We’ve all been there at some point. Searching Google or YouTube, desperately looking for a video that will answer our question, only to be me💎t by one that’s com🥀pletely unwatchable.  

Distracting audio. Poorly lit pe🌱ople. Blurry or pixe✤lated images. awkward AI captions.

When I see 🌺content like this, I just cringe and click back to find someone else who can answer my question in a way that doesn't hurt my eyes and ears or make me question the credibility of their expertiꦑse. 

These are the experiences you want to avoid when it comes to your video marketing content. A video marketing strategy is a must these days. It’s proven to improve conversions (with things like landing page videos) and to give consumers the information they🐓 need in a format they want. 

Unfortunat🅰ely, great video marketing doesn’t come easily. Strategy aside, high-quality, professional-level video editing and production are often the most intimidating parts of getting started with ꦆvideo marketing. But it doesn’t have to be.

Like many of you, IMPACT had humble video beginnings, struggling to find the right equi🐷pment and gr෴asp what a trustworthy, professional piece of video marketing content looked like. Today, this is something we help teach clients around the world. 

With that in𝓰 mind, in this article, we’ll dive into:

• Why video marketing production quality matters.
• Essential video marketing tips for creating more professional video content.
• How to implement video marketing best practices at your company.

Why does video marketing production quality matter?

found tha🃏t more than 85% of people expect a TV-like quality experience for every video they see on the internet.

Furthermore, “Some 25% of respondentsඣ said that꧃ they have left a video due to poor quality at least 50% of the time in the past month.”

As we get more accustomed to video being omnipresent, it’s no wonder we expect it all to have ♒the same level of production quality, whether it’s a show on our television screens, a social media video, or a video ad on YouTube. That means the quality of your video marketing efforts needs to be up to par as well. 

Of course, there are instances where production quality isn’t as important (e.g., filming 1-1 sales videos that are personalized or for less polished social media platforms like TikTok), but for marketing videos that will be used long-term (e.g., explainer videos, product videos, or others from 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:The Selling 7 living on your website), production value should be﷽ top of mind.

If your video content doesn’t create a pleasant viewingღ experience, your business’s message could be missed entirely and you may not be viewed as credible or worth listening to. ꦛ;

Your video♛ production — the sound, editing, and film quality — is like your website’s user interface (UI). They need to convey your message and create a positive user (or viewer) experience to truly be listened to. If they don’t, people will stop watching, ♔and you’ll lose out on a possible conversion.  

Here are my favorite tips for ma♏king yourಌ videos look as professional as possible and avoiding that fate. 

Video marketing tips for pre-production (video planning)

Pre-production, which is anything you do before you shoot your video content, is the most underrated part of the video production process. Making sure you’re prepaꦗred before the camera rolls will ensure the smoothest possible shoot with the least amount of correcting for errors afterward.

1. Outline your talking points

You might be extremely , but it’s a good idea to ꧟outline your talking points in advance, especially if you need to run the content ܫpast another department.

There have been situations where we shoot a whole video only to discover it’s not quite what was needed in terms of messaging. Writing down bullet points and key phrases beforehand and getting them approved by the right people will not only eliminate the need for reshoots but also ensure yo𓂃ur videos are well-thought-out. 

Reading this, you may be wondering, why not write out a full script? We’ve found that writing out a full script ends up hindering people when filming. Theyဣ end up getting distracted trying to say things word for word or end up sounding like they’re reading. 

Having bullet points instead of a full script al⭕lows for the person on camera to flow and speak more naturally. 

As you outline your video content, keep in mind what we call 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:The Video 6, or the six pieces of highly effectiv🌠e piece of video marketing content:

1. The teaser
2. The logo bumper
3. The intro
4. The segments
5. The call-to-action
6. The outro

澳🌠洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:You can learn more about these tips🧸 here.

2. Schedule ample time for your shoot

You need to schedule every video shoot in advance, especially if you have talent that is in high demand. You want to make sure you have e🔥nough time to get through what you need to, and then some. 

We also recommend you♔ ꦆschedule a “backup” time in case there’s a conflict or you find yourself in need of more footage. Doing this in advance will avoid delays due to calendar conflicts should something arise. 

When picking your shooting schedule, schedule a🔥 time when you know your location will be quiet and you can shoot uninterrupted. Havi🥂ng a loud or busy filming space can affect your sound quality and overall filming efficiency. 

3. Storyboard your video content

S♛toryboarding is either writing out or drawing thumbnails of what each video set up will look like, in the sequence you want them to appear.

