10 Simple Steps to Create Your Own Videos for Your Small Business

As the world is moving forward, video content is becoming another important aspect of business marketing (mainly for small businesses). Because of the rise of online platforms and social media, videos offer a different way to connect with customers, showcase products or services, tell your brand’s story, etc.

But still, many small business owners do not want video creation as they believe it requires extensive skills or a high budget. I mean, it is true to some extent but this is a common misconception.

If you check the reality then with the right approach and a bit of creativity, anyone can create good quality video content. You should keep in mind that the main point is not high-end equipment or professional production but authenticity and a clear message that speaks to your viewers.

Define Your Video’s Purpose

Identifying Your Goal:

This is the first and you can say one of the most important steps. It’s always important to clarify why and what you are making it. You can ask these questions yourself:-

• What do you want this video to achieve for your business?
• Are you looking to boost sales of a particular product?
• Do you aim to increase brand awareness or educate your audience about your services?
• Is my goal to engage more followers on social media or inform customers about a new product launch?

Creating Content for Your Goals

After asking all the necessary questions and setting a goal, every element of your video should be aligned with this goal. For example, if your aim is to sell a product then your video should highlight the product’s features and benefits. But if you want to spread awareness of your brand then should focus on storytelling

Ensuring Clarity and Focus

If your video has a clear and focused message then it will help you to engage more and impact your audience. I have observed that if we cover too many objectives in one video then it sometimes changes the message and reduces its effectiveness. That is why, keep your message straightforward and centred around your primary goal to ensure it resonates clearly with your audience.

Scripting and Storyboarding

Once you know why you are making your video, it’s time to plan what you will say and show.

Scripting

• Craft Your Message: Start by writing a script that conveys your message clearly and properly. If you ask me, then consider it as the blueprint of your video. This script should reflect the voice of your brand
• Key Elements to Include: Whether you hire a script writer or you write it yourself, always keep in mind that the script should introduce the problem your business solves. Also mention how it does so, and a call to action element. You have to make it engaging and relatable to keep your audience interested.

Storyboarding

• Creating a Visual Plan: A storyboard is a sequence of drawings that represent the shots you plan to film. It’s a tool to pre-visualize your video, scene by scene. It helps the creator to explain their vision to other members
• Details to Include: Try to keep as much detail as possible in each frame of the storyboard like what will be on the screen, any text or graphics, and the type of shot (e.g., close-up, wide shot).

Organize the Shoot

While organizing the shoot, try to choose a location that reflects your brand’s image and fits the video’s theme. Use natural light (if possible) to get the best results. If you are filming inside the house, you should shoot in front of large windows.

Even if you do not have a high-end camera, a smartphone with a good camera can be more than enough if you shoot with proper light and have good video editing software and skills. If you can invest your money then try to go for a good-quality mic as sound quality matters as much as the video quality.

The shooting process also involves the activities to manage the crew members like who will be handling the camera to shoot, who will direct, and who handles other tasks. And for this, you have to properly design the script before starting the shooting. You should also make sure that the shooting process is going as per the script.

Use of the Video Templates

A template is a ready-made video design using which you can add your own words, pictures, and videos. There are many tools on the internet that give you templates. If you do not have much time and want to finish your video quickly, then you can go for video templates. The template will provide a good-quality output throughout the video.

• Find the right video templates: There are many tools available that offer many video templates like Adobe Premiere Pro. So select one that matches your brand’s style and the video’s purpose.
• Benefits: Templates give your video a professional look with pre-designed graphics, transitions, and animations.
• Incorporate elements to your content: Add your filmed footage, images, and text to the template.
• Using Built-in Effects: Generally, these tools have built-in effects like transitions and text animations which will add more life to your video.

The Filming Process

I would say this is the most fun and difficult part. This is when you bring your story to life with your script and storyboard.

Setting Up for Success

• Equipment Check: Make sure that all your equipment is in working mode before you start filming. You should check camera batteries, ensure enough storage for footage, test audio tools if you are using external microphones, etc.
• Lighting Considerations: I have already mentioned that good lighting is as important as a good camera. That is why you should do the shooting work time in the daytime to avoid shadows. For indoor shoots, set up additional lights for uniform light focus.

