Firstly I have to put my hands up and admit one thing. I have been a Canon 5Dmk2 owner since its release and I still haven’t shot a frame of video with it. There are two reasons for this:
- I’m not a videographer and I wouldn’t pretend to be otherwise
- If I got interested in video then it would consume more hours in the day than already exist and I certainly don’t have time for that. Unfortunately my idea of creating an 8th day in the week is still under development.
This poses quite a problem as I love the idea of using video to promote my business. Webcams are fine enough, but really what I want to communicate can’t be done with me sitting in front of my computer.
What I want is the ability to create and edit short videos whilst on location and be able to upload and them easily.
Then I came to the realisation that I can achieve all this with my iPhone (or any other smart phone to be fair).
What sort of content should you create?
Let’s face it you’re not going to be filming a remake of Ben-Hur on your phone. The quality isn’t going to be amazing so think about what sort of content is passably at that quality.
Behind the scenes videos – We have talked about these in the past (Creating a Viral Video) but you could also shoot very quick 30 second clips that are a bit more of a taster than a full video. Most of your clips will be behind the scenes style videos.
Ideas – One example might be showing a lighting setup at a wedding – this will give people an idea of the sort of equipment you use and how much you bring!
Show off new products – I get excited when a new product sample arrives so why not show a clip of the unveiling.
Location shoots – If you’re shooting a great location then take a quick video clip.
Studio videos – These can be from slightly out of the ordinary shoots or just ones that have an ahhhh factor.
Mini interviews with clients – These could be at a wedding, after delivering your products or during a break at a studio session. These clips are more ‘are you having fun yet?’ style interviews but you can also use them as client testimonials.
Where to share?
It is important to share the right content in the right place but it does depend on what social media platforms you already use.
YouTube is an obvious place to start as the videos are easily embedded in blog posts and shared on social media sites. There’s also the fact that it is a Google product and that should really give you an extra SEO incentive to use it over other video sharing sites.
How frequently should I publish videos like this?
I’ve always liked it when campaigns like this are weekly but the real key is always consistency.
What return should you expect?
Marketing efforts like this are designed to compliment and reinforce you and your brand.
It’s unlikely that one of your videos will go ‘viral’ so you shouldn’t expect thousands of incoming links that result in bookings.
This campaign should strengthen relationships with existing clients and keep them enagaged with your brand on social media sites.
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Michael has been working as a photographer for the last ten years. In that time he has shot over 100,000 peoples’ portraits and worked in four different continents. In 2001 Michael graduated with a degree in photography from Manchester Metropolitan University.