Now that YouTube and online video is no longer considered a "fad" but a full-fledged marketing medium, more and more corporations and entrepreneurs are using face time as a way to market their goods and services. But take a look around the Internet and you will see a vast range of quality in marketing videos-and those that are well produced and marketed correctly, get more views.
If your company is thinking about creating a marketing video or someone from your team is going to appear on a news or talk show, below are a few tips to help them shine in the best light.
1. Get Enough Sleep the Night Before
Why is this number one? Video is not forgiving and sitting in front of the camera can be nerve-racking. Being overtired shows to your customers that you are frazzled or coming apart at the seams. People want to do business with companies that are doing well-so if you look like you don't feel okay, simply because you did not get enough sleep, it will show on your face and in how you speak on camera. Your eyes will look tired, your voice will shake and you won't be able to hold that million-dollar smile. So why stress yourself even further by being over tired? Try to relax the night before, take an extra walk after dinner, play with your kids, your dog-take a long bath or do something to relax so you can be well rested. And put the wine glass away for the night-drink sparkling water instead. Alcohol dehydrates the body and it will show up on your skin.
2. Don't Cheap Out - use a Makeup Artist
This tip is especially important for men. Any video production company you hire will be able to secure a makeup artist for you. And for a simple corporate video is shouldn't cost more than a few hundred bucks added to the production budget. Studio lights and HD video show every single flaw, so this tip goes hand in hand with getting enough sleep. Typically most men will receive a little concealer around the eyes, powder, hair touch up and lip shine. Yes, lip shine! By putting just the slightest shine on your lips, studio lights reflect that shine onto your teeth and whitens your smile. It is a photographic optical illusion, which is priceless in terms of making you look healthy and ready to do business. And ladies? It is totally up to you if you want to come to the shoot with full makeup and hair styled. You can then discuss with artist, what you like and don't like. Because remember no matter if you already have makeup on, once you sit under hot lights and your nerves kick in, you are going to sweat. Having a makeup artist there to touch you up and pat you down really goes a long way in making you feel comfortable! No one wants that dreaded bead of sweat rolling down his or her face while in the middle of griping interview!
3. Speak directly to camera (use a Teleprompter) or utilize Interview style
If you are creating a marketing video, you will want to control your message. Here is where you have to decide how you want to talk to your customers. Some people are great public speakers and have no trouble talking directly to the camera, others don't. So let's talk about directly to camera first.
If you have prepared something to say and it is 10 seconds long, by all means memorize it. But if you have prepared anything longer-use a teleprompter. It does add few hundred dollars onto the overall production cost like the makeup artist, but trust me, once those lights turn on and the camera rolls, you are going to forget everything you wanted to say. And you don't want to glance down at a piece of paper; you need to maintain eye contact with your audience. Using a teleprompter will turn a nightmare into a dream. You can concentrate on your delivery rather than trying to remember a long speech.
And here is another tip; natural human speech is about 165-200 words a minute. Remember this when writing your lines or when working with your producer. Microsoft Word has a word count feature under tools. Use it. It is a common mistake to create a 3000 word speech and come to the shoot thinking you are making a 2-minute video.
Or if you don't feel comfortable at public speaking, DO NOT PUSH IT. Go with interview style instead. The production company producer should work with you to prepare a series of questions to ask. Then once the interview is done, they will transcribe it for you, word for word on a word document and then work with you on editing the interview in the best way possible to get your message across. Editing is magic at removing ums and awes, so don't worry about that. Pay more attention to the content of what you are saying. And you can use the transcribed interview in your press releases, e-mail marketing! This is added value!
4. Keep your head out of the sand - Know your Message, Know your Audience and Know what is Going On!
Who can forget the PR fallout after President G.W. Bush, during the war with Iraq, landed on an aircraft carrier, dressed in a flight suit with the words "Mission Accomplished" flying behind him? Clearly the war was not over and troops did not pull out until almost 7 years later. Or the flub of BP CEO Tony Hayward saying on camera, "I'd like my life back," during the height of the BP Oil spill.
While these are extreme high-profile examples, they are good lessons to learn from. Understanding first your message will set you apart from a lot of your competition. Too many times, we hear from corporations that they want to put every possible detail they can into one video. That never works. Throwing the entire contents of the kitchen including the sink makes for a bad soup and a bad video. Hone in on what your goals are for each video-traffic to your site, overall brand building, sales of one product and talk just about that.
Then once you have your message under control, knowing your audience becomes much easier. It can be daunting speaking to a group of people through the lens of camera, they are not in the room with you, so you don't get "in person" biofeedback. So you must think to yourself, "What do those people look like that I am are trying to reach?" Think about them personally, what do they care about? What matters to them the most? Sometimes it can be the simplest thing in the world, and a lot marketing messages overlook the basics.
Now by knowing your audience, you will know what is going on. We all understand that Tony Hayward was tired and mentally exhausted with the immense challenge of the BP Oil Spill, but he was out of touch with the basics that mattered most. Don't be out of touch! Before you make your video, spend time with your customers, you personally, not your assistants, but you! This will not only help you with marketing but in the overall running of your company.
5. Don't Cheap Out Part 2 - Hire a Professional Video Production Company
Everyone has a niece, nephew or cousin with a brand new HD consumer video camera. And these new cameras are very sophisticated and can deliver fantastic results inexpensively-if used by PROFESSIONALS. Video production is more that just turning on the latest new camera and hitting the record button. It is so amazing how many business people would never dream of having cousin Willie shoot their wedding photos with a Happy Snaps camera but when it comes to creating a video for their business, they go into a dark room, stand in front of a shaky camera, that is next to an air conditioner whirring away at 30 decibels. Video production involves a producer who understands how to craft a message on video and achieve a result, a lighting professional who can make anyone look spectacular in front of the lens, a camera person who understands how camera angles can affect how the audience feels about the person on camera, an audio person with professional microphones so that your audience is not straining to hear you over the helicopter that just buzzed your office, an editor who clips all the bits and pieces together and takes the audience on an emotional journey and many of the other professionals like makeup artists, teleprompters operators as stated above.
And the end of the day-any video created for your business or any on camera television appearance, is advertising. You must look your best, act your best and present the best quality production. Think about it, would you let cousin Willie design a newspaper or magazine ad for your business? Let video professionals do what they do best, so you can do what you do best-running and selling your business.
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