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However, it’s not quite as easy as a simple point and shoot. Poor quality sound dramatically increases the chance that viewers will click away from your video before reaching the end. And that makes sense: imagine going to a play but only hearing the actors’ voices intermittently! You’d probably leave, too.

But the truth is, unless you want to go for the handheld-special-effects genre so dear to certain television programs, you’re going to want something steadier. That can make all the difference between an amateur-looking video and a professional-looking one.

And guess which one your prospective clients or customers will want to watch?

Enter the tripod, a deceptively simple accessory that will make that difference for you.

Architects, artists, and pageant directors have all been concerned with beauty in one way or another.

Website designers, not so much.

When did we decide that something that is beautiful is somehow not professional? Or marketable?

You may be aware of the content curation site Upworthy. Upworthy’s videos go viral in seconds and are shared and re-shared all over the world. Why? Because they appeal to people’s emotions. And video is the best vehicle to appeal to emotions. It’s far superior in moving people to laugh, cry, learn, get mad, and take action. Video may be the world’s best storyteller, and storytellers always appeal to their audience’s emotions.

Consumers are immersed in video and are increasingly becoming more accustomed to the richer online experience of watching videos. Studies have shown that conversions increase when businesses use videos.

Of course, the emphasis has to be on that caveat: when done well.

Let’s start with the strategy. Why do you want to use humor? Is your product or service one that lends itself to humor? Will making people laugh make them want to purchase? If the answer is no, then don’t make a humorous video. After all, you’re not making it for you, you’re making it for them.

If, however, the answer is yes, then let’s talk about how to do it. There are in fact a number of good reasons to use humor in marketing:

1. Pre-production planning. Hollywood moviemakers never begin shooting without planning out everything in advance, and neither should you. Planning before you shoot your video is called pre-production. It doesn’t have to be complicated: write out a “shot list” (a list of shots you want to capture), or script the monologue you want to have. Pre-planning will make sure that you don’t miss anything: it helps you keep track of what you’ve shot and what you haven’t yet done.

In many ways, mobile is in fact the new black… and people are using their mobile devices more and more lately to view videos. Understanding the needs of smartphone and tablet users will help you understand how best to reach them with your video ad.

Let’s face it: selling is all about communicating, and video is one of the best communication techniques around. Why tell when you can show?

But even visual stories are still just that—stories. And the challenge of sales is to tell your story in a way that differentiates you from all the other stories, that makes you stand out from the competition.

If you’ve spent any amount of time at all in front of a television, you’ve seen ads. Some are clever; some fall flat. Some make you want to buy the product and some make you wish with all your heart that the ad would end.

They all have one thing in common: they started with a script.