Videos for Online Parties (Part 1): How to Start Creating Videos for Facebook Parties

It’s no secret that marketing for your small business from home has gone virtual in 2020.

Specifically, video marketing on social media, such as Instagram or Facebook, is exploding.

We talked about WHY this strategy is important for growing your business in our last article. If you missed it you can review here.

Be sure to check with your upline or company website for training on posting content and creating videos for social media.

Many companies have amped up their virtual gameplan.

We also want to offer a basic “HOW TO” in this short series for creating videos  for facebook parties and to answer your familiar questions, such as:

How do I set up a mock studio from home?

What do I use?

What do I make a video of?

How do I get over the FEAR of being on camera?

We turned once again to entrepreneur mentor Kelly Paull for advice.

Here’s how to start creating videos for Facebook Parties.

Step 1: Choose a Place in Your Home and Make It Video-Worthy

There are a few things to consider when preparing to record a video from home to make it look ‘pro’.

Lighting

“Don’t overthink this.  Find a window to sit by for natural light.” – Kelly Paull

Start with what you have and find a good window with ample lighting. Keep in mind, it might be a certain time of day that gets the most sunshine.

Experiment with other lighting in your rooms, add more lamps or change the bulbs. You can also invest in an inexpensive ‘ring light’ for your phone camera on Amazon whenever you’re ready to go ‘pro’.

Background

“Make sure to look behind you!  What will people see when you are talking?  Clean up and don’t have distractions in the background. I have seen trash, unmade beds, the door open to the bathroom, tons of clutter.  We ALL have places in our home that aren’t ready for prime time. Take a moment to tidy up OR get creative with the angle of your camera.” – Kelly Paull

It might be worth designating a particular spot in your home or office just for taking pictures and videos for your business. It could be a wall facing good natural light, decorated with brand colors or inspiring artwork, or even with your inventory in the background.

Camera Angle

“Make sure the angle of the camera is slightly above your line of vision.  You definitely don’t want to be looking down at the camera. If you have to stack boxes or have a crazy set up to get the right angle it doesn’t matter, no one can see what you have going on back there!” – Kelly Paull

A tripod or adjustable mount might also give you more options for stability and angle adjustments.

But one thing is for sure, if the video is longer than a couple minutes, or you want to show products, you don’t want to hold your device the entire time.

Audio/Visual

“Make sure your audio is clear… Don’t be too close or too far from the camera. You want to be heard, but not have your face fill up the whole frame. Take a look at some YouTube videos to get an idea of how close to sit and what a good background looks like.” – Kelly Paull

Open the camera on your device as you’re setting things up, so you can see what it looks like, before you start recording.

Do a couple of test videos, just so you can hear the playback and adjust. Remember, you can always delete these test runs.

Step 2: Use What You Have to Record Videos

The device you use to record your videos, is totally up to you and what you have available right now.

If you have options, whether computer, smartphone, tablet, or digital camera, you might do some test runs on each device (separately) to decide what you are most comfortable with.

You don’t need expensive equipment, just a willingness to give it your best.

Here are five tips to follow before you start recording videos:

• Make sure your device is fully charged or connected to a power source.
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• Remember to clean your lens and mic.
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• Make sure your software or apps are updated, to use the full range of available options.
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• Close out any other apps or background programs.
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• Make sure you know where the video saves, so you can access it again to edit and upload.

Step 3: Start with Easy Content

“Have an outline or bulleted points for what you want to say. Scripts will make you sound like a robot, but winging it can come across as unorganized and rambling.” – Kelly Paull

Ideas

• For practice, start with the Party script you might use for a normal face-to-face Party. Have it set up just out of the frame, so you can glance at it and read. Once you get more comfortable on camera, you can reshoot at any time in your own words.

• Talk about your favorite products first. You might showcase them and share fun facts or your best hacks.

• Choose one of your favorite company videos and recreate it with your own spin.

• Practice different versions of your Welcome video.

• Not all videos need sound or a dialogue. You might start with only showing the product in the frame, and demonstrating how to use it or of showing all the options/varieties. You can mute the sound of the video and easily add music during editing. These type of videos are best kept to 15 – 30 seconds.

Step 4: Get Comfortable Being on Camera

“You do not have to be fearless. Doing it afraid is just as brave.” – Morgan Harper Nichols

Creating videos can be intimidating to the newbie online entrepreneur and Party host.

Here are more tips from Kelly to help you get comfortable being on camera:

• “Get the Marco Polo app and video chat with a few friends. We all have to get over seeing ourselves on camera. This is an easy way to rip off the bandaid and start getting used to talking on camera. You’ll notice the things you do on camera like, touching your hair or face, saying things like “um”, “like” and “you know”.  The fun thing about this app is you can record yourself and delete it before sending to anyone.”

• “If you are super nervous about recording, remind yourself that you can edit/delete the recording if you hate it.”

• “When you begin recording, if you make a mistake, do NOT stop the video. [Instead,] clap your hands (this helps during the editing process) and begin the previous sentence or segment again. Keep doing that until you have one you like.  You’ll get better and better as you do more.”

• “Remember, everyone was nervous when they first started.  The only way to get over it is to dive in! You got this!”

Now you’re ready to print out these first steps to creating videos for your online business.

Be sure to practice a few different videos.

BONUS TIP: Once you’re more comfortable, plan to create several different videos in one sitting (this is a huge help when making multiple videos, so you don’t have to set everything up over and over).

Finally, check back for instructions on the easiest ways to upload videos for your Facebook Parties.

Thanks again to our favorite mentor, Kelly Paull for so much helpful advice.
Be sure to check out her website and Facebook Page. Tell her we sent you!

Now you’re ready to discover the easiest ways to upload videos for Facebook Parties!