Need help boosting trade show visitors, conference attendance or even promoting your next event? Try using video clips to personalize the process and highlight significant details. Here are a few tips that will help you create great video clips:

Begin with a Great Interview
People will forgive a grainy image, tilted camera or strange backdrop if the interview is interesting. If you’re attempting to entice prospects to stop by your trade show booth or attend an event take the time to interview staff members who are personable, well spoken and knowledgeable about your business. No one wants to sift through an interview trying to understand the message. Time is money; listeners will want quick, easily accessible information. Make certain that the person conducting the interview asks well-developed questions, which require a full sentence answer. There’s not much you can do with Yes or No answers. A great interview will go a long way in the promotion of trade show visitors, events and conference attendance.

Listen
Your video will be absolutely worthless if no one can hear it. Make certain you test and retest the sound. Check that the microphone is clearly picking up both questions and answers, unless you intend on showing the questions on screen. (This can be a quick fix when the audio is poor – however it doesn’t look very professional). Check the ambient sound, minimize background noise and ask all interviewees to speak loudly and clearly. Ask your speakers to repeat the question, doing so will not only help them answer in complete sentences but it will make the editing process much easier.

Location! Location! Location!
Make certain you have adequate light and low background distractions. This is particularly important at trade shows, large conferences or association meetings. The natural inclination is to interview someone inside the trade show booth or immediately after a presentation. This type of set up can work provided you have proper lighting and audio and a tech that knows what he/she is doing. If not, then you may want to find a quiet space elsewhere. Generally speaking, promo videos shot against a casual backdrop are psychologically more inviting than a formal setting. A casual ambiance connotes a friendly, comfortable experience, whereas a formal atmosphere suggests a very structured, working environment.

Always shoot more video than you think you’ll need
You’ll be amazed at how quickly the footage seems to dwindle down to just a few recorded seconds. Always shoot far more material than you think you’ll use. It’s better to have too much to work with then not enough. It’s also far easier to cover edits when there’s plenty of material to pull from.

Think in terms of News Soundbites
Most soundbites are about 30 – 60 seconds in length and grab attention quickly. While an event promo video or recap can be a bit more forgiving, remember that attention spans are short particularly when browsing a site or video clip. Choose interview clips that can stand on their own and make sense yet will grab a viewer’s attention and draw them in. Think in terms of what would make you want to attend an event? Pull interview answers that will support that goal!

View other Promo Videos
What appeals to you? What would you take the time to watch? What would stir you to take action? There’s a reason why news stations follow the same pattern in developing their broadcasts – it works. So pay attention and follow a similar pattern. Be aware of the types of shots used, are there many close-ups, are there reaction shots, what about location images? What is the background? How is the audio? How are the visuals? How are the questions structured? Take the time to analyze videos that appeal to you and look at videos that seem to be working well in similar industries.

A great video clip can be a huge help in promoting events and boosting attendance but a poor video can quickly harm it. Take the time to get it right!

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