10 Content Marketing Predictions for 2022

Updated 21 Sept 2021

1) Artificial Intelligence is going to affect search

With more people on their phones than ever, users are using artificial intelligence like Siri to help search queries. As soon as this starts to gather momentum we are going to see Google look at this very seriously. So rather than users searching for particular keywords, the searches will be more about phrases or questions. If this is the case then content marketing will play a huge role in your SEO campaign. Essentially the most you have out there; and this includes a well-structured FAQ page, the better chance your website will be found in the search results. Also, Google AI will never let things rest in the race for AI dominance in the search. If they see a rise ( and there is a huge uptake in this technology) in this type of search, they will definitely skew their search algorithm towards this.

2) Short snappy videos that cut through

Think Snap Chat. Think user attention spans and think how competitive the online space is. The way to cut through the noise and promote your brand will be through videos that are quirky, engaging and less than 10 seconds. I have seen the most incredible short videos on websites and social media platforms like Instagram that are so well done and so engaging that it really sticks with me. Shorter the better….but make it action-packed so it stands out and cuts through. Oberlo tells us that the preference for video content is not just limited to entertainment purposes. Video extends to brands. Studies show that 54% of consumers want to see more video content from a brand or business they support.

Related Article: Benefits of Corporate Video Production

3) 5G is here and so are streaming videos

Lightning-fast internet speeds are going to make videos irresistible to both the consumer and the seller. If the technology is here then use it and this is where content meets video on steroids. Embrace the power and speed of the internet with professional videos and great copy.

Social media channels like Facebook Live, Twitter video embeds make video content marketing very powerful marketing and sales tool. It doesn’t matter who you are selling to, what your niche is, you will need videos to enhance and further promote your brand.

4) Visually exciting content is ‘the go’

Plain text is boring. Companies wanting better engagement with their audiences will use graphics to get their message out there to their customer base. Content marketing and copywriting is key to this, whether in the form of; infographics, animated gifs, videos or more realistic images on their website. The more visually exciting you make your business online in 2022, the greater will be your cut through rate. I include web banners in this as well, because ‘above the fold’ is where the action is happening and this is where you need to focus on your customer conversion rates. Having attention-grabbing web banners with ‘in your face’ copy is what will sell. If you don’t have this, expect sales leads and enquiries to slow down. The new buzzword in 2022 is conversion rates and making sure that customers who land on your website actually engage with it. I have written about this topic on this blog and you can discover more here at Category: Conversion Rate Optimisation

5) Reviews and testimonials

With businesses focusing on getting their customers to review and recommend their websites on platforms like Google, customers will rely heavily on brand devotees before they make a purchase.

Lets’ be honest here. Anyone can post a fake review and we see competitors do this to other businesses that they deem a threat all the time. This is why in 2022 businesses need to get fans to rave about them and use this content in all their marketing. Review sites are getting more popular and most people will Google “ company name and then review’ so you need to market positive reviews whenever they come in. We absolutely love Trust Pilot and what they have been able to do as a trusted third-party review platform. We encouraged an online travel agent to sign up to Trust Pilot and you can see how effective it’s been at getting reviews here.

6) People want answers very quickly

2022 will be the year that all websites need to address questions or search queries smartly. As stated about this all needs to be above the fold in clear concise information. For example: “ need a plumber in Sydney within 1 hour – call us for immediate help’ OR ‘ thinking about getting a divorce? Speak to us before you do anything’ OR ‘ fed up with wearing glasses? Laser eye surgery in 30 min is now possible, speak to us’. These are the questions that need to be in banners and in prominent positions on your website.

7) Ephemeral marketing for 2022

Blogs can be difficult to read and time-consuming. Marketers are looking for the next big thing that creates a sense of urgency and need to buy now scenario. Snapchat is a great example where information is displayed briefly to the user and then gone. It’s cool new alternative channels where content is key to engagement that will be the next big thing moving forward. If it’s hip and cool, then you want your business to be associated with this.

