Shooting video for an event can be downright scary for small business owners. If you want  to capture an event for your marketing strategies or just as an archive for your business, here’s a few tips to make your job easier.

1. Tell the story - this is probably the toughest one but also, the most important. Story is all about point of view. Your story will drive the kind of things you look for and the shots you record. So, how do you know your story BEFORE the event has even taken place? That’s easy. To know your story, you have to …
2. Know your intent - It’s important to know WHY you’re shooting video of your event. If you want to use this video as a marketing piece on your website, you’ll look for different things. I know I’m repeating point one, but this is REALLY important. Knowing your intent and story will determine everything. So take some time with this BEFORE the event.
3. Shoot short clips - When you see something, record it for five seconds or so. Unless something major is unfolding, like your marketing manager proposing to his girlfriend, focus on creating short shots. This will make editing so much easier later on.
4. Let the camera do the work - If your camera has auto exposure features, use them. This is especially true if you’re in lowlight conditions. If you have to adjust the exposure settings as you walk around, you’re likely to miss something. Make it easy on yourself.
5. Engage people - it’s OK to talk with people while you record. People usually smile when they see a camera. If they pose, thinking it’s a picture, let them know you’re shooting video. They often laugh and do some sort of action, which is fun to edit with later.
6. Set the setting - get shots that help establish where and when the event took place. If you’re Christmas party, get various shots of the decorations, the table settings, the food, etcetera. This will help to visually show the viewer where and when the event took place.
7. Steady the camera for a steady shot - if you can, mount the camera on a mono pod. This lets you take steady shots without lugging around a big tripod. It also helps keep your arm from going numb holding up the camera for a couple of hours.

Remember to keeps things simple. If you keep theses tips in mind, your event footage will go a long way for your.

Do you have any suggestions for shooting better event video? Let us know in the comments.

Ok, there’s more than ONE secret to good video. But miss this one, and your customer testimonial video will fall flat. Guaranteed. 

So what’s the secret?

Good audio.

Sound Is Half Of The Video

Think about it. We expect good video with good sound. If the sound is bad, we reject the video as low quality. Conversely, even if the video is bad, if the sound is good, we accept the video as better quality. Bad video with bad sound just doesn’t have a chance. Here’s a couple of examples: 

Good Video with Good Sound

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Not So Good Video With Good Sound

Video With Bad Sound

So how do you make sure your video has good sound? Look for future posts detailing the different ways to capture good audio for your videos.

When it comes to online marketing, there’s lots of buzzwords and concepts. One concept that you should grab hold of is Concept Marketing.

How Many People Can You Help?

Content marketing is based on a simple premise: Help people first. Focus on providing people with relevant, engaging and helpful content and information. It’s best when you provide information out of your field of expertise. For example, if you’re a photographer, you could provide tips on how to shoot better pictures or where to get great prices on photo book printing. Or you might do tutorials on camera basics, like aperture and shutter speed.

While it may seem like you’re “giving away the store”, think about what is happening here.

First of all, you’re providing content that helps people. You enrich people’s lives and make it easier for them to accomplish what they want, like taking a decent picture. That makes you a nice guy.

Secondly, you give people a reason to come back. Each time they come back and learn something new, you build a relationship based on respect. People see you as a real person willing to help and not someone who wants their money.

Lastly, you build and solidify your role as a “Trusted Resource”. People will begin to see you as their personal expert.

For many, this will be the extent of your relationship. You help and people like you for it. But what happens when they need an expert? For example, if you’re a photographer, they know they can trust for their daughter’s wedding. You see, content marketing isn’t about how you get your marketing message in front of people. Content marketing focuses on people’s needs and wants in order to build a longterm, beneficial relationship.

What Kind Of Content Should I Provide?

In content marketing, think of yourself as a teacher. You’re the expert. You know how to make things work. So share it.

Obviously, your business determines the kind of content to provide. If you’re a bakery, share some recipes. Teach people how to make a specialty item. Show them the kinds of tools they can use. Got a secret for a butter cream frosting? Share it. Explain the difference between a ganache and a fondant. Show them how to make one of those damn flowers without it looking like a blobby pile of goo.

Even if your business depends on your “trade secrets”, you can still help people. Keep your trade secret secret. Instead, focus on providing additional or alternative resources for people.

When using a content marketing strategy, here’s some important things to remember:

1. Be Consistent - you’re building a relationship. Being predictable is important in your effort. Set a day or days that you’ll post information. If it’s just once a week, then deliver. EVERY week. Pick your schedule and stick with it. 
2. Plan Ahead - knowing your schedule makes this easy. Write out ideas of topics you want to cover and plan them forward, according to your post schedule. This will allow you to research and prepare each topic.
3. Focus, Focus, Focus! - As an expert, it’s easy to cover too much. The best way to avoid this is focus on the details. If you’re teaching how to set up lighting for an interview, then break things down. Be specific. You might even break things out into multiple parts. This is a great strategy because people will return for the big picture.
4. Be Yourself - How you deliver your content is just as important as the content itself. Don’t be afraid to let your personality show through your content. Write conversationally. Use everyday language. Use humor. You should sound like yourself, over a cup of coffee and a muffin.

