efforts.
 

Smartphones nowadays can be used to film too – of course, it won’t be professional quality, but sometimes it is best for creating a quick video to pop on Twitter to showcase a brand message, a new staff member, or an exciting project that you’re working on, and gives it an organic feel – which many top brands do themselves.

Here are six tips for creating better video content…

1. Avoid the shakes. If you’re using a phone, use a tripod or even just prop it up with books so that it holds still. This works well for interviews or videos where you’re focusing on one thing. It avoids the shakes, which may be off-putting to viewers. It’s harder than you think to hold a phone still whilst recording!

2. Keep the edit simple. Avoid using too many transitions or graphics, which can end up looking unprofessional. Use a title card if you need to add context at the start, ideally with the font that you normally use for your brand. If you use a font elsewhere in the video, ensure it matches in style and size to keep it uniform. We recommend the free editing website ClipChamp which we find user-friendly.

3. Music maestro. If you’re using music in the background, make sure it’s not too loud. Sometimes, the volume is too high, and it makes it hard to hear what people are saying. Choose a suitable piece of music that matches the emotion and pace of the content, elevating it instead of distracting from it. You can’t just use any music you like – you’ll need to find some copyright-free music, otherwise, your video will get taken down from social media, and you may be given a warning on your account. Try Pixabay for this.

4. Brand it up. Add your logo to the top or bottom right-hand corner throughout the video, or to keep it simple, by adding one at the end. You can also pop your website at the end with the logo, making sure you’re using the same font (as mentioned above). To add your logo, end and title cards – try Canva

5. Keep it short and sweet. Research indicates the average adult’s attention span is just eight seconds. Capture your audience at the start – and then don’t let it drag on too long. Twitter will limit a video to two minutes and 20 seconds, so you won’t be able to go over that anyway – and it is a good maximum length rule for all social platforms.

6. Caption your video. Studies have found that captions increase video viewing by 80 per cent. People are often scrolling through social media on public transport or whilst multitasking, with the sound off. Captions allow people to watch the video even if they can’t listen, and can also raise their focus and understanding of the topic. Our favourite free editing website ClipChamp allows you to add auto-captions to your videos.

Would you or your team benefit from a video training session tailored to your needs with a video production expert, or are you looking for professional video creation for your company or brand?

Get in touch with us today.