8) Quality content and videos over quantity

2022 is the year that businesses and marketers realise that they simply can’t pump content out there in an ad hoc manner in the hope of saturating the market. This no longer works as the digital space is way too crowded. Everyone is pumping out bits of information without any planning or insight into consumer behaviour. It’s now quality over quantity. Rather than posting 4 blogs per month, why not do 1 that is really a cut above the rest, with great video content and rich copy. Include testimonials, case studies, whatever, just make it super informative with a killer copy. It’s content like this that gets traction and in turn, will boost website traffic and conversions.

9) User interface is the new norm for website revamps

As a web design agency our focus has shifted over the years and this will only amplify in 2016, to a better easier to use custom user interface. Mobile technologies are slimming websites to make them easier to read and engage. The UX for all websites moving forward will have to take this into account. Concise, seriously conversion orientation graphics with a strong call to action are now site mandatories. 2022 = less waffle and straight to the point.

10) Social Media to break into more B2B content marketing plans

Social media will play a bigger part in content strategies. Platforms like LinkedIn are without a doubt a must, but Facebook and how businesses integrate their new features are going to start to play a bigger part in 2016. Luckily we have some serious Facebook addicts here at Hopping Mad Designs that know how all these new features work and how to put it to good effect for your business. If you want more visibility and higher click through rates, we can help you achieve this.

Duplicate Content is Killing your Online Marketing

Duplicate as well as poorly worded content or web copy is a ranking buster on Google.

If you have suddenly noticed your rankings slide you might just have a duplicate copy and this can be verified in your Google Webmaster Tools account.

Following are some interesting questions that you should be asking your web developers or web copywriters if you feel that you have duplicate content.

Has the article been professionally written?

This has now become one of THE MOST important factors when considering an SEO campaign. Search Engine Journal has a great article titled Content As A Google Ranking Factor: What You Need To Know, that goes into a more detailed explanation of why content is so important as a ranking factor.

If you are a vet in Brisbane, then you need to have a landing page about your services that has been professionally written. Putting a picture of a dog or cat on this page with a phone number is not going to cut it anymore. The reason being is that browsers want to land on a web page and find the content they are looking for immediately. If they don’t they will simply leave and bounce off that page. Known as Bounce Rates Google can detect an unusually high bounce rate for a website and this may impact rankings. With this in mind, your web copy must be specific and enticing as well as sticky. Keep them on the page for as long as possible which is an art and technical skill that only a copywriter and experienced web design team can implement.

Your main web pages, if they are going to rank on Google need unique well worded copy that is particular and very specific to your business or product. Things are tightening up so much with the search engines that you now need to have a full-time copy expert onboard monitoring what is written about your company, what is written on your website as well as the social media side of things. Obviously, this is for larger companies with deeper pockets for their marketing budget. Smaller businesses will have to look at either writing their own content or hiring a freelance copywriter.

If you are wondering why Google won’t rank websites with duplicate copy, the answer is simple; why would Google rank sites that have nothing new or informative to say? If it’s already published and online then it’s done and dusted. Google has sophisticated algorithms that can detect poorly worded websites or sites with duplicate copy and their Panda algorithm rollout was designed to pick up this exact type of activity.

Also Read: Google Panda attacks again – what you need to do

10 Content Marketing Predictions for 2022

Is the article original?

No point whatsoever in having a website built if the content just doesn’t work. You need to spend as much time on the copy as on the design if you are going to have a successful website and online campaign. Google will pick up on anything suspect and you will be paying for this transgression very quickly. The smarter operators have caught on to this and have either had their web copy rewritten or a have had a new site redesigned. Be careful and check if your copy has been duplicated by another company. There are content checkers online. All you need to do is copy and paste your URL into this search and it will list sites that have copied your content. Getting them to take this down is another story.

Did you buy the content online?

Many so-called copywriters will try to sell you the same article that they have already sold to other people. This is a killer for your search engine rankings as you are merely republishing copy that is already on another website. You may want to use this helpful tool to see if your copy is duplicated from Copyscape. Plagiarised, content even if it has been marginally altered to try to trick the search engines and fabricate blog authority will soon be picked up by Google. See what Semrush has to say in their blog Checking for Plagiarism in Google Docs.