You don't necessarily need to do this if you’re just shooting something simple like a talking head video, for example, but if you have special graphics, b-roll, a moving camera, or multiple scenes⛦, I recommend it.

Storyboards allow you to plan out your entire video — the visuals and all on-screen elements, even graphics, so you have a clear vision of what you want your final produ♒ct to look like. 

Use this step to make sure you account for everything, espe🎃cially if the visual elements need to be on screen next to the person (for example, if they're meant 🙈to be pointing at something). You don't want the framing to prevent what you planned and then come off as unprofessional.

4. Know your video hosting platforms (and target audience)

Before you get started, know the platform you’re shooting the video content for and make sure everything you do or say aligns with it. For example, don't plan to say “like and subscribe” if it’s just🗹 going on a landing page.

You’ll also want to make sure you know the tec🌜hnical aspects and requirements of where yoꦚu’re hosting videos so you can create the most optimal viewing experience. 

For instance, if you’re creating a video for Instagram Stories or YouTube Shorts, 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:you’ll want to format it for verti𒀰cal viewing rather than traditional horizontal viewing.

If you’re posting to YouTube, however, the opposite would 𒀰be true. 

Furthermore, know why you’re shooting the video and who it’s for. This is what you’re trying to accomplish with the video at hand and it links back🤪 into the content tip. Yo🦂u want your videos to have everything the target audience needs to understand the topic and take the desired next step.

Video marketing tips to implement during production

5. Use a tripod for steady video footage

Stable footage (footage shot on something like a tripod, or with very steady hands)  is extremely important. If you can’t focus on the person or the object in a video because it feels like a chase scene from The Hunger Games, you can be super distracted from the message actually being communicated in the viඣdeo. 

To avoid this, invest in and use a tripod (even 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:a more budget-friendly one). If, for some r♕eason you don’t have𝕴 a tripod handy, make sure to keep your arms close to your body to reduce shifts. 

6. Make sure your subject is well-lit

Similar to poor sound or shaky video footage, poor lighting can distract your audience from the actual message of your video content strategy. Rather than listening to what you’re saying, they may🌸 be thinking they can’t see who’s speaking or what they’re speaking about. 

When it comes to marketing videos, you wan☂t to come off as positive, approachable, and inviting. Not only do you need to entice people to click and keep watching, but you al🌜so want to make sure they are paying attention to your message.

Bright, natural liꦜght helps accomplish this by making it easier for a viewer to see your subject and creating an airy, positive ambiance. Dark or poor ဣlighting, on the other hand, can have the opposite effect.

(Think of the difference in ligh🔴ting between a horror movie and a romantic comedy.)

If you’re just starting out and have no budget, you can find adequate lights at a home improvement store that have clamps to attach to a💖ny kind of stand. Just bounce the light off the white ceiling to illuminate the room evenly and softly.

You can even just stand in front of a window for soft natural light, which we do frequently in the office, bu🦩t if you have a budget, invest in .

Light your subjects using a three-point setup:

This lighting setup i🎃s the basic industry standard and will fit most of your video marketing needs. 

With it, you’re able to light the frꦫont of your subject evenly with the key light and the fill light while separating them from the background with the backlight. This gives your subject dimension and makes them 𓆉look the best they can. 

J🀅ust set a light on your subject from the front and one from the back. If you only have two lights, favor the front.

Note: Also make sure to check your white balance while filming. This will help limit some editing work post-production. 

7. Utilize depth of field

is when some things in your video are blurry, normally, the background. This adds a more refined look to your finished video as it’s often seen in big-budget m🌊ovies and TV. 

For example, this photo ♛of my dog, Scully, has a shallow depth of field:

Y𝓰ou can see how the background is blurry, making the shot look more professional.

This, on the other hand, has no depth ꧃to it, and looks amateurish:

In video marketing, you can use this to focus and keep attention on subject matt⛄er experts i🔴n your videos or give a more cinematic look to product videos, case studies, and other elements from . 

You can do this on an iPhone by tapping🐭 and holding while it locks autofocus or using the recently introduced “cinematic” mode, but you can also do this on a higher-end camera by adjusting the focus and aperture.

8. Invest in separate audio equipment

Decent audio is a must for high-quality video. Your visuals are important of course, but if your audience can’t clearlyꦐ hear what you’re saying, the video is useless. 

If you have a loud air conditioner or phones ringing in the background, no one will ꧒hear your message, no matter how compelling.

If you’re fi🧸lming on your smartphone, uꦺse a attached to your phone and place the phone close to you. 

