Creating videos can be time consuming and people are naturally nervous about their moment in the spotlight. But video content is increasingly preferred by social media audiences be it in a Facebook Live format, an Instagram Story or a Reel. Crucially, video helps you connect better with your customers, and helps them get to know you. Here’s some video tips to get you going.

It’s social media so people expect social videos to be a little rough around the edges. We’ve all got used to Zoom calls filled with technical hiccups, and making a fool of ourselves learning dance routines on TikTok. Your audience will appreciate the natural humanity of your posts. It’s absolutely fine to record videos on your smartphone. Portrait format is best for Instagram and Facebook Stories and for Instagram Reels. Use this type of video for showing people around your store, or showing off new products.

Denise Law of Law and Co is a dab hand at creating little Instagram tutorials of how to wear the products she stocks in store. You can replicate this approach on your smartphone for anything from recipes, workouts, beauty tutorials or home improvement. This is a great type of video to help your customers get to know you and what you’re good at.

You might want to invest in a stand or portable tripod for your phone in order to be able to make videos handsfree and set up your shots. You can pick up one of these online for less than £20. Most smartphones have a timer delay on their video apps, so once you’ve set yourself up, you can choose to give yourself ten seconds to get in position before the recording begins.

Warm up by rehearsing a couple of takes. Have a play around with angles, figure out where you need to stand or sit, and what you are going to say. And remember everyone loves a blooper reel or a rogue dog wandering into the shot. If all else fails, enlist the help of someone who's good at creating videos to practice with you.

Add your videos to your posts and see how they resonate with your audience. You’ll learn what works best as you go, so have some fun with it!