Is the content waffle or does it actually relate to something?

Many companies will post content online just so it will be indexed and ranked. A good question to be asking is; how does this article read? The tip, in this case, is to read it out loud and if it sounds natural then it’s going to work. If it sounds as though it has been manufactured for search, then it may rank but it also may get penalised if there are too many repetitive keywords. This will make it look like you are trying to spam the system.
If you are getting the article written by a professional then make sure they do it and that it is not offshored to some random copy team. This is often the case and this is where issues arise as these guys tend to recycle articles. You DO NOT want to go down this path.

What is content marketing – a brief overview

As a general member of the public, I can honestly say that I am getting fed up with traditional forms of marketing.

I am over those TV ads popping up during my movies and I absolutely hate it when you hear words to the effect: ‘ we will be right back after a short ad break’. I am so over getting hammered with ads and information that I’m just not interested in and in fact, these types of ads are actually turning me off the product.

And this brings us to the very powerful marketing tool known as content marketing in the digital space.

If you are a small business owner, or in the marketing field you may be unaware of content marketing. But, one this is for certain, it is here to stay and the uptake of this medium will only grow over the next 24 months.

So I hear you ask, what precisely is content marketing?

Content marketing is basically using online channels and mediums to create, share for free ( in some cases) and promote your content. It is all about providing online users with information that they actually want to read rather than it being thrust down their throats. Forbes has a great article worth reading called What Is Content Marketing?

In a way, it’s a very passive marketing technique but one that will grow in popularity as more business owners and marketing professionals look to extend their reach and sales base. This is a long term strategy and should really be handled by a team of content marketing and SEO experts that fully understand this.

Because content marketing is really a ‘soft sell’ approach you will be engaging and exciting consumers and clients that want to know about you and your product as opposed to a scattergun ‘ hard sell’ approach which is often the playground of traditional marketing approaches like newspapers, radio, magazines and TV ads. Yes, it may have worked in the past, but with the internet close at hand, including the entire mobile and handheld device market, consumers will tend to go with brands that they find online and trust.

If for example, an article has been written about a certain brand and users online have reviewed it positively, then this will engender a whole lot more trust and brand value than a 3- second ad on TV. This is especially true if this article has been liked, retweeted or endorsed by friends or family. It is just so easy to create that I feel that this will play a huge part in how businesses, organisations and companies get their name out there in the years to come.

Content marketing can take a number of different forms:

Blogs

: basically if you are reading this article on the hopping mad blog then you are experiencing first-hand the wonders of content marketing. Your company website should have a blog and you should be able taught how to use it and post content. If you are unsure about this, speak with your web developer.

Videos: get a professionally taken video, post it on your website and watch the number of viewers click on it. If it is creative and fun or even informative, users will certainly share it. There are even explainer videos that have a powerful cut through rate with your audience and are well worth looking into.

We have just created an animated explained video for NSW education, which can be viewed here.

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Explainer videos are a fantastic tool to help drive conversion rates.

Infographics: If you want to try to communicate something in a fun, quirky way then why not get a professional graphic design studio to draw up a clever infographic that sits with your content and post it on your blog or website.

Email Newsletters: Keep your clients up to speed with your company’s latest news with creative content, that they will actually look forward to.

The basic aim of content marketing is to engage with an online audience that wants to be part of what you have to say and ultimately turn these readers into paying customers. Why do you think many companies now have dedicated content marketers whose job is to just write and market content and manage this content on social media platforms and sites.

And how does content marketing integrate and have a huge impact on all SEO campaigns?

