The Best Equipment for Making Sales and Marketing Videos

In this recap of a recent video from Dubb Support, we spend some time discussing the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos. Whether you are looking to buy your first piece of video equipment or are looking to upgrade a specific piece of equipment, we have you covered. If you would like to view the video in its entirety, go ahead and click on the play button above. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

Have you been looking for the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos? If so, you have come to the right place. In this blog post, we are going to take a deep dive into the different types of equipment that you can make for all of your sales and marketing videos. 

The great news here is that you have plenty of options to choose from. Regardless of your budget, you can find fantastic pieces of equipment to record stunning sales videos. Whether you want to create a one-to-one sales video for an important prospect or a sales video for a much larger group of cold prospects, these pieces of equipment can help you get the job done. 

In the end, I hope that you find this post useful. If you have any questions about this post or how you can use this equipment in conjunction with Dubb, I encourage you to contact our team. We would be happy to help as you search for the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos. 

The Power of Simplicity

Before getting into the specifics of the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos, I want to take a step back. There is a larger point to be made here about investing in equipment and making sales and marketing videos. The point comes down to simplicity and it is a point that you should keep at the top of mind as you are creating your sales and marketing videos. 

At Dubb, we try to keep things extremely simple. Our philosophy is document, don’t record. You want to be shooting and sharing content as much as you possibly can. That content needs to be valuable and needs to fill some job in your viewers’ lives, whether that is a functional job, social job, or emotional job. Whichever job that you are fulfilling, you must make sure that you are adding value and that you aren’t wasting your audience’s time. If you violate either of these principles, you will find that your sales and marketing videos will fall flat. 

Because of this, one of the worst things that can happen is that you overanalyze the tech and equipment that you are purchasing. Granted, it is all too easy to spend hours and hours looking at different types of equipment. On some level, it makes sense. If you are operating on a tight budget, you want to make sure that you are purchasing the best equipment for you, your company, and your company’s needs. But on the other side of that coin, there is only so much research that you can do before you start hitting diminishing returns. The more time you spend looking for the “right” camera or microphone, the less time you have to create awesome content for members of your audience. This makes it more likely that you will create subpar sales and marketing videos, which will make all of this hard work for naught. 

I think a better way to go about this is to use a simplicity filter when looking for video equipment. Think about the simplest equipment setup that you can use to get the results you need. In nearly every instance, you don’t need to invest in the most expensive equipment or the equipment with the most bells and whistles. In fact, you may be using some of the best equipment right now. 

I encourage you to keep this thought in mind as we are going through my list of the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos. Yes, this is an important part of the creative process, but the more important part is creating valuable videos for your audience. Even if you are using the most expensive equipment, you won’t be able to reach your goals if you aren’t delivering value. However, if you are delivering value, you can use arguably “subpar” equipment and still accomplish your goals. 

With all of that said, let’s jump into the equipment. 

Our Choices For the Best Equipment for Making Sales and Marketing Videos

All of the products and general categories that I am going to mention can be found on Amazon, other third-party marketplaces, or the websites of the actual companies. Using any of these resources, you should be able to find the equipment that I am discussing. 

Tripods

For starters, I want to talk about tripods. At Dubb, I like to use a simple selfie tripod that I found from Blitzwolf. The cool thing about this tripod is that it is extremely versatile. Once you put your phone onto the tripod, you can use it in different ways. It can hold the phone as you are physically holding it with your hand. You may want to use the tripod as a selfie stick when you are recording video content wherever you are. The tripod can also be used as a stabilizer, letting you easily record walk-and-talk shots. At the same time, there is an opener at the bottom of the tripod which lets it stand up on a desk or any other type of flat surface. Essentially, this lets you use it as a traditional stationary tripod. This is a great option if you are recording a sales video from your desk or another stationary position. 

Another great feature of this tripod is that it has a trigger switch. Basically, this is a simple Bluetooth trigger switch that connects to your phone through Bluetooth. Once you are connected, you can easily stop and start your videos. It is an extremely convenient way of beginning to record your videos. 

You may have experienced this, but when you are recording video content on your phone, you naturally have to push the record button to get started. By pushing the record button, however, the start of your video may look a little awkward. It can shake your phone and make your videos look overly abrupt. Using this trigger switch, however, you can seamlessly begin and stop your videos. Not only does it make your video more polished, but it makes for a better recording experience on your end. 

