3 Tips for Improving In-house YouTube Videos

Many organizations are jumping on the You Tube scene and creating their own videos. To improve the believability of your on-camera spokesperson, focus in three areas: comfortable, real dialogue in a relaxed atmosphere.

1. Comfortable video spokesperson

Find someone comfortable with the camera. This may not be your CEO, executive team member or your typical spokesperson. It could be anyone from your organization who can appear friendly, sincere and professional. Viewers want to watch someone that they can relate to.

2. Real dialogue

It’s very painful to watch someone in a video who is clearly reciting copy. And it’s worse when the copy sounds like a brochure full of corporate speak. This week, I watched two videos that sounded something like this: “At X company, we care about you and your needs. From our state of the art technologies to our excellent customer service you’ll receive the best service possible. Visit X company and tour our offices at…” To avoid this, include your video spokesperson in script development. He or she may have excellent suggestions for making it sound conversational. Practice it together until it flows smoothly and naturally.

3. Relaxed and professional atmosphere

These attributes can be accomplished at the same time. People who are stiff and formal on camera can appear fearful, cold or aloof. Conversely, people who are physically comfortable and relaxed appear confident and inviting. Ask your spokesperson to wear clothing that is professional but not restrictive. Make sure that your shooting area is as inviting as possible. Is the room attractive and are the props appropriate? Is the chair the right height for your spokesperson? Check other items like room temperature, lighting and background noise to eliminate as many detractors as possible. A comfortable and undistracted spokesperson will give you a better delivery.

Are you doing anything else to improve the videos you create in-house? I’d love to hear your successes and lessons learned!