ImagesMagUK_Digital-Edition_January2018

Let the T-shirts do the talking Shoot a promotional video BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 24 images JANUARY 2018 Shoot a promotional video Putting together a promotional video may seem a little out of reach for small brands, but with the technology currently at your disposal and a little bit of creativity, there are no limits on what you can achieve. If you have the budget for it, then contacting a production company would be the best idea, but if you don’t, here are some basic elements you’ll need to create your own promotional video: • Lights Do not underestimate the importance of lighting. Good lighting can make the difference between a terrific video and an awful one. Luckily there’s no need to spend tonnes on a lighting equipment – one guy uses a £15 IKEA lamp! • HD Camera You have to do HD: there is no way around it. It is particularly important for fashion brands to feature clear, crisp videos where the real colours and quality of the garment can be appreciated even if the video is being watched on YouTube. Unfortunately, most of your budget will go on the camera. A good camera for video can go anywhere from £300 to £1000. See it as an investment. If you’re serious about your business, then a good camera will not only allow you to shoot promotional videos but also take amazing pictures for catalogues and social media for years to come. • Microphone You may forgo the microphone if you don’t plan on recording audio yourself, but if you do want to include sound, then I highly recommend using one. Those that come with the cameras (even the expensive ones) tend to be rubbish. • Editing software Professionals may prefer Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, but there are other options out there that won’t burn a hole in your wallet. Free software, such as iMovie might surprise you with the quality finish it can achieve. Step three: Distribute your content As a new business, resources may be scarce therefore it might be difficult to invest in publicity, but if you want your brand to be seen then paying for advertising is something that you should definitely consider. Promote on social media If you’re new to social media then you may feel like your posts and messages often get lost in the black hole of cyberspace — and you may be right. Tweets have an average life of 20 minutes, while Facebook posts last for about three hours. After this time goes by, and unless the post goes viral, messages get lost forever. The only way to counteract this effect is to pay for some promotion. Ads on social media let you reach a wider audience, while at the same time target a specific demographic. If you want to get more likes, more views and potential customers then this is the way to go. Contact third party members If social media is not your thing, then it might be a good idea to approach a more traditional type of promotion, like advertising on someone else’s website. Some of the benefits of announcing your business on a third person platform are: • Reaching a wider audience • Being related to the website’s attributes (if they’re known for featuring good quality products, for example) • Showing up more often on Google searches (they’ll give you a backlink, which is good for SEO) • Targeting a niche market