The playing field over the last 12-24 months has significantly changed when it comes to SEO. Google has made it a hell of a lot tougher to rank websites and all the techniques that were used in the past to rank sites have basically been thrown out the window. Google has cottoned on to what SEO companies were doing in the past; spammy content with keyword stuffing, maximisation of back-links and over optimised websites and has become almost human-like when it comes to determining what sites will rank and what sites won’t. Prior to the last couple of algorithm updates, SEO was aimed at the search engines and satisfying what they want to see. This is no longer applicable and will have no bearing on your ranking. What will work, is if your website has been designed and worded for the consumer not for the engines. To dumb it down, basically, if you are marketing for the end-user and not the search engines then you will be rewarded. Putting the end-user in front of the mind of your online marketing is now what it’s all about. This makes, for now, content marketing the big flavour of the month and I see this continuing now for at least the next couple of years.

If you put aside the point that placing the customer first is highly rewarded by the search engines content marketing will also benefit your SEO in a number of other ways by:

a. Making you be on top of your game by always looking for new, fresh and exciting content.

If you want to be perceived as an industry leader and a source of authority in your area of expertise then you need to be constantly looking for new content to give to users. Sure you may be ranking well for your main keywords from an SEO standpoint, but if users come to your site, visit your blog and see that it was last updated in 2011, this won’t be a good look. You may have done all the right on-page SEO must-haves to get a ranking, like H1 headers and tags, but if the content is stale, old and outdated, you will not be doing yourself any favours. Think of say a medical company that last updated its blog in 2010. They may claim that they are at the cutting edge of technologies and treatments, but if their latest news section was last updated with new content in 2009, this will be a huge turn off for site visitors.

b. Creating more pages on your website.

The more page that you have on your website, the better you will be perceived in the eyes of the search engines. Basically each and every time you add a page or content to your site, the more you will be indexed and the more your content will be ranked. I have said this so many times to clients that I meet when they come in for a meeting that I am able to write an article and post it on my blog and have it ranked within 3-4 days. When I actually show this to them and prove what I say they are literally blown away. People do not fully understand this concept yet but I guess it is up to companies like us to educate them and show them what’s actually achievable online through content creation and content marketing. I even think that it will be the smart business owners of the future that will keep a content marketing company on a permanent contract to just facilitate this function. This would be a good move and the benefits will far outweigh the costs.

Also read: Duplicate Content is Killing your Online Marketing

c. Ensure that you write relevant content based on keywords

This is a difficult point to convey so best I give you an example. Say for instance you are a lawyer and you want to create a page about your conveyancing services. This is easy enough to do but the point to note here is that you have to write quality new original content that is all about conveyancing. It will not work for you if you write about commercial law on this topic. The rick here when writing the content is to write as informative an article as you possibly can. It is hard to do at first but if you have the time and the patience then I promise you the whole process will become a lot easier.

d. Posting content creates and excites all those social signals.

As the old saying goes; t is so much better to be spoken about than not’. With respect to content marketing and SEO, this is very much the case. If your articles or blogs or videos are retweeted, liked, +1’d shared or re-pinned then this will send very strong social signals to the search engines which will in turn really help with the rankings. The more social signals, the better the rankings and in turn, you become perceived as an authority in your industry.

e. Write Lengthy Articles

Short posts or blogs with little or no content are not likely to engage readers. Content marketing needs to be in my opinion at least 1000 words if you are going to say anything important. Again, if they are read and shared due to the great content then this will have a positive effect on your SEO. I have met clients who gasp when I mention this word count, but unfortunately, this is the way it has to be. If you don’t think you have the skill or passion to do this, then there are always content marketing agencies happy to help you out. Check out what Yoast has to say on this topic here at Word count and SEO: how long should a blog post or page be?

Content marketing has become a huge growth area. I find it exciting as well as fascinating. Once you see the results it can produce it becomes a bit addictive. By this I mean the more you see your content rank, the more you want to do. Trust me, this does happen– all you require is a bit of quiet writing time,  a tiny bit of research online and a small ounce of inspiration and creativity, which we all have! If you get stuck give me a call and I will be more than happy to talk you through it.

Benefits of Corporate Video Production

Probably the main reason that Corporate Video enhances your business is that your target audience simply loves video.

You are a consumer yourself, so think about the last time that you clicked on a play button to receive your information effortlessly.

