YouTube videos are important to our expert-positioning efforts. Ideally, we should be uploading highly entertaining, highly informative videos, which target our specific desired followers with precisely the kind of content they are interested in. The more we give away for free, the more we build our tribes of believing followers. Do it regularly and with excellence, and tribes beget tribes, as people share and recommend your videos to others. 

Last week I gave a tip for improving sound quality. This week, let's talk about lighting. 

I shoot my own videos at home, against a wall that has been painted green. This allows me to edit in any background I want afterwards. In theory, I could even pull a 'Shakira dancing amid the horses' if I wished to. 

With a little online research, I've discovered that the optimal way to light your shoots is using (at least) three separate light sources (I'm using relatively inexpensive LED's). Organise them in a pyramid-shape, with one facing you from your left, one facing you from your right, and one behind you, filling in shadows. You may wish to experiment a little with light angles, and if the light is too bright, you could even consider shining it upwards at the ceiling so that it bounces down onto you, or move the light back until the effect is less harsh. Ideally, you should still have a very small amount of shadow beneath your nose, as opposed to a total wash-out of bright light. 

Below is the video I shot this week, which talks about u-turns and the art of strategic rule-breaking. The background is a static visual of a wooden surface, which I edited in after the shoot using 'iMovie' for Mac. While my lighting is not yet perfect, it's a darn sight better than it's ever been before. 

And that's what we should keep aiming for: Research and improvement, in a continual loop. 

Continue to raise the standard of your videos, and you will be perceived as ever more professional. Professional says 'premium,' and professional says 'industry leader.' Keep raising your standards until you are seen as the greatest in your game. 

Douglas Kruger is a professional keynote speaker at conferences around the world. He specialises in disruptive innovation and expert-positioning, helping brands to become more memorable than their competitors’. See him in action, or sign up for his motivational newsletter, at www.douglaskruger.co.za. Book him to present for your leadership team: email info@douglaskrugerspeaker.com