Welcome to lesson 1 of Video Marketing 101! Let’s begin by learning how to create a video marketing strategy for your business, and get some ideas about what content to put in your videos. Play the video below to begin your training:
Play the video below to learn much more about the marketing hourglass concept introduced in the first video. Note: this video is part of a series about the Seven Steps to Marketing Success that I teach small business owners. You can learn much more about that process and watch all the videos in the series here.
The next video explains in more detail the types of educational content you should create for your business or organization. Just about any type of educational content can be turned into a video, so watching this should give you some inspiration as to what you want to make a video about.
Remember, it’s a good idea to keep it simple the first time, so doing something like a FAQ video or a video testimonial might be best. Once you get good at doing those types of videos, you can work on something a little more advanced.
Now that you’ve gotten an idea as to how you can use video, let’s find out what equipment you’ll need to make your videos:
Your assignments for lesson 1:
- Gather all necessary equipment that you’ll need to make your video.
- Decide what your first video will be about and write the script for the video.
In order to practice the techniques I’ll be teaching you in this course, your first video should meet the following requirements:
- Video length should be between 1-3 minutes.
- The video should include you talking on-camera, as well as some screen-capture footage and/or b-roll footage.
- You should film in front of a green screen so you can practice the chroma-key effect.
Equipment List
Here’s some of the equipment I mentioned in the video from the lesson. You don’t need to use the exact equipment listed below; this is just what I personally use.
Camera
 | Cannon Vixia HF200: This camera shoots great high-definition video and has a plug for an external microphone, which is absolutely essential for producing high-quality sound. Buy it used or refurbished to save money. |
Low-budget option: If you have an iphone, the video camera on the phone will work in a pinch. Just hook up an external microphone to the phone so you still get the high-quality audio.
Microphone
 | Audio-technica ATR288 Microphone: This microphone system comes with a wireless mic, and a handheld mic which is great for doing interviews (think video testimonials). Having an external microphone is a must–people associate high-quality audio with high-quality video. |
Low-buget option: The Audio-Technica ATR-3350 is a wired microphone that only costs $17. The wire tends to get in the way, so I think the wireless option is worth the extra money, but this will work fine if you’re on a tight budget.
Tripod
 | Targus TG-P60T Tripod: This is a professional-quality 60-inch tripod that should meet all your needs. It’s only $35 on Amazon and also available at Walmart. |
Low-budget option: Get the Ravelli APLT2 49 and save $15 or so.
Green Screen
 | ePhoto Green Screen stand with lighting: Not everyone will need a green screen, but they’re not that expensive and will allow you to do some very cool effects. |
Low-budget option: It’s not recommended, but you could just get the green screen without the lighting equipment and rig up your own lighting.
Video Editing Software
 | Sony Movie Studio Platinum Suite 12: This video editing software will allow you to do everything you need to create very high-quality videos. It’s easy to learn even for someone with zero experience (like me). |
Low-budget option: You can use the basic video editing programs that come with Windows or on a MAC to do some video editing, but I suggest buying some professional editing software.
If you are willing to buy used or refurbished equipment, you can get everything on the list above for under $1,000. You will then have your own professional in-house movie studio, and you’ll be ready to take your video marketing into high gear.