Skip to main content
Women infront of camera

How To Create Impactful Video Content As A Business Owner

Our meetings and calls are nearly all videos now, all of the social media platforms seem to have launched their version of ‘Stories’ and we’re even starting to replace documents and emails with video with tools like Loom and Drift. Video has become an essential part of the content creation marketing mix and day-to-day work for businesses.

 

Why video and what’s VPS? 

Video is simply better than text and images. It’s more engaging than text or images, and you can really get a sense of what the person or business making it is about. It also has much better value-per-second (VPS). That’s to say you can fit a whole lot more into a few seconds of a video than you could by writing. If you put some time and effort into making a video, that content will stick around and get engagement for a lot longer than a text or image-based post might.

 

It’s all about confidence 

Video can be made at a minimal cost, and we all have amazing video cameras in our pockets. There are loads of ways you can generate ideas (see below for a start) so a lot of the time the only thing stopping you is confidence. 

It can help to remember these five things…

  1. Nobody else is obsessing about how you look or sound.
  2. Almost everybody has the same hang-ups and fears to conquer when making a video. 
  3. Even the pros started from scratch. 
  4. It’s video so you can have as many takes as you want (and the outtakes make great content too). 
  5. Just say yes. Commit to it then you’ll have to do it.  

 

14 ideas for types of video you could make

  • Webinars
    Engage and educate your audience with a live webinar. You can use slides and video as part of it and then make the recording of it available for people to watch later.
  • Screencasts
    Making a video recording of your screen is a great way to show people how to do things. You could also send it alongside a piece of work you’re submitting or talk through a business proposal presentation.
  • How to/explainers
    Create mini videos of your most frequently asked questions.
  • Educational
    Help people learn instead of selling to them. 
  • Product/Demos
    There’s no better way to show off your product or service than by showing it out there in the world.
  • Training
    Can you turn some training into a video? It could save time in the long run and give easier access to more people.
  • Interviews
    Fun interviews with customers and team members can make good content and are a good way to get your team sharing content on their own channels.
  • Motivational
    Give a pep talk, give a boost, give encouragement.
  • Funny
    Have fun with it. Take the Michael. Make people laugh. Share the bloopers.
  • Behind the scenes
    Let people into the secrets behind your business.
  • Live streams
    Make sure you promote live streams like you would promote an event. Don’t just expect people to be there at the right time.
  • Vlogs
    Turn your blogs into vlogs…
  • Vodcasts
    …And your podcasts into vodcasts!
  • Share your story
    Stories are where the emotions lie. And emotions are where the connections lie. 

 

The top ten things to consider when making video 

  • Be inspired
    Watch other videos for ideas, tricks and tips.
  • Sound
    It’s more important that a video sounds good than looks good. Always use a mic.
  • Lighting
    Brighten yourself up with lights or shoot in front of a window.
  • Accessibility
    Make your videos extra accessible by always using subtitles (which is also essential when people are watching with the sound off).
  • Plan
    Write scripts and use storyboards.
  • Make it interesting
    Keep your videos short, sweet and get straight into the juicy content.
  • Show your personality
    One of the best things about video is that people can get a sense of what you’re really like so don’t be afraid to show them.
  • The edit
    As well as being able to shoot, you need to be able to edit or to get someone to do it for you.
  • Thumbnails
    Use a good thumbnail image with your video. You can also use this later to repurpose your video as a text and image post.
  • Sharing your video
    As much as it’s important to make the video, it’s important to think about your plan and channels for distributing it.

 

The homemade approach v professional 

There’s a place for both homemade and professionally made videos in your marketing mix. 

Homemade style videos can resonate well with customers and many brands are actually going out of their way to make their videos look lower budget to get higher engagement on platforms like TikTok. They can be super quick to produce meaning you can create lots of them and jump on trends. 

Professionally produced videos will look amazing and can give you a really good return on investment because they will be able to be used in the longer term. And it’s great to get help with or leave it completely to the professionals when it comes to things like generating ideas, planning, scriptwriting, equipment, shooting, directing and editing if you’re not sure where to start.

I worked with videographer Oyinkro Kagbala at K-OS Visuals because I wanted this video to look extra slick…

 

9 free tools you can use to get started with video  

  1. Loom for screencasting 
  2. iMovie (Apple) for editing 
  3. Subly for subtitles 
  4. Teleprompter app for an autocue 
  5. Script Timer (Vidyard) for script timing and planning
  6. Storyboarder (WonderUnit) for storyboarding and planning
  7. YouTube Library for music 
  8. Canva for thumbnails 
  9. Headline Analyzer (CoSchedule) for video titles 

The thing with video is that you’re only going to get better at it by doing it and you’ll improve really quickly once you get stuck in. People work with people they like and video is the best way to demonstrate that you’re someone who’s great to work with.

Start small and see what tricks you can use to make yourself feel more comfortable. If you’re having a bad hair day, leave it for another day. 

Share this content
Sophie Cross

Sophie Cross runs Thoughtfully Marketing School. Online, on-demand, and lifetime access marketing courses, support, and free resources if you’re a freelancer or ‘company of one’. 

Leave a Reply

Register with Informi today:

  • Join over 30,000 like-minded business professionals.
  • Create your own personalised account with curated reading lists and checklists.
  • Access exclusive resources including business plans, templates, and tax calculators.
  • Receive the latest business advice and insights from Informi.
  • Join in the discussion through the comments section.

or