Every business and social media influencer hoping to gather a following and build an online reputation knows that “content is king.” And yet, not all content is created the same or has the same value.

In today’s day and age, when social media is the most popular form of creating and sharing content, video content is at the top. For one, most internet users have highly-performing mobile devices that are perfect for watching something on the go or while lazing around.

Plus, videos are easier to process than text and convey more information than an image ever could. After all, it’s easier to watch a 3-minute video on how to install a dishwasher than to read the user manual, right?

So there’s no wonder why everyone trying to rank higher in SERP or extend their reach is building a video content strategy! But, for your strategy to work, you also need to learn how to make professional videos that are attractive, relatable, and easy to understand.

Tools and Skills Needed to Create Professional Videos

There’s no doubt about it – video materials are great for marketing campaigns, but where do you start when you’re a beginner?

A good video tells a story that creates value for the viewers. But before you can even think about this, you need to know more about the technical aspects of video creation, such as cameras, accessories, tools, and more.

Get the Basic Tools

According to Standby Productions, professional video-making is costly. However, this doesn’t mean you should invest in the most expensive camera your budget can stomach. Start small and try to use tools that are already at your disposal, such as your smartphone’s camera and free editing software.

You should also get a solid tripod, a set of lights (ring lights are the most popular for single-person videos), and a high-quality microphone.

Learn to Use Free Footage

Stock video content is an amazing option for anyone looking to create mind-blowing content because it’s easily available, looks professional, and is quite cost-efficient. For instance, you can use free drone footage for cutaways and fillers in videos depicting landscapes or a natural setting. The dame goes in promotional videos and other formats where you want the viewer to feel inspired and amazed.

Study Your Competition

Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are great for beginner videographers (and for professional ones) because you have access to a wide range of styles, filming techniques, structures, and so on.

Plus, you can learn how to use your content for branding or social media awareness campaigns right from the source. Start by finding influencers and businesses that make the type of video content that fits your style and needs.

Once you have a list, focus on the most successful ones and pay attention to individual elements, like:

• Video structure
• Type of content (single-person, animation, interviews, fictional)
• Scenario (the flow of the video)
• Tools (many YouTubers speak about the devices and accessories they use)
• Type of shots (camera angle, color theme, background, and so on)
• Sound (music, ASMR, voice, etc.)

Learn How to Edit

Professional videos bring together a wide range of elements, such as filmed footage, effects, text, image, sound, and more. So, unless you plan on hiring a professional editor (which can be costly), you will have to learn how to do this yourself.

Luckily, there are lots of free tools and resources online (video tutorials, articles, courses, software, etc.) you can use to get the knowledge and sharpen your skills. The best thing you can do is to practice and experiment as much as possible.

Once you have a good set of video editing skills, have a look at some of the best video editing software tools on the market and choose the one that fits your needs. This way, you can decide based on the available budget and plans for the future.

Plan Your Videos & Marketing Strategy

Now that you have the basic knowledge, tools, and skills to create high-quality videos, it’s time to learn how to integrate this type of content with your business’s marketing strategy. After all, there’s a solid reason why 86% of businesses use video content for marketing, right?

Here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Understand Your Audience

You can’t create relatable and useful content if you don’t understand your viewers.

For this, you’ll have to ask yourself a series of questions, such as:

• What do your viewers want to see and why?
• How can your videos make people’s lives better?
• Who would watch your material?
• How is your video content different from what’s already out there?
• Can you bring a novelty element to the industry?

Of course, as you go down the rabbit hole of knowing your audience, more questions will pop up. This is a good thing, especially for marketing campaigns!

2. Plan, Plan, Plan

Even the most impromptu-looking videos (like the ones YouTubers film in their bedrooms) have a well-established scenario behind them. The scenario is important because it provides structure to your content and lets you think about camera angles, story, flow, lighting, and other elements needed to make the material worth watching.

As a side note, we have to mention that highly-experienced YouTubers and social media influencers, who know their audience well, can put together short videos without a scenario. However, this is something that comes after years of practice.

Therefore, the best way to create a high-quality video (especially one designed for marketing purposes) is to create the scenario first. Start with the main topic (what do you want to say and to whom?) and build on it until you have a flowing story.

3. Put Together a Storyboard

This step is optional, but it helps to smooth out the flow of the video and make the story easy to understand.

The storyboard is a drawing (or sketch) of the most important scenes you want in your video. And no, you don’t need much talent to do this as long as you and your team understand it (rough sketches are perfect).

The idea behind the storyboard is that you’ll be able to visualize the setting and decide how to set the focus, what to use as the background, how to use the audio and other aspects that help a video shine.

Plus, when you use a storyboard, it will be easier to divide the video into scenes and plan the filming schedule. This way, it will be easy to create a timeline and have an idea of when the video will be ready for publishing.

Key Takeaways

High-quality video content is the result of combining the right tools, devices, settings, and skills. It also requires a deep understanding of the target audience and thorough planning and strategizing.

In summary, the path to becoming a good videographer is arduous, but the results make it worth it. Video content is not going anywhere in the near future, and more marketing campaigns will be focused on it. So don’t get discouraged by the first few bumps in the road!