“Do I need a professional presenter for my corporate video?” is a question that’s come up several times with my clients and contacts over the last couple of weeks so I thought I’d share my advice here. I shared it on Periscope too today as I’m starting to use it more for video blogging so you can either watch the recording here or ready the summary below. If you could let me know which you prefer in the comments below that will help me guage whether it’s worth sharing Periscopes this way in future.  And if you want to follow me on Periscope so you can take part in my scopes, I’m @lindascannell.

I know I bang on about always holding your phone horizontally but you have to film it vertically for Periscope at the moment.  And I am interacting with the viewers so, without the comments, some bits might not make sense :-)

Here’s the summary:

Should I use a professional presenter or voiceover artist in my business video?

It depends on what you’re selling:

• If you’re selling a product that’s a one off purchase and you’re not interested in building an ongoing business relationship with potential clients, then a professional voiceover artist or presenter would be fine.
• If you’re selling a service, then it’s much better for you and your staff to get in front of the camera as you’ll be showing off your personalities and starting to build that relationship before your potential client has met you in person.

But I might put potential clients off …

As long as you’re coming over on video in the same way as you do in real life, then that’s a good thing. It’s a great way of filtering out the clients who don’t gel with you and attracting the clients that do.

But I’m awful on video …

Most people are awkward to start off with.  It is a skill and you do need to practice to get better, but it doesn’t take a lot of effort to improve dramatically.  Which is why I include an online camera confidence course for anyone who comes along to my smartphone video course – just a few minutes a day for a week or so is usually all it takes to become yourself on camera.  And if you’re getting clients when you meet people in real life as long as you’re the same on camera, you’ll be fine.

If you’re still not happy with how you sound …

Accept that you don’t sound the same to other people as you do to yourself.  It’s to do with the way the sound resonates around your head.  If you really want to change your voice in some way, it’s worth consulting a voice coach (I recommend Priscilla Morris who runs Loud and Clear Voice Coaching)  But if your friends tell you your videos sound like you in real life, then try not to worry about it.

If you’re not happy with how look …

Experiment with wearing different colours and styles as they make a huge difference to how you look on camera.  If you’re struggling to get it right, it’s worth consulting a stylist as, usually for the price of one good outfit, you can get advice on what will work for you and your brand so you won’t waste money on clothes that aren’t right. Marie Haycocks from Certanovo provides my course clients with an excellent advice sheet so do check out her image consultancy and confidence services.

If you want any help or advice with your corporate or DIY video, do get in touch.