Business Video Blog: You Need a Microphone
Posted by Catie Foertsch on Wed, Jun 17, 2009 @ 07:13 AM
A video blog is great for promoting your business and establishing you as a thought leader. But before you dive in and buy your video camera, make sure it has the capability to accept an external microphone.
Higher-end cameras will accept a microphone through an xlr connection. Consumer cameras will acccept a microphone through a mini-jack (pictures of each connector are in the video.) You can even buy adapters, so you can use a mic with an xlr connector if your camera has a mini-jack input.
A microphone is so important because it will give you great-sounding audio. If you only use the camera's on-board mic, your audio is going to sound hollow and tinny and low-end. If your video blog's purpose is to promote your business, you definitely want your video to announce your quality and professionalism. The eye is more forgiving than the ear - mediocre-looking video is something we'll forgive if the sound is good. But great-looking video with low-end sound will be perceived as amateurish, and will distract from your content.
There are cases where using the on-board mic is perfectly appropriate. One example is when you attend a trade show or a seminar, and want to tape someone for your blog. A quick interview shot between presentations, a question asked in a trade show booth - we see the background and understand that you're 'in the field' and we forgive less than stellar audio. But if you're in your office or conference room, looking at the camera and speaking, or if you're using your camera to interview a customer or an expert in your field, lousy audio just says low end.
So before you buy your camera, take the time to check the specs (they're all available online) and make sure you can use an external microphone. It'll make a big difference in the video you create to promote your business.