You don’t need a huge budget or fancy technology to create great videos about your contracting business. Most phones shoot in HD. It’s one of the best things you can do in terms of marketing your business in today’s day and age, where videos are becoming an increasingly important part of the online experiences and the way that people find new companies to do business with, and that includes hardwood floor contractors because your projects are, by nature, visual.

Here are some tips for making videos about your contracting business:

• Use your phone. Yes, an ultra-HD video camera is nice to have. But it’s not necessary. You don’t have to hire someone to record videos for you or shell out a ton of money for a nice camera (although if you have the budget, go for it!). Stellar videos can be recorded with almost any phone. In fact, while we have an in-house video production team for our more complicated YouTube videos, we use cell phones to record our Instagram Live and Facebook Live videos. As long as your phone can shoot in HD, you’ll have a video that you can be proud of in no time. Plus, certain phones like the iPhone have built-in editing tools that are quite robust, making it easy to trim your videos and perform other simple edits right on your phone. If you’d like to invest more, you can also consider buying a simple phone tripod which will keep the phone steady as you record.
  
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. While it’s important to consider things like lighting and making sure there aren’t any distracting objects in the background of your video, you shouldn’t have to worry about editing too much, especially since you’re probably already strapped for time. The best way to save time is to post your video straight to social and/or a video hosting service like YouTube. Remember that you’ll get better at recording with time, and the best way to start improving is to do just that: start!
• Highlight different services, products, and equipment. If the majority of jobs you do are refinishing, highlight that process in one video and full installations in another. If you use eco-friendly products, use a video to explain the benefits of using them. If you offer dustless sanding, talk about that process in another video. Thinking about your offerings creatively will give you a ton of different ideas for content, and each topic can have its own video––the more videos, the better!
• Go live. Use Facebook Live or Instagram Live as tools to connect with your audience in real-time. This gives your content an air of authenticity. With no time to edit the video, there’s an element of surprise for your audience. There’s the added benefit of the fact that Facebook and Instagram prioritize live content, so you’ll likely reach more people with a live video than you would by posting a pre-recorded video (and remember that pre-recorded video is better than a text-and-picture based post). Just because you’re going live doesn’t mean that you have to show up unprepared. Prepare an outline of your video beforehand which you can easily reference during the video. And remember that things don’t have to be perfect!

Here are a few ideas to kick-start your creative process:

• Project walkthrough. Take out your phone on the jobsite and talk about the progress, what’s going on right now while you’re recording (as long as the machines aren’t too loud to hear what you’re saying), what products and equipment you’re using for that particular job, the type of floor you’re installing, and how you worked with the homeowner to ensure that their needs were met.
• Price quotes. Walk through what customers can expect when getting a price quote from your company – what the initial consultation entails, and what you account for in your quotes.
• Customer testimonials. Ask your satisfied customers for a quick testimonial that you can put up on your website, social media, and on YouTube to boost your credibility as a business.
• Before and after video. This is an especially good idea if you’re doing a project that involves a dramatic transformation, such as going from run-down shag carpet to a beautiful walnut wide plank floor.
• Frequently asked questions. If you tend to get the same questions over and over again from your customers, whether it’s about your process or hardwood floors in general, why not sit down in front of the camera and address them one-by-one? Chances are, other customers and potential customers have the same questions, and you’ll be able to display your authority on the subjects discussed.
• Aftercare. Share some tips for your customers after their floors have been installed – e.g. how to keep moisture levels in check and how to properly clean their floors. This is a win-win because your customers receive helpful pointers (hopefully you leave them with an aftercare sheet when you’re done at the jobsite as well), and you reduce your chances of receiving callbacks.
•  Consider new platforms. Posting content on a newly popular social media platform like TikTok can give you a bit of a leg up on your competition. Whereas Instagram and Facebook already have a ton of contractors posting and advertising their businesses, an app like TikTok doesn’t have as many doing so, which gives you a good chance of dominating a niche and attracting a lot of attention.

Have you recorded videos about your business? How were they received by your audience? Why not try pulling out your phone next time you’re on a jobsite?