I💟f you’re working on a DSLR, you can get a mic that plugs , or you can have an (which is what I would recommend). External sound recording is the industry standard in video production as they capture the purest, most high-quality audio. 

A separate au🦂dio recording also makes it easier to sea꧅mlessly include voiceovers in any inserts or cutaways in your video content.

9. Reduce background noise

Nothing is more distracting in real🧔 lif🥀e than when a phone goes off in the middle of a presentation, right? It’s the same with video. You want to reduce the amount of background noise in your video to keep your audience’s attention on the content.

There are easy ways to🅺 ensure your audio is as clean as possible. For one, silence all phones on🍃 set, so you’re sure you won’t be hearing any ringing. Even if you catch it and reshoot that section, it’s still time wasted.

Furtherm🍎ore, ask people in the area to quiet down for a while, or choose a less populated area or time to shoot.

Something yo♐u might also want to consider is outside noise. Wait for ambulances and other sirens or airplanes to go past. 

10. Get comfortable on camera

If you’re nervous or clearly uncomfortable on camera, people are less likely to take you seriously or trust you to give them the ri𒊎g🎉ht information.

You can rehearse what you’ll say, prepare a script for a teleprompter, and dress to impress, just to name a⛄ few. Check out this for some more tips. 

Video marketing tips for post-production and video editing

I may have a bias as an eꦉditor not wanting to be saddled with unfixable things, but don’t aim to “fix a video in post,” as the saying goes.

You can’t be sure that you can actually fix everything in post-production. So if something would take two minutes on set to fix🀅, it’s worth it. 

That being said, not everything is perfect ri✅ght out of the camera and all videos require edi꧂ting.

11. Correct your colors

You’ll want to make sure you color-correct any shots that werꦑen’t perfect. You want things to appear as natural as possible so they aren’t distracting or hard on the eyes. After all, you want people to connect to your video marketing by making it look as close to their day-to-day life as possible.

A simple way to make sure your video content is lifelike is by looking at the whites in your footage. Simply put, your white should look wh🦄ite! Your white balance check in production should avoid the need to do this, but it’s good to double-check, so you don’t have someone looking jaundiced.

This is too blue and makes the scene look cold:

But thisဣ is too yellow and makes it look too warm:

See how that can be a bit distracting?

You’ll also want to look out for exposure, or how bright the image is, along with c𒁏olor sꦛaturation. Work to set a consistent look for your video content.

12. Add graphics

Graphics can do a wide range of things to make you🍨r videos look more professional. 

For one, in general, they show that you’ve taken time and care to organize your v🐽ideo. Anyone can slap together a video on their phone, but it takes some attention to detail to add in motion graphics or titles from editing software.

Adding graphics on-screen al🔯so helps reinforce what you’re saying, while an opening and closing logo graphic can help people remember your brand.

Remember 澳洲幸运5开奖官网在线查询开奖结果:The Video 6 when doing this. Use graphics to help differentiate the intro, segments, outro, and🍸 calls-to🌳-action in your video content. 

13. Edit your audio

You took the time to rec𓃲ord high-qual🎐ity sound, now perfect it!

An easy edit to make is to get rid of “ums” and “ahs.✤” Tongue clicks are a pet peeve of💫 mine as well, and can be distracting to viewers.

If you're not an expert editor, new tools like Descript use a text-based editor. So, you can highlight a portion of a transcript and delete it — and the corresponding video will get cut. It's🙈 not perfect, but it's quick.

Adding music to heဣlp carry the video can also be a great idea. It can add to the piece tonally. Especially if there’s an element of emotion in your video, music can really tie it together and make it a more inspirational experience. At the very least, it will add some spice to a talking head video, and make it easier to get through.

If you’re worried about the platform flagging your video content for music copyright, there are loads of royalty-free music🅘 w🐬ebsites you can pull from. I’d recommend.

And with the advancemen🍷t of AI, there are more and more generative music tools꧑ as well.

Start filming and bringing your video marketing strategies to life

Now, not everything will go perfectly every time you create videos for your marketing strategy, an𒊎d that’s okay. Learn by trial and error, and just do your besℱt.

At the end of the day, it’s all about professionalism, just like any other aspect of your business. You always want to be putting your best foot forward and build trust. This counts double when you’re showi𒈔ng your business to the world♔.

If they look and sound great, you’ve taken a huge step toward advancing your rel🐈ationship with your viewer and making them see you as a trusted teacher and advisor. 

If you need some more help with your video marketing efforts and creating an effective video marketing strategy, check out our IMPACT+ course𓆏s on and .