The other day, I wrote a post on video marketing that drew a little attention. It was pointed out that perhaps it´s not possible for a start-up business to do high quality videos. I beg to differ.

First of all, high quality is not the same as high priced. It is very doable for a small business to make their own, quality video for video marketing. Even if you have to do it yourself, with a HandyCam, you can do a good job of it, it´s all in the technique. So, if you are one of those who believes that small business video marketing equals garbage videos . . . think again.

How to Create Quality Videos on a Budget

1. Have a script. Doing a good job means knowing what you are doing. You don´t necessarily need a super detailed script, but blocking out the basics will help you do a better job.
2. Practice speaking. Don´t expect to make it through the speaking part of the video without rehearsing. Make sure you eliminate all those “ums” and “ers” that can make your video marketing look very unprofessional.
3. Set up a background. This is super easy. Drape a sheet over a clothesline or stand in front of something nice, like a forest. The idea is that you or your main subject stand out.
4. Light well. Outdoors is actually the best light you can get and it´s perfectly free. Try to shoot on an overcast day, since bright sunshine can cause dark shadows.
5. Use a tripod. Low quality videos tend to be shaky. Make sure yours isn´t by borrowing or buying a tripod, or, set the camera on a table on a bag of rice to keep it steady.
6. Keep editing simple. Avoid cheesy wipes and transitions and stick to simple cuts or short fades. Microsoft MovieMaker comes with new PCs and is very easy to use.
7. Make any titles easy to read. Use black if you have a light background or yellow for dark backgrounds (it stands out better than white).
8. Use simple fonts. Times New Roman and Verdana or Arial are best suited for video marketing use. Simple equals professional.

Video marketing is so effective, you don´t want to miss the bus just because it sounds like something only big businesses can use. No matter what size your business is, video marketing is a possibility and a good idea.

Caroline Melberg
Small Business Mavericks
Small Business Mavericks Blog