5 Ways To Record Videos For Your Social Media Marketing

No amount of sophisticated technology will ever take the place of connecting live, in person. When we’re with someone in person, we can feel their energy, watch their body language, and look into their eyes. When it comes to technology, though, the next best thing to connecting with people in person is… VIDEO!

With video, you can look into the lens of the camera and talk with your viewers just as if you were sitting down for a cuppa coffee… or a glass of wine in Gary Vaynerchuk‘s case!! 🙂

Adding video to your social media marketing dramatically enhances your relationship with your community – your friends, fans, followers, subscribers will feel *much* closer to you. (Could you imagine if Gary Vaynerchuk had done all his wine tasting shows with just images and blog posts? Definitely not the same!)

Here are five ideas to create videos for sharing on your social sites:

1. Talk into the camera

I love to shoot impromptu videos when I’m out and about at a speaking engagement, for example. As an entrepreneur with a home office, I’m not exactly always camera-ready every day. I’m sure other women (maybe a few men) can relate! So, when I’ve gotten myself ready for a function, I may as well shoot a wee video.

I was recently in Orlando, Florida delivering a keynote on social media best practices to the Association of Golf Merchandisers. I shot this fun short greeting and shared on my Facebook Page:

Videos like this are real easy to shoot and I always go with one take. No need to do any re-takes. Just go with the flow and be naturally impromptu! Video length is ideally no more than 60-90 seconds. Think about one key point you want to make in the video and then just shoot.

I almost always use my iPhone for these types of videos when out and about. Though I do also carry my Canon PowerShot SX10IS (big brother models available too) for the best quality audio and video. For shooting videos in my home office, I’ll often use my built-in web cam on my iMac and the Snowball mic by Blue.

2. Create screencasts

An excellent way to create technical video tutorials is to record your computer screen using either ScreenFlow for Mac, or Camtasia or Jing for PC or Mac. You can also include an optional inset (picture in picture) of you on camera too; I tend to leave that part out as my eyes are looking at the screen, not camera lens! 😉 Here’s an example tutorial I created showing how to manage the Facebook fan page spam filter:

3. Record video interviews

There are many options for conducting video interviews from the comfort of your home office! You might make a list of your ideal interviewees, reach out to them and set up times to interview them on their subject expertise. I recommend keeping the interviews short (everyone is super busy these days!). A great example to emulate is David Garland, creator of The Rise To The Top. Here’s an awesome interview David conducted with Mike Stelzner, founder of SocialMediaExaminer.com.

David Garland Interviews Mike Stelzner

To create video interviews over the internet, here are several platforms to try:

• Skype
• ooVoo
• Ustream.tv
• TinyChat

For recording these interviews, use either one of the screencapture tools mentioned in #2 above and/or most of these platforms include the ability to record.

4. Stream live video

Another favorite of mine is to go LIVE on camera directly on my Facebook Page using the Vpype app which I reviewed here. (Screenshot below of the “Shows” tab on my Facebook Page – in the still, I’m showing some of my turquoise and bling. LOL!)

Vpype – Live Streaming Facebook App

Alternative Facebook streaming apps include Ustream, Justin.tv, Livestream and the brand new app about to come out of beta and get really big, Linqto. The first three of these platforms are standalone streaming services and include recording, embedding and rebroadcasting tools.

• Ustream.tv
• Justin.tv
• Livestream.com

5. Launch an internet TV show!

Last August, Mike Stelzner and I came up with the idea of launching an internet TV show for Social Media Examiner (SMEtv) with me as the host. We have a lot of fun with this show, typically recording and broadcasting once a month.

Mike goes all out with an awesome, professional videographer, Jeff Wiant. I spend a fair bit of time prior to each shoot selecting relevant topics, conducting research, and identifying content for b-roll. In fact, here’s a photo from the set of the last SMEtv shoot with a detailed description of the process we go through for each show!

In the show below, I talk all about how to integrate video into your social media marketing efforts. Be sure to read the companion post here too as I go into greater detail about sourcing content for your videos, camera equipment and distribution channels.

See all Social Media Examiner TV shows with accompanying notes here and as a YouTube channel here.

So, five different ways to make video content to share on your social sites. There are bound to be plenty more ideas and platforms! Please do share in the comments below other ways you’ve found to be effective for your own social video marketing!

Mari Smith

Often referred to as “the Queen of Facebook,” Mari Smith is widely known as the Premier Facebook Marketing Expert and a top Social Media Thought Leader. Forbes describes Mari as, “… the preeminent Facebook expert. Even Facebook asks for her help.” IBM named Mari as one of seven women that are shaping digital marketing. Mari is an in-demand keynote speaker, corporate social media strategist, dynamic live webcast host, and popular brand ambassador. She is coauthor of Facebook Marketing: An Hour A Day, and author of The New Relationship Marketing.

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