Smile for the Camera: Leverage the Power of Video
Are you creating and sharing videos to strengthen your brand, educate clients, or explain legal concepts? You don’t have to pay for a high-cost video production company. Today’s videos are all about DIY! You probably have a lot of the necessary basic equipment – now you just need the know-how.
From your website to social media to YouTube and beyond, video is a fantastic way to reach your audience and a whole lot more. Read on for the basics for you to start creating and leveraging video content for your firm’s marketing and communication.
Equipment
While you can outfit yourself with great studio technology, you can also get away with some basics. If you are off camera, you can get noise-canceling headphones, like these from Logitech. If you are on camera, you can try Bluetooth earbuds, or spend a little more on a microphone (like a Yeti). There are many options to choose from at all price points. For those who have a truly quiet and private space in which to work, the temptation to use onboard laptop microphones/speakers or peripherals is appealing. However, sometimes this setup causes feedback for others due to the microphone picking up sound from the speakers, creating the dreaded echo chamber effect. Additionally, it is almost impossible to squelch all external noise––like the neighbor who likes to crank up the leaf blower promptly at 9 a.m.––so noise-canceling devices really can help
A good webcam is also essential if you are to be on camera. There are all sorts of webcams. Make sure to get one that can be mounted at eye level. Using an internal camera on your laptop is limiting in terms of placement, and often cannot be adjusted so an external camera is your best bet.
You can also use your iPhone or Android as a webcam and to record video:
EpocCam – “Turn Your Phone into a Webcam. With EpocCam, you can easily transform your mobile device into a high-definition Mac or PC webcam. Computer download is free on Mac or PC. Free version of the app on iOS, paid version ($7) of the app on iOS.”
Reincubate – “Look amazing on video calls. Use your iPhone or iPad as a pro webcam and get powerful effects and adjustments for Zoom, Meet, and more. Apps on all platforms. Free on device, free on computer, paid upgrade ($5/month, $40/year, $80 lifetime) on computer.”
The best lighting for videos comes from a source behind the camera. The reality is that most folks have little flexibility in arranging their workspaces with the window in just the right place. External lighting, like the popular ring lights, can add professional lighting at a low cost. Look for ones with a tripod so you can move it around as necessary.
A virtual background can help reduce the exposure of your home or office environment. Firms can create a branded virtual background that includes a neutral background like a conference room with the firm’s name or logo superimposed as a transparent image. These backgrounds can be distributed to the firm and can help with a professional consistent appearance. If you need a greenscreen you can hang up a green curtain or sheet behind you or purchase one for a range of prices.
Recording and Editing Software
Now that you have the equipment, you will need software to make the recording. You can use your smartphone to record a video, but if you plan to combine graphical elements like a PowerPoint or demonstrate on screen it is easier to do this on a computer.
Recording
If you have a Microsoft 365 for business subscription, there are several tools you can use to create a video. You can use MS PowerPoint. Just press the Record tab. You can record your voice, your screen, the slide deck, and your camera. Once you are finished you can Export to Video and edit as necessary. You can also use Teams video conferencing to set up and record a video with PowerPoint or your screen or just video. Just click “Meet” and then record. In MS Teams you can upload a transcript to the recording. In MS PowerPoint you can use your slide notes in a teleprompter view.
Loom is a popular video recording tool that also creates transcriptions, provides editing tools, and allows you to host, share and publish your videos. You can get started for free or use the Business version for $8.00 per creator per month annually. You can record marketing videos, videos for clients, tutorials for your team and more.
Zoom, as you know, has a recording feature. Just set up a Zoom and press record. Depending on the type of Zoom license you have you can also create a transcript for cloud recordings and display them as closed captions.
Editing
While a few tools give you the option to record and edit, like Loom, many recording tools do just that – record. If you want to edit the file, add transcripts, clips, images, text, and audio, and more you will need an editor. The learning curve on some of these tools can be a little steep if you haven’t used editing tools before, so give yourself some time and be prepared to use the help files.
