Signature March/April 2015 - 32

GETTING STARTED
Long before you touch a piece of video
equipment, decide exactly what your goals
are for the video by asking the following
questions:
What's the purpose of the
video? Maybe it's simply electronic newsgathering - that is, reporting on a product or event. However, most
organizations plan to use their videos for
marketing or PR as well, which requires
a much different approach.

What is the main message of
the video? Trying to squeeze too
many messages into one video will ultimately leave your audience confused and
frustrated. Decide on one clear, concise
message you'd like to convey.

ment. Consider the expected return on
investment for the video, along with your
overall marketing budget. Don't overlook
the cost of traveling to and shooting on
location, equipment rental, and the value
of your own time spent making the video.
How will you handle sound?
Most bad videos have one thing
in common: poor sound quality. Invest
in a decent microphone. If that's out of
your budget, here's a great hack: Take
a cell phone recording from your shirt
pocket. The audio will be clearer than
you'll get from the camera, and you can
sync it with the video later.

QUALITY AND BUDGET
CONSIDERATIONS

How will you convey that
message? Doing interviews,
adding voiceovers, and putting text on
the screen all have different advantages
... and require different resources. Decide
how you plan to convey the message and
plan accordingly.

The great thing about videos is that you
don't always have to invest large amounts
of time and money to harness their power;
you can create engaging videos on any
budget. In addition to high-end professional videos, you may find that "quickies"
or "business-casual" videos are sufficient.
The best video marketing plans often
incorporate all of these.

What is your budget? You can
spend as much or as little on a
video as you choose, but it's important
that your expectations match your invest-

VIDEO QUICKIES. By quickie,
we mean that someone from your
company is simply shooting with a smartphone or consumer-grade camera - and,

Can't afford
a high-quality

microphone?
Take a cell phone
recording from your

shirt
pocket.
32

MARCH/APRIL 2016

signature

more often than not, uploading the clip to
a social media site like a Facebook page
or YouTube channel. Editing is generally
not required, but when it is, it can easily
be done on an app installed on the user's
smartphone, such as the iMovie app for
iPhones.
Videos shot with a smartphone are
perfectly acceptable. If the topic you're
covering is time-sensitive, straightforward, and requires little B-roll (footage
that plays while someone talks over it),
you may be able to shoot with a smartphone or tablet. Examples of these types
of videos include:
n■ Fun, informal events (e.g., an impromptu fundraising challenge)
n■ Breaking news or coverage of timesensitive topics
n■ Conference footage (e.g., a short
video taken of an important message
during a conference or presentation)
A word of caution: Mobile devices are
handy, easy-to-use, and almost always
readily available in your back pocket or
bag. But before you try to record a video
with your smart device, consider this: Will
the video need to be edited? If so, you'll
have to either download an app to edit
the video on your smart device (such as
iMovie for Apple devices). Or you'll have
to transfer the video from your device to
your computer to edit, which will also
require editing software.
You'll need a plan for transferring your
iPhone or iPad video to your computer.
Consider whether the computer is a Mac
or PC. Two options for getting the video
to your computer are email and an app
called Dropbox.

The audio will be
clearer than you'll get from
the camera, and you can
sync it with the video later.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Signature March/April 2015