Filming Techniques

• Steady Shots: You should avoid shaky footage and to do that you have to use a tripod or steady surface. If you are shooting with a smartphone then try for a stabilizer or gimbal for smoother shots.
• Multiple Takes: If you are shooting a film then it is obvious that you have to take multiple shots. That is why, don’t hesitate to do multiple takes of each scene. This will give you more options during the editing phase and ensure you capture the best possible footage.
• Capturing Different Angles: Try to film each scene from multiple angles as this variety adds visual interest and provides more editing flexibility.

Engaging the Audience

• Direct Address: If someone is speaking directly to the camera then he is talking directly audience. So they should engage with the audience with eye contact and a friendly demeanor.
• Show, Don’t Just Tell: Use visuals smartly so that the audience can understand what the video trying to show.

Craft a good Call to Action (CTA)

You need to think about what you want people to do after they watch your video. This is called a call to action, or CTA for short. It’s like telling someone to act after watching a video.

• End-of-Video CTA: Generally, CTAs are placed at the end of the video to guide viewers on what to do next. You must have seen many YouTube videos where the creator asks the user to subscribe, like and share the video
• Clear and Direct: Your CTA should be simple.
• Visually Stand Out: Edit your video to make your CTA visually attractive. For example, you can use bold text or graphics to catch the attention.

Types of CTAs:- Depending on your video’s goal, CTAs can change. Here are some examples of different situations:

• For product sales: “Visit our website to order now”
• For brand engagement: “Follow us on social media for more updates.”
• For more information: “Check out our website to learn more.”

Review and Refine Your Video

You must check or watch your video carefully after you have finished filming and adding music. You should make sure everything looks right and to do that, you have to watch your video as many times as possible.

Look for any small mistakes like a word is not clear, or a picture comes too late. You should also check that your video looks the same all through the video which means the colors, the size of the text, and the way things move should not change without a reason. If you find any part that does not look good then you should fix it.

This will take time, but it is very important. You can also take feedback from others if you want. After refining your video, you can move to the next step

Select the Right Background Music

A piece of good music can make your video feel more alive. The right music will make your viewers feel happy, excited, or even think your product is really cool. You have to pick music that matches what your video is about.

If you are selling something casual, then you can choose the friendly kinds of music. If your video is serious then you should choose calm music. But be careful with the music you choose as there are many copyright restrictions as well. It must be music you are allowed to use.

That means it doesn’t belong to someone else, or you have permission or have paid to use it. This is important because using music without permission can cause trouble. There are many places online where you can find good music that is safe to use in your videos.

I have seen many videos have a mistake:- High background music compared to audio. The music should not overpower your message. It should complement the visuals and narration, not distract from them.

Make Your Video Accessible to All

If your product is targeting all types of audiences, then your video should be easy for everyone to understand. Think about people who cannot hear well or at all. They should be able to know what your video is about. You can add words (Closed Captions or Subtitles) at the bottom of the video that says what you are saying.

Make sure that people can enjoy your video even if they cannot turn on the sound. When more people will understand your video, more people will learn about your business. This also helps more people to discover your video on the internet.

Promote Your Video Content

You can upload your video on social media where many people spend their time and you will definitely get maximum engagement from there. You can also try some of these less-explored methods:

• Email Marketing:- If you include your video in newsletters or promotional emails then it can increase click-through rates and engagement in email campaigns. For that, you have to provide a reason in the email text to encourage recipients to watch the video.
• YouTube and SEO:- If you are posting the video on YouTube then optimize your video for search engines and its trending section (Like using relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags) and create an engaging thumbnail that can increase CTR.
• Embedding on Your Website: If you have a website then upload the video on your website (homepage or relevant product pages). But, remember that the embedded video should not slow down your site’s loading time.
• Paid Advertising: If your budget is high then you try using paid advertising on social media or Google to reach a larger audience. You can target your ads to the demographics most likely to be interested in your product or service.
• Collaborations and Shares:- Collaborate with influencers or other businesses in your industry to expand your reach.

Conclusion

I told you that creating a video for your business is neither too simple nor too hard. Even though the steps I mentioned in this blog should not be followed by you blindly. But if you are kind of a beginner then it will definitely help you.

So you just create a really engaging and high-quality video for your business that will help you to grow. It can help more people know about what your business does and attract more customers.