Lindsay Longenecker, Co-Owner
Collective Mind Technologies
In today’s world content is king. Whether it’s on TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram or your website, content is how we get to know one another. As business owners, it can feel super intimidating. You might be asking yourself, where do I even start? What is this going to cost? Do I really need it? We’re going to dive in and talk about getting started with content for your business to help you answer these questions.
So, first of all, you don’t need to be a content pro, a 20-something influencer killing it on TikTok. If you are, that’s great, and keep going. If not, here are some tips on where to get started with thinking about content for your business.
Website Content
First, we recommend starting with your website. Oftentimes, this is where your customers will get their first impression of you and your business. The content on your website should clearly represent your brand – who you are and what you do.
Photos: You will need high-quality, custom photos that showcase your company – your products, services, team, etc. If you currently have an amazing website filled with stock photography, it might be time to consider a custom brand photoshoot to elevate and personalize your website.
Video: Creating a brand video to host on your homepage or about us page is a great way to have your visitors really get to know you. It’s the next best thing to an in person meeting. You can showcase your team, clients, services or products and ultimately what sets you apart. One thing we love about creating videos for small businesses is getting to capture their vibe and brand on camera. There may be a million other businesses that offer the same service or product, but there is only one business exactly like yours. Show off your personality with your brand video.
Team Headshots: If you have a team, make sure you have consistent, on brand and up-to-date photos of your team. You can always have fun with this, add a pop of color or have your team’s favorite prop in hand.
Location: Highlight your office or place of business with high-quality photos and maybe even a virtual tour video.
Additional Content:
Header Video: In addition to your custom website photos and brand video, you may want to include a header video that catches your audience’s attention.
Testimonial Videos: Potential customers love hearing from your happy clients. It gives you instant credibility and illustrates your strengths.
Instructional Videos: Maybe part of your business includes selling courses or internal training videos for your team. If so, create high-quality instructional videos that can save your team time and resources.
Event Coverage: Are you attending a conference, hosting a gala, or speaking at an event? Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to capture photos and videos to share on your website, socials or even your newsletter.
Milestones + Celebrations: If you have an upcoming milestone or something to celebrate, like an anniversary or your business, receiving an award, special retirement or anything else to celebrate, it’s a great chance to create engaging content to be used across all of your marketing strategies.
Recruiting Videos: Need to attract top talent at your company? Consider creating a recruiting video. Let your staff talk about why they love working at your company and what the company culture is all about.
These are just a handful of ideas of where to get started with creating content for your business. Now the question is, what’s next? Do you hire a pro or DIY your content?
Hiring a professional vs. DIY content
When it comes to creating content for your business, you first need to consider what you will be using the content for to determine if you should invest in professional video and photography or try it out on your own. In addition to this, you also need to consider your budget and timeline.
If you are wanting to create content that will become a staple of your business, like a brand video or a lifestyle photoshoot, we believe it’s worth the time and investment to hire a professional. You definitely want to leave an impactful impression while representing your brand, so if you are going to use content for marketing materials or your website, hire a pro. If you are a brand new business and funds are tight, hiring a professional photographer and/or video production company may not be an option.
So if you are just starting out, you may need to create your own content or use free stock images and/or videos for your website as a placeholder. We recommend budgeting for high-quality content in the near future to really enhance your company’s influence.
Social media content is a major player for any business these days. For social media, we recommend DIY content. When you take your own photos or selfie videos of talking about the subjects that you are an expert in, your audience gets to know the real you. It feels authentic, approachable and allows viewers to make a personal connection with your brand. We also recommend repurposing any professional content for social media as well. We always offer a social media cut for all of our client’s videos that is designed specifically for the respective platforms. As long as your social accounts have a healthy mix of relatable and professional content, we believe that it will be successful.
Here are a few tips for any DIY content:
Audio: For videos, use a mic to ensure your audio is clear. We love the Rode Wireless Go mics. They are relatively affordable and easy to use. And they can connect directly to your phone with an adapter.
Camera Settings: Use the best camera settings on your phone. Most phones have high-quality cameras and can film video in 4K and have a variety of settings to get the best photos possible.
Lighting: Natural lighting is often the best option for photos and videos. If you don’t have a big window or are filming at night, there are a lot of options online for lights that can attach to your phone for excellent lighting no matter where you are.
Tripods: If you don’t have a tripod set up for your phone, you can prop it up on just about anything at your home or office. Or hold it for a selfie video or photo. If you need something a little more versatile, we love using our Joby Gorilla Pod.
Editing: For photos, you can use the Photos app for basic edits on your iPhone to adjust the exposure, saturation or touch-ups as needed. If you are editing videos for social media, CapCut is a great free app with all the tools you will need, including auto-captions and premade templates for all the latest trends.
It all depends on your brand and how you want your ideal audience to view your business. We are always available for a free consultation to help you get started with creating content for your brand at Collective Mind Technologies.
