In 2021, professional video for business has become a must-have marketing tool. New customers who are considering working with your business will gain a great deal of trust by watching you and your team on video.

You can use video marketing in your business to share product demonstrations, customer testimonials and share valuable information that can help future clients and costumers. 

Getting video setup in your business is a lot easier than it has ever been, and costs a lot less than even five years ago. It used to be that video production and corporate video was out of reach for most small businesses.

However, the technology available to record and edit videos in 2021 enables most business owners to easily and consistently deliver professional-level videos.

Here are the essential tools each business needs to shoot high-quality, engaging videos in 2021:

1) Video Camera

You could spend months researching the best video camera for recording videos for your business. However, the reality is that most cameras today (including your smartphone cameras) will record either 1080p or 4K quality video. So don’t overthink it, and spend too long worrying about which camera is the best. 

A lot of people worry about the megapixels of a digital camera. In essence, megapixels are how many ‘dots of light’ the camera can capture. The more megapixels/dots, the more detail. But megapixels has more to do with quantity rather than quality. In general, for vlogging, any camera over 12 megapixels should be fine to get started with.

If you are looking at brands that have an affordable DSLR camera brands like Sony and Canon offer starting cameras at the price range of around $1000. This price doesn’t include a higher quality lens, but they are a good starting point for video for business.

2) Video Microphone

Good quality audio is often more critical than high-quality video. People will not continue watching a video that has muffled audio. For this reason, you should invest in a quality microphone that can improve the sound quality of any video you shoot.

While your video camera has a built-in microphone, it’s typically in a fixed position on the front of your camera. This limitation means that unless you have the lens directly in front of your subject, the audio may not pick up very well.

Microphones come in many shapes and sizes to do a variety of jobs. The most commonly used and versatile are hand-held ‘stick’ microphones, camera-top ‘shotgun’ microphones, and clip-on lavalier microphones. You can get a decent quality microphone for between $100-$300.

Also, remember to invest in a pair of good quality over-the-ear headphones that block outside noise. Doing this will let you hear what your mic is recording. Any marketing video will be instantly improved by high-quality audio.

3) Video Lighting

To make your videos more professional, be aware of the lighting that you choose. While many people cannot afford professional lighting, you can still use natural light to your advantage. 

Sit in front of a window area facing the sunlight, and this will give a nice feel to your videos. Be careful not to have too much light behind you so that the foreground doesn’t make the person’s face dark. Also, be aware of the too much glare from lighting in the ceiling.

If you want to invest in a small lighting kit, you can purchase a simple ring light for around $100 that will add some extra dimension to your videos.

4) Video Camera Tripod

Shooting steady shots and making smooth camera moves are essential for professional production. Holding a camera in your hands to shoot a vlog can be great for short personal videos, but for professional videos for your website, it’s essential to have a tripod.

For $30 you can purchase a simple video camera tripod with a pan/tilt head, panhandles, and adjustable drags. 

Make sure to set the video camera at head height, so the person’s face is in the middle of the camera shot. This angel gives a good feeling of personal connection with the person speaking and the viewer.

5) Editing Software

Once you have recorded the video, the next step is to edit and share them. Of course, you can pay a professional editor to create your videos. However, this can be expensive in the beginning.

If you are willing to learn some necessary editing skills, you can use either Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X, both of which will cost you a few hundred dollars to purchase. Adobe also offers a monthly option to use the software through Adobe Creative Cloud.

There are many great tutorials online that can help you to improve your skills as an editor, and also many free templates and royalty-free music. 

Video Is Your Virtual Sales Team

Investing time and money into professional video can seem like it doesn’t offer as much return as other mediums like social media or Google Ads. 

Video works for you to build trust, social proof, and rapport with your audience. The more videos you create, the more chances you have to make an impact on your audience. You can create video testimonials, educational videos, a product video, demo video, and a video ad that will help customers engage with your service.

Best of all, in 2021, you can set up and begin using video for less than $2000 and grow your sales for the long-term. Now is the time to get started.

Want to reach more customers online? Brandastic is a social media marketing agency with offices in offices in Orange County, Los Angeles, and Austin. We can help your businesses grow your online attention and engagement, and drive more business to your website.