Content Marketing is not for the lazy or the selfish. It will take time to build relationships and share what you know. But slow and steady is how your work with content marketing. Be willing to consistently invest in finding ways to help people in your area of expertise. That’s how you can make content marketing work for you.

Video is rapidly becoming part of the internet’s language. Production costs are becoming very affordable for video produced specifically for the web. Additionally, video is a powerful way to connect with the 90% of home buyers that turn to the internet when buying or selling a home. So it makes sense to use video to grow your business.

However, with anything new, it is sometimes hard to figure out how to use video to your best advantage. Here’s 8 ways you can use video in the next 30 days:

1. Video Walk Through Tours (3-5 min) If pictures are good, video is a 1000 times better. Short of walking through your client’s home in person, a video walk through tour is the next best alternative. A video tour allows potential buyers to see the flow and layout of the home. Pictures just can’t do that.

2. Video Introduction (:30 to 1 min) Use video to say “Hello” to your clients as they visit your website. Simple format of you speaking directly to the camera. Creates video that is very personal, allowing your clients to start getting to know you.

3. Customer Testimonial (:15-1 min) A simple format used to let your customers extol your excellent service. Can be used as a stand alone, part of general compilation of testimonials or in support of other marketing pieces.

4. Customer Success Story (1-2 min) More in-depth than a customer testimonial. Follows an interview format where the person answers questions posed from off-screen interviewer. Lets you tell the complete story. Useful as stand alone marketing piece.

5. Community Tours (3-5 min) Usually a news magazine format. Used to show off your community. Highlight the shopping, entertainment, parks and schools. Interview business owners and residents. You can even make this available to other businesses in your community, building co-op relationships that build your professional brand.

6. Event Highlights (1-2 min) Did you sponsor a community event? Did you participate in a local charity event or function? You should be capturing your efforts on video. Used to promote the community and community activities.

7. Visual Story (1-2 min) Combines graphics, animations and motion graphics with voice over to explain complex ideas. You can use this to provide an overview of your marketing process for listings for potential listing clients. Not only does this explain how you use media on the internet to market their home, but demonstrates your mastery as well.

8. Commercials (:15-1 min) Commercials aren’t just for broadcast television anymore. Standard commercial formats allow you to market your brand creatively. You can link commercials through online sponsorships, event sponsorships and other links. You can also take advantage of in-theatre advertising in your community. All at little or no cost for the distribution. And if you want, you can even broadcast on local cable.

Did you know in May 2011:

• US internet users EACH viewed an average of 951 minutes of video -- that’s over 15 hours!? ^1.
• Internet video accounts for over 40% of consumer internet traffic and is expected to reach 62% by the end of 2012? ^2.
• 90% of homebuyers used the internet as an information sources, while 70% visited a home they saw on the internet? ^3.

As a real estate professional, what can you take away from this? First, it means public expectations are evolving and evolving briskly. Savvy real estate agents take advantage of online marketing tools to meet this growing expectation.

Secondly, it’s important to adapt new technologies when it adds value to your professional brand. Conversely, if old technologies brand you as old-fashioned or out of date, then it’s important to make changes.

Lastly, video is becoming as ubiquitous on the internet as text. Which means video and multimedia are rapidly becoming part of the everyday language of the internet experience. Pictures aren’t enough anymore. So how can you take advantage of video in your professional branding?

Start by taking a look at how video can ADD value to your professional brand. This doesn’t mean throw out your marketing plan and start over. Instead, ask yourself how video can compliment your marketing efforts as well as fill in existing gaps. 

For example, rather than pictures or virtual tours for your listings, use a video tour. A video tour is as close to a real walkthrough as you can get. You might replace your online biography with a video introduction. And as an alternative to a written narrative describing your community, use video to show it off first hand.

The good news is you don’t need to be Steven Spielberg and you don’t need to spend a fortune. Pronoya Video can help you figure out how to use video to build your professional real estate brand.

Take advantage of video. Use it to build your professional brand and reach your customers in a way they understand. You can be sure of this: Smart real estate professionals are already using video. Are you?

1. Flosi, Stephanie Lyn. "comScore Releases May 2011 U.S. Online Video Rankings - comScore, Inc." comScore, Inc. - Measuring the Digital World. N.p., 17 June 2011. Web. 29 June 2011. <http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/6/comScore_Releases_May_2011_U.S._Online_Video_Rankings>.

2. “ Cisco Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Methodology, 2010-2015  [Visual Networking Index] - Cisco Systems ." Cisco Systems, Inc. N.p., 1 June 2011. Web. 29 June 2011. <http://www.cisco.com/en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ns525/ns537/ns705/ns827/white_paper_c11-481360_ns827_Networking_Solutions_White_Paper.html>.

3. "Field Guide to Effective Online Marketing." Real Estate Education, Information, Marketing Resources & Much More. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 June 2011. <http://www.realtor.org/library/library/fg203>.