People absorb information in various formats but with an ever-increasing amount of information to contend with on a daily basis most find that to sit back and watch a few minutes of quality video far more productive and enjoyable than reading massive blocks of text.

This is the reason that video is the fastest growing marketing tool in history! The statistics speak volumes when it comes to understanding exactly the impact of video marketing in 2022.

Can you believe that YouTube didn’t exist 15 years ago?

The story of YouTube’s stellar rise from inception in February 2005 to the initial sale for $3.5million in November 2005 is nothing short of astonishing. By July 2006 YouTube was achieving 100million views a day. People and consumers love videos.

Also read: 10 Content Marketing Predictions for 2022

Video dramatically increases trust

Trust is an essential ingredient to do business with you. Oberlo tells us that with the increasing demand for video content, it’s no surprise that such a large percentage of marketing professionals claim to use video as a marketing tool.

The single factor which will cause a consumer to do business with you is trust. The main roadblock to a consumer doing business with you is a lack of trust. Apart from actually sitting “B2B” or “Belly to Belly” with every potential client, video is the only way to take yourself into the home or office of your prospect. It is clear that the video presents people and products in ways that text and photos simply can’t.

Provided that you choose great quality video production, the video will break down obstacles for your potential clients. They will feel they know you, like you and trust you or your product.

Our Corporate Hopping Mad video clients love it when they eventually meet with clients and they say: “wow, I feel we’ve known each other for ages!” Their clients have already “met” you via your videos and they have engaged your services based on the sense of trust created by your Corporate Videos.

 People buy with emotion and video invokes emotion

The same may be said of photos, but the big advantage of video is that it seamlessly presents a sequence of photos to a viewer. The standard rate of images in the video is 24per seconds. So each second is like looking at one photo. This is why the impact of 1 to 2 minutes of video is just so great! U.S Marketing Researcher Dr James McQuivey said it best: 1 Minute of the video is worth 1.8million words.

Visitors to websites with video stay

Visitors stay on average for 6 minutes as opposed to just 1 minute for those without video. Crazy Egg elaborates on this by saying that according to The Aberdeen Group, businesses that utilize visual engagement tactics see an 83% increase in annual revenue compared to their competitors. Websites that relied on visual engagement in addition to copy saw their conversion rates more than double.

This statistic doesn’t mean that you need to produce videos that are 6 minutes in length! Indeed the best online videos are short, sharp and succinctly scripted and run for just 1 to 2 minutes in total. What this statistic tells us is that once a visitor views a video on your website they stay longer. They have become engaged in a more meaningful way than text could ever achieve. They stay, they research and they are more likely to immediately buy your product or service. If they are not ready to become a buyer, you are guaranteed they will be more likely to remember your company than if they hadn’t watched a video and this will increase their likelihood of becoming a future customer.

The video brings a viewer closer

Video not only bring a viewer closer to doing business with you but also brings more traffic to you.

Fish where the fish are! Or in other words, attract customers to your website by being prominently placed where the fish are looking. The two main search engines that the fish use are Google and YouTube. Both are video focused! Google weights video in at 50x the importance of text-only and this means that your message is 50 x more likely to pop up on page 1 results on Google and therefore bring in more viewers/prospects.

You can see that we have started our own YouTube Channel here.

In summary, Corporate Video will deliver more traffic to your website. Professional Corporate Video will also engage your visitors and create more buyers out of those visitors.

The keyword here is “Professional” and so it should be noted now that not all videos will engage your customers. In fact, some videos will turn them away for good!

Have you ever turned a video off?

It’s time to examine the ingredients for a great online video.

Let’s assume that you are a business owner or sales marketer of service or brand. And let’s assume you want Corporate Video that converts lead to sales.

How to create a Corporate Video that converts leads to Sales.

Professionally Produced or Home Made?

Do you remember when people used to invite friends around to watch a slide show of their holiday or have your parents ever told you about their experiences with this? The amateur slideshow night! This was about the meanest thing that people habitually forced their friends to endure.

