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5 Quick Tips For Creating Quality Video Now

Poor quality video is not only bad for your brand but also bad for business. 

Amateur/bad design is never good to a brands equity (especially online),and designing a amateur/bad video is bad for business because it won't generate you business. 

Think about when you are researching/shopping online and you come across the "conversion killer" for online video - the BAD online video.

You know the ones I am talking about. 

You know the one where the lighting is so bad, the shadows are so dark - you can barely see the guy! 

If that is not bad enough, the "creator" didn't pay any attention to the audio levels because you can not hear a word the dude is saying, and you have your volume cranked up to full blast! 

When that is the case we all know what happens next...

GONE! Exit browser, back button, get me out of here! See you LATER!!!

You and I are not the only ones that react this way to bad video, so today it is more important then ever to pay more attention, be more focused, and invest more effort into the quality of your online videos. 

If you are a dealer executive, sales manager or front line car sales professional, you need to have some kind of video strategy and you need the videos to be good quality. 

Now real quick when I say "good quality", I am not saying it needs to look like a "Feature Film" that was produced by James Cameron, it just needs to be I guess you could say "easy on the eyes". Oh and ears. 

Start making better quality video for you or your dealership, by making sure you are doing the 5 tips listed below:

1. Always script/storyboard video:

Unless you are Sean V Bradley (I've never seen a guy go off the cuff, and do video like that guy), I strongly suggest you script out and story board your video. Story board meaning knowing what kinda of video clip you want playing at that point of the script. 

Scripting out your video can be as simple as taking down just the "bullets", in other words the key topics of that video. 

It will make you more confident, which confidence always looks better on camera, not to mention it will make it easier to knock out more videos which will save loads of time.

The more planned and prepared you are for your videos, the more enjoyable it will be and also much less challenging . 

2. Make Sure the Audio is Magnificent: 

To make sure your audio levels are crisp and just right, you will have to invest in a external microphone if you have not already.

You will need to invest in a decent quality external mic regardless of what kind of camera you are using. From your trusty iPhone, your Samsung/other Android product, or whether you are using a higher end DSLR or other camera - you will need a external microphone. 

I mentioned the importance of audio above, and it really can make or break the quality and effectiveness of your videos. The quality of your audio is more important then the quality of your videos footage. Keep that in mind.

This right here will nip any audio issues in the bud, unless of course your shooting your video with planes flying low over head. 

3. Pay Attention To The Lighting In Each Clip:

Lighting is what can make footage shot with an iPhone look like it was shot with a high end $3,000 camera, or like it was shot by a "Investigative Reports" style "belt camera". You have seen those pathetic shaky video clips I am taking about. 

If you are shooting your videos outside the best times are in the morning and in the late afternoon/evening before the sun goes down. 

I understand that sometimes you do not always have the luxury of choosing the time of day you shoot your videos, so I have a quick tip for you. 

If you are shooting outside on a sunny day in the middle of the day, It is very important you shoot with the sun behind the cameraman. Even if you are shooting video inside where there is a lot of natural light beaming into the room, make sure that natural light is again behind the camera. Not the subject/talent. 

In addition to shooting with natural light behind you when in doors, be sure to pay attention to the shot frame before hitting record to make sure you are satisfied with how the lighting looks in the shot. 

If your using a DSLR or some other premium camera, most cases you will be able to adjust the shots lighting till it looks good before hitting record on your camera. If your using your iPhone (like me) or any other mobile device, fear not. 

There is of course  "a app for that" and near the bottom of this post I will give you a link where you can access a free download that lists my favorite tools and resources for high quality mobile video. 

4. Always Shoot Using A Tripod Or Some Kinda Of Stabilizer:

If you ask me this one should be more of "Federal Law" for anyone uploading a video to You Tube. (Granted most of my earlier videos would not be eligible for upload, but what can you do? We live and learn.)

When telling a story using video, it is a MUST to use some kind of stabilization for your camera. No one enjoys a bumping ride going up and down left and right, almost making you sick. 

Just stabilize your camera every time. This goes for smart phones and higher end video cameras. Trying to grip the camera or phone bare handed never comes out how you visioned. 

When you are taking the time to set up a tripod for a shot, you will plan out your shot selection better which always leads to higher quality videos.

