Marketers have been talking about the coming age of video for over a decade (I know, I was one of them), but that future is well and truly here now.
People spend 8x as many hours watching video as reading. People watch…bots read.
So if you’re considering video marketing for your construction business, you’re on the right track. It’s one of the most powerful marketing strategies you can employ today. It’s great for SEO, great for social media, effective at building awareness, nurturing leads, and showcasing your work.
The barrier for entry has never been lower -the most effective videos are shot with a phone. But publishing video requires more than just shooting the footage. It needs to be edited, set to music, published, optimized, and promoted to be effective.
The learning curve is not insignificant, but producing videos really is accessible to anyone. To make this transition as easy for you as possible, I’ve put together this list of the top 10 things you should know before you start producing videos for your construction company.
The most important takeaways from this article are summarized here, but if you need more details of any of these items, you can scroll down for a detailed breakdown of each.
10 Tips For Your First Video Shoot
- Wear branded clothing: Company hats, shirts, etc, that can be seen and recognized on video increases brand recognition.
You should already have these, and wear them daily. It looks more professional and your brand will be easier to remember.
But remember, don’t actually work in the clothes you’re going to be filmed in, or you’ll look dirty / sweaty on camera. - Shoot in 3 phases: Start with a practice run, then shoot horizontal, then vertical.
1) Practice – Take a practice run where the person on camera runs through what they’re going to say in the video once or twice.
2) Horizontal Long Form – Shoot for YouTube and other horizontal format platforms, which can be longer and in greater detail. Move around, demonstrate how things work, Walk the viewer through the project both visually and by telling them what they’re seeing.
3) Vertical Short Form – Shoot for Reels, TikTok, etc. about 58 to 90 seconds in duration. Since these are faster, pick up the pace… walk faster, talk faster, and make sure to hit the most important details. - Get lots of action shots and b-roll: Capture work being performed, close-up, gritty and authentic.
Shoot materials, rough and finished. Shoot close-ups of your employees and subs actually working. Zoom in on their hands and show the work itself.
Collect as much reusable footage as possible (b-roll): your team working, materials rough and also finished, and the different stages of a project, like excavation, demolition, installation, finishing touches, and so on. - Before, during, and after footage: Document the entire process, not just the finished result. People like a story, so show them the transformation.
Pick a few spots at each project that you’ll always return to when shooting progress updates. Do this for as many projects as possible. Show the process from beginning to end so that the viewers can fully process, and appreciate, your work. - Be detailed / tell stories: Show small details, talk through the planning process, important choices, what it took to make the project a success.
Walk and talk, but not only about the finished product. Tell your viewers about the planning process, permitting challenges, the tough decisions and compromises, and show how you’re helping the customer get what they want. - Your face, your voice: Potential customers watch your videos to see who they’ll be working with. Showing up on camera builds trust and makes it more likely they’ll choose you.
And only you can speak to your work with as much detail, confidence, and authenticity. People want to get to know you. That builds trust. THAT’S the point. - Shoot with a gimbal: A DJI gimbal mount for a smartphone camera is an essential tool of the trade that keeps your motion shots looking smooth and easy to watch.
You can pick one up on Amazon for around $150. With a bit of practice you can quickly shoot while walking, turning, or tilting without bumping or jolting the camera.
If you’ve never tried to shoot a video like this before, this may not seem so important, but the first time a great video is ruined by janky movement, you’ll wish you had this awesome tool. - Use lavalier mics: A USB clip mic (called a lavalier) is also essential gear. It plugs into your phone’s USB-C port and records voices in crystal clear audiol, even when its windy.
Without a mic clipped right under the speaker, when they turn away from the camera (while walking, for example), their voice will drop out / get quiet and the quality of the video takes a huge hit. - Just keep shooting: Don’t worry about flubs or getting your words mixed up, it happens to everyone. Just rewind to the start of the last sentence, and where you were standing at the time, and keep rolling.
Everyone gets frustrated. Everyone’s tongue gets tied up while recording. Being on camera feels awkward and it takes some getting used to…give yourself a break and just laugh it off, back up, and go again.
It actually makes things harder for your editor when you stop, get self-conscious, or rewind to the beginning. You’re probably in a different spot, you’ll get ahead of yourself, etc.
Just rewind your body and your words back to where they were one sentence before your mistake and start again, trying to stay in flow as much as possible. Your editor will thank you for it.
Here are some additional tips on how to get comfortable on camera. - Keep your videos short: Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter and the competition for eyeballs has never been more intense. Short, sweet, and simple videos are what works.
That doesn’t mean only make Shorts/Reels/TikToks. Not at all. It means, brevity is next to godliness. Make YouTube videos that are as long as they need to be, but not a second longer.
Attention is scarce -don’t waste it.
If you keep these points in mind when you shoot and produce your video content, you’ll get better results right away and skip dozens of frustrating “learning experiences.”
Notice that most of these tips are about shooting, not editing, though.
That’s because, personally, I think editing should be kept as simple as possible. Most especially for social media and YouTube. But you should shoot the best quality footage possible with a smartphone, so it feels authentic without looking like crap.
If you have great footage, less editing is required to make it look good. Start with good material and you’ll produce better output from the start.
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