Why Post Videos?
Video has slowly but surely taken over the net in more ways than one. Whether it be as a means of entertainment more favourable than television, or to instantaneously post an event others worldwide should see, it’s a prominent part of any social media user’s life. As of December 2018, 82% of Twitter users watched videos on the site and almost half of those individuals were watching more than an hour of video content on Facebook or YouTube every week.Videos have the potential to be twice as engaging as any other form of content. This is thanks to the algorithms on social media platforms prioritising highly visualcontent.
Visually, it’s a much easier media to consume than others. Videos are generally found to be way more engaging and memorable than other forms of content. As a means of storytelling and advertising, video is no longer just a “nice option”– it’s a necessity, so why wouldn’t a company take advantage and use video?
People assume making videos means needing top spec equipment and editing software. While this can make a more visually captivating video, overall it’s the concept and creativity that will make or break your video. Knowing exactly what to shoot, what your main goal for engagement is, identifying the key aspects of your video’s content that will grab people – these are all things that don’t cost money, just initiative.
Initiative can grow on trees!
Nowadays, with technology’s advancements, so much can be done just on your phone! Gone are the days people need separate cameras for the soul purpose of recording. IPhone’s and Androids come with preinstalled software that makes their lenses just as powerful as “professional” equipment. All it takes? Some initiative, a keen creative eye, and maybe a touch of research into the savvy ways people create an “illusion” of professional quality.
Need better lighting? Use a friend or family’s phone and switch on the torch app. While filming, use the separate phone’s torch as a lighting tool and play around with angles to find the best result. Need a camera stand? Stack up some books or boxes and balance your phone. Even taping your phone to a regular tripod is a clever idea! Believe it or not, people often do this when shooting the likes of music videos or vlogs online.
“But that’s all about the video itself. What about audio?”
Audio quality can be one of the harder aspects of recording. High-end cameras may recommend plug in microphones for specific sound design, and phone microphones aren’t designed to focus in or cancel out certain sounds for clear audio. This is where you want to find software that allows you to edit audio, or add music. Research if these options can be achieved within the same programme.
The importance of your audio should depend on how valuable your messaging is. If you’re delivering information, selling an experience, etc, taking the risk with bad audio can paint a negative image of your company. Clear, clean audio delivering information saves you from possibly misinforming your audience. Good, fitting music adds ambiance and helps convey your message; it can also be a good way of covering up the videos clumsy audio that was naturally captured (like traffic outside or the pop of wind rushing by).
Where to go, what to use?!
There are so many apps that you can download straight from your phone. Developers tend to make their apps widely accessible too. This means it’s rare even for a beginner with zero experience not to understand!
Mobile:
Want our personal pick for mobile? Adobe Premiere Clip (IPhone & iOS) is a high tier option that is reliable and easy enough. It comes with impressive features like automatic balancing of your footage audio and a chosen background music, or an option to sync up the footage you’ve shot with a song’s rhythm.
Another option is LumaFusion (iOS). This software is perfect for video producers who work on the move. It can provide three video/audio tracks plus an extra three audio tracks for narration, music and sound effects (in an interface that will be familiar to Final Cut Pro users), so you can add more layers to your audio. This allows you to not only edit the original audio recorded with your video, allowing you to cancel out background noise, but you can also add music alongside it too.
Desktop/Laptop:
If you’re working from a desktop with more capacity to spend time on editing, your options are huge! There’s a plethora of options to browse, with the likes of non-linear video editors like iMovie and Adobe Premiere Pro. Research their pros and cons and decide what works best for you. They have been used extensively by creators alike so finding “How To” videos to help you won’t be difficult.
The best part is that software like these come with music libraries. These libraries tend to store thousands of copyright free tracks you can use! Although we’ve discussed the use of music in a video, you should be aware that there are restrictions on what music you can and can’t use (look out for a blog on this topic, coming soon). Most music libraries will have their music labelled as to if it’s copyright free.
Mindblowing? Don’t worry!
When you look at software like Logic Pro X – a digital audio workstation commonly used for jobs heavily audio orientated – it can appear incredibly intimidating at first glance. What are soundwaves, and how do you separate two different sounds from each other when caught in the same wave? Technology has advanced to the point these programmes may have built in filters to dissect distinct sounds from one another. This simplicity follows as going into “edit” of said software, then going to the dropdown menu to choose “noise removal” or “cancel background audio”. The terminology may differ, but it can truly be as simple as that. If not, there are a wide variety of tutorials on YouTube to learn the basics!
You can’t afford to miss out on using video on social. With statistics that show 55% of people watch videos online every day, and social media videos generating up to 1200% more shares than other forms of media combined, you have to start looking at what you can do. Don’t let your worries about quality be a hindrance!
Want to learn more about improving video and audio? Get in contact with us here at the ZC team! We’re always happy to help you out on your social media journey.
Call us on 0330 102 5535 or email info@zcsocialmedia.com, and see how we can help you.