Bring Your Brand to Life With Video on a Budget

Social community managers are tasked with a complex job: They build and maintain connections to a lot of people with a lot of different needs. This job is further complicated by the fact that their voice must reflect the company brand and demonstrate a consistent personality. After all, no one likes sterile, personality-less corporate messaging. Turns out, video is a pretty awesome way to show some personality and connect with people in a deeper way.

Video helps you make connections and show off your company’s unique culture. While some community managers shy away from using video (due to perceived budget constraints or discomfort with creating content), this allows the more enterprising person to stand out from the crowd. We’ll arm you with the tools and know-how to do video well. The following tips and tricks can help any community manager create a great video, regardless of budget.

The Camera

One of the best ways to save money on video is to make it yourself rather than hiring a videographer or company to produce it for you. This does not mean you need to go out and buy a fancy DSLR if you don’t already own one. Try using your iPhone; the cameras on today’s smartphones are really quite good. Besides, when it comes to visual quality, lighting has just as much of an impact (if not more so!) as the camera itself.

The Lights

When it comes to light, the bottom line is this: Eliminate all shadows on your subject’s face. Shadows can make the talent (aka the person on camera) look tired and drawn. Having good light will make your subject look as good and as animated as possible. There are plenty of expensive lighting kits out there, but even if you can’t afford a premade kit, we’ve put together a basic lighting kit to get you started.

DIY Lighting Kit for Video

Go to Home Depot or Amazon.com, and buy the following:

• 3 clip lights: $9 each
• 3 daylight color CFL bulbs (buy different wattage options for flexibility): $2.75 each
• 3 spring clips: $2 each
• 3 12-foot extension cords: $2.50 each
• 1 package of clothespins: $2.50 each

If you’re on an even tighter budget, try using natural light. Find a spot with large windows, and position your subject so that he or she is facing the windows. You’ll get the best shot on a bright but slightly cloudy day. Make sure you turn off overhead lights, since they’ll cast unattractive shadows, even if you’re using natural light as well.

The Microphone

Your message is arguably even more important that any visual aspect of your video. So make sure you’re capturing the best sound possible. You can use many different types of mics to accomplish this.

But there are some tips that you should follow no matter what. Get the mic as close to your subject as possible but ideally out of the frame itself. Definitely avoid using the built-in mic on your camera or smartphone, since it will pick up too much background noise and won’t be sufficiently close to your subject.

The Studio

You can create your own mini studio in just about any room. Your video will look most polished and well-produced if you find a room with a solid color wall or backdrop and eliminate any background clutter. You can also make sure you’re capturing the best sound if you turn off surrounding noise, such as air conditioners or heating units. Make sure you’re using a tripod (or at least using something steady to stabilize the camera) while you shoot. Taking the time to create a well-lit, well-put-together space for the creation of your video will make the creation process simpler and your final product more compelling.  

The Right Platforms

I often suggest a two-pronged approach to sharing video:

1. Share your video in places where people can stumble on it. This includes YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, Vine and any other channels where people like to browse your content. Make it easy for people to discover you, and make it even easier for them to get deeper into the relationship by exploring related content you’ve made.
2. Share your video on the channels you own and control so that you can drive people to other related resources. Host your videos on the company blog, About Us page and other sections of your website. Your video should serve a larger purpose than simply getting eyeballs; ideally, it leads people to subscribe to your content, buy your product and recommend you to others. Make this relationship-building process as easy as possible for your site visitors.

With some creativity and a few inexpensive pieces of gear, creating a video can be easy and a lot of fun. The goal of every community manager is to reach his or her audience and communicate effectively. Video can help with that task, and doing so doesn’t have to break the bank.

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