Stabilizers

Next, I want to talk a little more about stabilizers. As I mentioned above, my tripod can act as a stabilizer when I’m recording videos while walking. At the same time, I also have a separate stabilizer that lets me create walk-and-talk videos. This stabilizer helps me create clean, smooth tracking shots that I can use when recording outside of the office. 

Basically, the stabilizer I use is a simple gimbal that easily holds my smartphone. The stabilizer also extends and lets me place a tripod stand underneath the stabilizer. One of the cooler features of this stabilizer is that it has subject tracking. This means that if you take out your camera and click on the subject that you want to track, the stabilizer will help your camera follow the subject. In other words, the actual motor within the stabilizer is going to help your camera follow what you want it to follow. This is really useful if you are filming a presentation. Even if you are filming a video of you standing or pacing, you can use this feature to get the best possible shots from your camera. 

With all of that said, I wouldn’t say that a stabilizer is a required device. It’s just nice to have if you are recording videos that aren’t stationary. In other words, if you see yourself recording video content while you are working or delivering some type of speech or presentation, you may want to think about investing in a stabilizer. However, I wanted to include it in this list of the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos because it can make your videos really pop. If you are trying to make really clean action videos for your audience, I’d definitely recommend that you look at a stabilizer. 

AirPods

Now, I want to talk about a piece of equipment that you may already have. If you are an Apple user, you probably already own a pair of AirPods. Simply put, AirPods are fantastic. If you walk through any major city, you can see countless numbers of people walking around with AirPods in their ears. Whether they are making business calls or are listening to their favorite podcasts, AirPods provide the background noise to our lives.

AirPods aren’t just there to entertain us or keep us hooked up to conference calls. They can also be great microphones for when you are recording your sales and marketing videos. Whether you are making a selfie video or are recording when you are walking to work, your AirPods can do some heavy lifting as you are creating content. The audio quality is good and it is really easy to get started. 

One of the more interesting things to note here is that AirPods don’t work on the native Apple camera app. So if you see a YouTube or LinkedIn video where the speaker is wearing AirPods, that speaker either doesn’t know that the native camera app isn’t recording AirPods’ microphone or they are using a third-party camera app which lets them record with their AirPods mic. At Dubb, we use a third-party camera app called FiLMiC Pro. FiLMiC Pro is a $13.99 app that you can find in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The cool thing about this app is that you can connect your Bluetooth device as the active microphone. Once you have done that, you are essentially ready to record. 

Granted, if you don’t have AirPods or don’t want to invest in Mac products, you can use any other type of Bluetooth microphone. The point is that Apple’s AirPods (or any other Bluetooth microphone) can be a great way to capture audio in your sales and marketing videos. Whether you are creating a stationary video or are capturing content while you are outside the office, these are indispensable tools that can make your life easier. Better yet, you don’t need to solely use them when you are recording sales and marketing videos. Whether you are taking work calls on your iPhone or are listening to a podcast on your way to work, your AirPods can get a lot of use. 

Lavalier Microphones

Next, I want to talk about lavalier microphones. At Dubb, we have invested in a Rode lavalier wired microphone. Lavalier microphones are great because they can record high-quality audio wherever you are. Lavalier microphones are clipped onto an individual’s clothing, making them great options to record if you are at a conference, at your desk, or somewhere else. 

Along with its utility is its ease of use. This microphone has an adapter, meaning that you can plug it into a phone, computer, or camera. To plug it into an iPhone, however, you will need to purchase a simple adapter. You can go to Apple’s website and find the eight-inch connector that you will need. Once you have that connector, you will just need to plug the Rode lavalier microphone’s adapter into the connector and you’ll be good to go. 

Another important thing to note is that Rode’s lavalier microphone includes an extension cord. It is around ten feet in length and can be helpful if you want to record from a distance. For instance, what you can do is plug the microphone and its extension cord into your laptop and then conduct a seated interview with one of your colleagues. You can even wear the lavalier microphone and then use a handheld microphone to interview someone interesting at an industry conference. Whatever you choose, a lavalier microphone can give you the flexibility to record high-quality audio wherever you are. 

Cameras

We could spend days talking about the different types of cameras that you can use when recording video content. That said, I just want to spend a few moments talking about three different types of cameras. As we do so, however, keep the point about simplicity in mind. 