Camtasia is downloaded software that you can use to record your screen and web camera, edit the video, and produce to a video hosting platform like YouTube. It works on Windows and Mac. There is a free trial, but the full version for an individual is a one-time fee of $300, with a $50 per year maintenance fee after the first year. You can crop, annotate, create transitions, highlight your cursor, pan and zoom, add closed captions and much more.
Descript is an editing tool that also has screen recording. Descript is quite easy to use and browser based. It has strong transcription features, creating an automatic transcription that is easy to edit. While you can host your videos in Descript, the hosting is really meant for internal teams. You can publish your edited videos to platforms like YouTube and Vimeo. There is a free version you can try or pay $12 per editor per month which includes 10 hours of transcription.
ClipChamp is a free video editing tool that comes with the consumer version of MS 365. It has filters, a timeline editor, effects, royalty free stock photography, templates and more. It is easy to use but not particularly feature rich.
iMovie is a free application for Mac and iOS. You can record videos on your iPhone or tablet and then wirelessly send them to iMovie on your Mac. You can create storyboards, add special effects, trim, transition, add images and more. You can then produce your video to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media or websites.
Timing and Teleprompters
If you are trying to create short videos for marketing, you can type out your script to see how long it takes you to read it. The effort of typing and reading your script will not go unrewarded because the script can also be used to create closed captions. If you want to get an idea of how long it will take to read your script you can copy your written script to the Script Time Calculator. For instance, it would take 10 minutes to read this blog post aloud.
If you want to use a teleprompter, some video recording products have them built in. In MS PowerPoint if you put your speech in the notes field and click record it will let you use your notes as a teleprompter. You can also use something like the online (free) Teleprompter Mirror, copy your script into it and use a laptop screen or iPad to help you view your script. You can set the font size and how fast the teleprompter shows your script move.
Closed Captions and Transcriptions
Best practices for videos include adding closed captions, not only for accessibility and SEO, but also because many people prefer to watch videos on mobile devices with the sound off. You don’t want them to miss what you are saying. There are several ways to create a transcript.
Option 1: Type out your script and upload it as a .SRT file. If you already wrote your script and followed it closely the only work left to do it to copy the script in a text editor, like Notepad, then add timestamps and subtitles. While this is free, it is a lot of work.
Option 2: Use a subtitle editor. Tools like Amara give you the choice of manually creating the subtitles in the editor for free or pay for the subtitle service. A similar service, Subtitle Horse, is a free browser-based captions editor for subtitling online videos.
Option 3: Let YouTube, Loom, or Descript auto-create the closed captions. In YouTube you can download their auto-captions, edit and re-upload them.
Hosting Your Video
YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine online. For content creators the platform offers a lot of exposure. You can set up channels for your content for people to view and subscribe to, make them list or unlisted, let people subscribe to your channel, add auto-captions, do some minor editing, add info cards, end screens, and free audio and much more. The more text you add (title, description, subtitles) the more your videos will be found by search engines. It is easy to share YouTube content on your website and social media. Be aware of the YouTube terms and conditions.
Vimeo has a free plan, but the Standard plan at $35 per seat per month offers password protection, screen recording, branding, stock photos and music, sales on demand and more. For firms that are selling or providing video tutorials, client instruction, or professional uses beyond marketing Vimeo is an excellent platform to host videos.
MS 365 Business subscriptions offer MS Stream. Stream is designed to share videos internally for training, documentation, collaboration and more. Go to Office.com, login with your work account, view all apps, then click on Stream to upload and share videos with your team. Similarly, while you can share videos from Loom externally, it is focused on sharing videos for internal use.
Social Media channels are another place you can host videos. Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and more let you upload videos and share with your followers and connections. Consider embedding or linking videos from your YouTube channel to increase the channel exposure and visibility instead of using the social media channels to host the videos. It will be easier to track engagement and control your videos if they are hosted in one place.
Measure Your Success
Are people watching your videos? Engaging with them? If your videos are for marketing, education, or engagement you want to see if people are viewing them. YouTube has good analytics, as does Vimeo.
Conclusion
Want to see some of these tools in action? See Smile for the Camera: Leverage the Power of Video – YouTube from the Center for Practice Management Learning Objectives series. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. If you want to create videos for marketing or education, you don’t have to hire a high-end production company. With a few tools and some know how you can get started now.