Well, the thing is…producing your own “Corporate Video” is akin to locking your friends up to watch your holiday slides. It’s awful and it ruins relationships!
Your business reputation is on the line here. Most professional companies have invested carefully in their brand, their website and their Corporate marketing message. And then a guy from HR offers to “Point and Shoot” the Company video on the new Camcorder he just bought Duty-Free in Hong Kong.

Have you seen these videos? They are usually unscripted, they’ve got a grey or greeny miasma tone. The sound is atrocious and they are full of “umms” and “ahhs” because no one knows how to edit them.

These videos are often 10 minutes long even though the only people who will ever endure for this long are the guy in the video and the guy who turns the camera on (and maybe but not always their Mum’s)!

The only difference between this and the friends’ slide show night is that the viewer can turn these videos off! And they do.

YouTube has a great little function under Analytics called Audience Retention, which shows you exactly at what point in a video that viewers turn off. With these amateur productions, it’s usually before the 10-second mark.

Professional Corporate Video requires more skill than point and shoot!

The key ingredients to Professional high conversion video production are:

#1: Pre- Production

No actor or director would ever turn up for shooting a movie without preparation. This phase of professional video production is known as pre-production.
Pre-production consists of scoping to determine the precise purpose and target audience for a video. This is then followed by scripting and or storyboarding. Amateurs so often proclaim: “I don’t need a script, I’ll just wing it”

Winging it nearly always amounts to a finished product that no one but your nearest and dearest will watch.

At HoppingMad we ensure that we scope the purpose of your Corporate Video and we offer professional scripting services so that you will never have to “wing-it”.
The great news is that thorough pre-production results in better quality video. The video that your clients want to watch and video that converts your viewers to customers

#2: Professional Camera

Just because the sales guy in Hong Kong told you that the camcorder shoots in HD (high definition), does this mean that it is a Professional Camera? Your camcorder doesn’t care about mood or the character of the subject in the frame, so it can only ever hope to deliver less than average results. If you want your videos to look like they have been professionally filmed, some of the things you will want in a camera are settings that will help you take control of the environment you are shooting in. Even professional cameras have the Auto mode function, but this will definitely not work in all settings and environments. If a camera setting is on automatic, it will arrange all 4 components (exposure, shutter speed & depth of field and ISO) to the best of its ability, but this may mean that the end result may be too grainy (ie the ISO is too high); the film looks jumpy (shutter speed is too high); there is no depth of field or too much in focus, or it is over or underexposed in certain areas eg. a person in the video is too dark because the camera is balancing for the amount of light coming in a window or door. Understanding how to expose the amount of light in a room; how much depth of field you want in focus; the number of frames per second to shoot at and the ability to saturate colours are all important features a professional camera will allow you to manipulate. A professional camera will also allow you to use different lenses and filters to create more interesting film techniques. At HoppingMad we work with the highly acclaimed Canon 5D Marks II & III Cameras. These phenomenal cameras have beeninline_523_http://www.hoppingmad.com.au/media/image/stock-photo-19817378-eos-5d-mark-iii-canon-digital-camera-with-lens.jpg used to film major movies such as Black Swan.

#3: Professional Camera Operator – cinematic techniques

At Hopping Mad Designs we use professional Camera Operators who do your brand justice.

Understanding how a professional camera works allows for more cinematic techniques. A professional cinematographer will understand all the different elements and techniques in creating an interesting video. These can include techniques such as bridging shots, rack focus, different camera angles, eye-line matching, fade-in, fade-out and Mise-en-scene to name just a few.

Let’s look at the “rack focus” technique. Rack focus is the technique of changing the focus of the lens when filming. For example, when you may be focused on an image in the foreground and the background is blurred, then slowly blur the foreground and focus on the background. It is usually a very subtle technique that gently draws your attention to another person or area of a video that you didn’t know you were being directed to. An interesting video sequence is cut together from shots recorded from various camera angles using a variety of lens sizes. Looking for a variety of camera angles before you start shooting will ensure you can capture what may be an ordinary scene and make it much more interesting.

