Over at Anchor Advisors we’ve ventured into the age of YouTube, Vimeo and streaming video online and the results have been amazing. We are just 4 months into our YouTube experiment and have already logged over 1000 views! In particular we’ve had an overwhelming response to our new testimonial video collection. We’ve had a bunch of folks ask how we did it, so Devan and I created a post to so you can make your own. Here’s how:

Pick a client – and be picky!

Let’s face it – most of us are not born to be in the spotlight or on camera. You may have a great client, but would they come across well in a testimonial video? The best video testimonials come from clients who love the camera, or are very personable and articulate. You may have had a superb client, but they’re not very comfortable when facing a camera lens, or it’s hard to pull words out of their mouth in normal conversation. Before calling them up, make sure the client you’re asking the favor from is comfortable doing the video, and would be good for it. You don’t want to spend time and money on a video project that’s not going to work well, or that you won’t end up using.

Prepare!

This is super important. Make sure you brush up on the case with them and prepare a set of questions in an order that makes sense. It’s best to start off with a broad set of questions in the interview, such as talking about their background and their company. Even though you know you probably won’t use their responses in the final cut, it takes off some of the initial anxiety and pressure for having them talk about things they know best.

Don’t look at the camera!

Do not have them look at the camera! It makes for a superrrr awkward video. Sit at their level and right next to the camera. If you’re standing, their eyes will be looking up, which makes them look like they’re talking to a ceiling.

Make them feel comfortable.

Remember not to respond to them while they’re speaking, but give them lots of nods, smiles and reassuring body language. This makes it feel more like a conversation for them and they don’t feel like they’re talking to a wall. The more comfortable they are, the better the footage will come out.

Have them prepare… but not too much.

Send them a broad set of the questions you’ll be asking them so they have a gist of what to expect, but you want their responses to be genuine, not rehearsed. If they over prepare it’ll sound like a horrible late-night infomercial… and no one will take it at face value.

Don’t let the shoot go more than 20 minutes.

Try to collect no more than 15 or 20 minutes of footage. Otherwise it makes editing a pain! You’ll end up cutting the video down to 1-3 minutes as is, so if you have more than 20 minutes, it’ll take you forever to edit everything down. And besides that, there’s only so much they can say and you want to avoid rambling.

Don’t be afraid to have your interviewee repeat something.

You want to make sure you represent the client the best way possible, just as they want to represent you in the best way possible (otherwise they wouldn’t be agreeing to do the video!) Sometimes they’ll say something really really great, but it wasn’t very articulate. Have them say it again! They’ll want to say it again so they can come across better, and you’ll have better material. If they stumble over a sentence, have them pause and start over again – no one will know but you.

Lighting – the brighter the better!

You can’t always control it, but lighting makes a huge impact in the image quality of your video. It’s best to have natural lighting, but if it’s a cloudy day, you’ll see that the room will get darker and lighter, which makes for an inconsistent look in your final video. It’s something I found out the hard way – so be extra cautious of the space you film in and the quality of the lighting.

A word about tools

We shot our videos using a point-and-shoot video camera, an inexpensive tripod and edited with iMovie. So, you don’t need high cost tools to get good results. But, make sure your camera can shoot HD (even an iPhone can do that these days) and if you want that extra level of professionalism, use an external microphone to minimize background noises.

Video can be a great addition to your website and social media accounts. If video production seems too daunting for you to handle on your own or if you’re just too busy to do it yourself, Anchor Advisors is happy to help. Call us at 773-282-7677 or email us.

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Brad Farris is a small business advisor with Anchor Advisors, Ltd. in Chicago, Il. Since 2001 Anchor Advisors has been helping creative professional firms to grow, by helping them clarify their purpose, get the most from their people, keep their eye on key performance measures, and implement consistent processes. Brad is also the author of The Business Owner’s Champion: 6 Practices to Build your Nerve and your Business.