5. Always Tell The Viewer What To Do Next:

This will sound kinda like the obvious (just not executed regularly)but just want to make sure we all are on the same page, but if you tell your web traffic what you went them to do next, give them reason enough, and then make it easy enough for them to do it, a good percentage will do it! 

Amazing right? 

When coming up with your compelling "Call To Action" (CTA) it is important it coincides with your actual objective of your video. 

You looking to drive more clicks to your website? Push some highly targeted traffic to a landing page/squeeze page? Maybe you are looking to educate the viewer and gain "expert credibility" in your market place?

Either way no matter what the objective you have in mind is, your CTA needs to consist of these 3 things:

- What you want the viewer to do.

- Why they should do it. 

- How to do it/ Make it easy for them.

Lets start with the "what". What exactly you want the viewer to do once they finish watching your video. This one is easy. 

The "what" is as simple as "click the link in this video" " or be sure to like this video, and subscribe to my channel". Easy right? 

Next up is the "why". Meaning what the hell is in it for them. Again very easy. 

For example, if you are telling them to subscribe to your channel you could say " be sure you click to subscribe to my channel so you can have access to more videos just like this one that will help you make your next vehicle shopping experience, the best one yet". 

Here is another example, "click the link in this video for more expert incite on all the brand new 2015 models". See to me that is going to prompt me to take action more then the classic " click for more information". Agreed? Get creative and make it valuable to the viewer where they can't resist! 

Last but not least for executing a compelling CTA is the "how". How does one go about taking this irresistible action you ask of them? Well again this one is a cinch as well. 

The best way to do this is taking advantage of the clickable annotations You Tube is nice enough to provide for us in the You Tube "Creators Studio". 

In case you are not familiar with what a "clickable annotation" is, it is the graphics, web URLs, subscribe buttons, you see in many You Tube videos today. The cool part about these is if the viewer clicks one it takes them to wherever you have it linked to. 

Quick disclaimer here at this time You Tube does not make these annotations clickable if you are watching on a mobile device. Sucks I know. 

Even though the "clickable annotations" are not 'live" on mobile, they still are very effective, add a professional look to your videos and oh, one last thing - they cost nothing! 

If you want a step by step complimentary tutorial on "Adding Clickable Annotation CTA's" to your videos right now, I created this video tutorial a little while ago.

Click here for a complimentary video tutorial on adding clickable annotations to any You Tube video.

Quick Recap:

So if you are already executing on 1 or 2 or even all of these tips and you are still not totally loving your videos quality and or performance dial in on them even deeper. 

If you have not yet implemented any of the 5 tactics above I strongly encourage you doing so right now! You will see a increase of quality as well as performance. 

As I mentioned above if you want to dial in more on the exact tools and resources I use to create high quality and engaging video all from my iPhone. 

Click Here to Access Free Video Tool Checklist

Make sure you type in your comments and or questions in the section below. 

I will make sure to make time to dive in and keep the conversation going with you and answer any questions I can. 

Make sure to reach out to me with a friend request here on AutomotiveInternetSales.com if we are not already connected. 

Click here to connect with me on AIS.

 http://automotiveinternetsales.com/members/RobertWiesman83

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Robert Wiesman is the Director Of Online Media for FlexDealer.com and also the founder of RobertWiesman.com a blog and online resource dedicated to helping todays Car Sales Professional turn their everyday job of selling cars into their very own business within a business.

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Comments

  • Thank you so much. Very applicable for me and I am guilty of a lot of the bad habits you have mentioned so this definitely helps a lot!
  • Great Article Robert! You are the man my brother! Thank you for dropping such relevant practical knowledge to make a tremendous impact to those in the dealership!
  • I think for "squeeze" pages and or landing pages that are being clicked through to from a paid ad or email to a list an auto play is the way to go, but as far as a Home page never in a million years would I suggest that. Thanks Dan!
  • I've heard people say that in order to get going with video, you just need to jump in and start recording. I think that's true to some degree, but following these simple tips will definitely make your early attempts much better than they would be otherwise. Thanks Robert!

    One question -- I often see people putting auto-play videos on their homepage and other pages of their site, which can make people bounce off a site right away. Is there ever a time when you would actually want to auto-play a video?
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