Understanding how different shutter speeds affect the film quality of a video is a very important part of creating a quality video. Have you noticed that you feel uneasy when watching re-enactments from shows like Australia’s Most Wanted? It’s not just what is happening in the scene that will make you feel uneasy, it is the fact that it is likely to have been filmed using a higher frame rate per second than is pleasant to the eye.

We make understand what frame rate you should be filming at and don’t simply set the camera to automatic, because the last thing you want to do is have people watching your video feel like they are watching a horror movie!

#4: Professional Lighting

Professional lighting is the next important aspect of filming that affects the overall look and feel of a video. If you have noticed the proliferation of amateur videos that pop up every second on YouTube, you will have noticed that many of these are filmed in a dark messy room, either on a camcorder, iPhone or webcam. You will also remember that you probably didn’t give the video much more than 10 seconds to grab your attention.

Setting up lighting for an interview will usually require a 3 point technique: Key Light, Fill Light and Backlighting. The Key Light is the main light on a subject. It is usually placed at a 45-degree angle to the camera. The Fill Light is usually from the side of the subject which will soften shadows and illuminate areas that are not covered by the key light. Backlighting is the main source of light that is behind the subject, which is silhouetting it and is directed toward (but not at) the camera.

This 3 point lighting technique will create mood and interest on the subject’s face, without creating shadows that make the person look tired. If you are thinking of getting testimonial videos to promote your business make sure you capture their enthusiasm forever. The last thing you want is a person raving about you and people not wanting to be engaged by it.

#5: Professional Sound Equipment

Every iPhone, camcorder and professional camera have internal sound recording capabilities, but are these good enough for recording your message? Have you noticed the “tinny” sound that you hear on amateur videos? This is usually because the camera that was used to record the video also recorded the sound using an internal microphone.

Most of the videos that are created for you and your business will be crucially dependant on the quality of the sound that is captured at the time of recording. Whether it is the vital dialogue, key selling point, memorable quote or even just the atmosphere of the occasion, the sound will play an essential part.

The correct microphone is an essential component of shooting a high-quality video. To get a great result for your video you need to plan for your sound carefully before you leave for your location.

If shooting outdoors, the sound may be affected by how windy it is on the day. Microphones will have to have what is referred to as a “dead cat”. A dead cat is a grey fluffy cover for your microphone that reduces wind noise.
Whilst much can be done in post-production to fix up sound recording, at HoppingMad we ensure that you start with a good quality microphone.

#6: Professional Camera Mounting Equipment

A high-quality camera support system can make a positive impact on your videography. Each camera angle should be determined by what works best for the framing of the shot in different scenes. You can manipulate a scene or image by using different heights and angles to create interest. A good quality tripod will have an indicator bubble to show you if the tripod is level.
Other camera mounting equipment also includes a Dolly which is a set of wheels and a platform upon which the camera can be mounted to give it mobility. A dolly shot is a shot that is taken from a moving dolly. A more affordable option however is a Glider which can be mounted on your tripod. Your camera is then mounted to the glider and moved along so that it looks like the camera is moving, without the shakey imagery you would get if you simply walked with the camera in your hand. You can take footage at different levels and angles to create interesting footage that can then be edited in post-production.

#7: Professional Editing

Professional editing ensures that there are continuity and a logical coherence between shots. Editing requires trimming, splicing, cutting and arranging clips across the timeline as well as colour manipulation, titling, visual effects and mixing audio in conjunction with the image. In brief, beautiful editing requires skill and years of training and practice.

The foundation for a good video is that all pieces of the puzzle fit together: pre-production preparation including scripting and storyboarding, using a professional camera and equipment including sound and lighting, and cinematic techniques that create interesting shots that can then be edited to form an interesting video that people want to watch.

If doing it yourself sounds too complicated and you don’t want to tarnish your brand with an inferior video that people simply turn off after 10 seconds, then make sure you give us a call and we can discuss how this can be achieved for you. While it may all sound very complicated for an amateur, at HoppingMad we can make your professional video production seamless!