For starters, you can use your smartphone as a camera. If you are brand new to creating sales and marketing content, I actually recommend that you use your iPhone (or other smartphone) to capture video from the start. Your smartphone camera is extremely versatile. You can simply hold it in your hand and record a selfie sales video to one of your key prospects. You can place your iPhone on a tripod and record a high-quality sales video from your desk. Or you can place your iPhone on a stabilizer and record more dynamic shots. Whatever you choose, smartphone cameras are easy to use and increasingly sophisticated. If you don’t know much about photography or videography and want to make sales or marketing videos, I recommend that you get started with your smartphone. Once you are comfortable making videos with your smartphone, you can then move on and invest in other types of cameras. 

To record video content at Dubb, we also use the native webcams on our devices. Whether you have a Mac or PC, your native webcam is good enough to get started with your marketing and sales videos. While the video quality may not be as good as some other camera that you’ve purchased, it can be sufficient in certain circumstances. For instance, you can use your webcam to record a valuable screen recording for a specific member of your audience. If that audience member has some questions about using your digital product or service, you can record your screen and use your native webcam to record your face. Then, you can include that recording of your face on one of the corners of the screen. This is just one potential application and it shows that you can use the equipment you already have to create great sales and marketing videos.

Finally, at Dubb, we enjoy using the GoPro 4K camera. This is one of the GoPro cameras that has a screen on the back. This camera is cool because it lets you easily record quick videos. This camera lets you record at a wide angle, which is particularly good for action photography and action videos. However, if you want to film a tight shot of a subject, this camera may not be as great of an investment. Keep this in mind if you are looking at investing in this camera. If you aren’t planning on shooting many wide angle shots, this may not be the camera for you.  

Lighting

Finally, I want to spend a few moments talking about lighting. Lighting is an important part of making any type of video. At the same time, this doesn’t mean that you need to invest in some extremely expensive lighting equipment to get the benefit of good lighting.

What I would recommend is that you look into some selfie lights. There are different types of selfie lights. There are the big selfie lights that sit on tripods and that are more suited for a permanent studio. Then, there are selfie lights that you can snap onto your phone. These can be helpful, but it can be more difficult to record with these lights if you are on the go. 

You can also go beyond selfie lights and purchase some USB lights. These are lights that can directly plug into your computer. These lights will illuminate and soften your face when you are speaking to the camera. If you record from a dark room or studio, these types of USB lights can go a long way in making your videos look much better. On the other hand, if your studio lighting is already sufficient, you may not need to invest in an USB light. The good news is that these lights are relatively cheap, so you don’t need to break the bank to make this purchase. 

While it may not seem like a big deal, great lighting can make your sales and marketing videos that much more engaging. By contrast, if your sales videos are unnecessarily dark, you are placing an unnecessary obstacle in your path. 

Taking Advantage of the Best Equipment for Making Sales and Marketing Videos

These pieces of equipment can offer plenty of benefits. For starters, they make the content creation process that much easier. By being able to record with your smartphone and AirPods, for instance, you can create beautiful content wherever you are. Even if you are recording a sales video from your desk, you can use your laptop webcam or a combination of your smartphone and a tripod to get the job done. 

Along with this, this list of best equipment can help you make professional videos. I believe that the word “professional” is still being misused when it relates to sales and marketing videos. In the past, a “professional” sales and marketing video was one where you hired actors, spent weeks on a script, and invested a significant amount of money to record and edit the video. Now, you can simply use the equipment referenced above and start shooting. By doing so, you can save cash and create professional videos that actually convert. Here, you are really getting the best of both worlds. The only obstacles are actually taking out your equipment to record and to consistently deliver high-quality video content to your audience. 

Another important thing here is to be documenting everything. Write down what is and isn’t working with your equipment. Above all else, make sure that you are out there creating and releasing video content. As I stated at the beginning of this post, it is all too easy to get into the weeds of the equipment you’re using and the equipment you could be using. Instead of that, you should be focusing on the stories that you want to tell and building relationships with the members of your audiences. That is what is going to separate you from your competitors and help you reach your sales and marketing goals. 

In the end, it’s critical to keep this dynamic in mind. It is the combination of this best equipment and your storytelling ability that is going to unlock immense value here. You and your colleagues have an immense amount of control here, so make sure that you are being strategic here. I wish you the best of luck!

At Dubb, we are constantly thinking about topics like the best equipment for making sales and marketing videos. If you have any questions about this post, sales videos, marketing videos, or anything else, you can contact us by clicking here. You can also click here to learn more about Dubb and click here to sign up for a free 14-day trial of our premium plans.