Top Video Tips for your Outdoor Business

Why Video Is Worth Your Time 

First things first: video isn’t just for viral dances or influencer hauls. In the outdoor industry – especially when you’re selling high-end products or services – video is your secret weapon. 

Here’s why it works: 

• It builds trust fast. Affluent buyers aren’t just buying a pergola or outdoor kitchen. They’re buying you—your knowledge, your professionalism, your attention to detail. A well-crafted video shows them exactly who they’d be working with. 
• It increases time on site. A video on your website (like a team intro, install walkthrough, or client story) keeps visitors around longer, which helps your SEO and boosts conversions. 

Bottom line? Video helps buyers feel more confident saying yes—and that’s the whole point. 

How to Shoot Better Videos With Your Phone 

If the idea of filming yourself makes you want to crawl under a fire pit cover and hide, take a breath. This doesn’t have to be overwhelming. 

Here are 9 tactical tips to make video creation easier, faster, and (dare we say it) even fun: 

1. Clean Your Lens
   Smudges = low-quality. Wipe with a cloth (or your shirt if you must).
2. Use Natural Light
   Shoot near a window or outside. Avoid harsh sunlight and never shoot with the light behind you.
3. Grab a Few Tools
   Must-haves: tripod, phone mount, and a clip-on mic. We’ve listed our faves later in this document.
4. Be On Camera the Right Way
   • First, stand up straight.
   • Second, after the record button is pressed, look into the camera lens (not at your face staring back at you) and give yourself just a beat before talking. Do the same thing at the end of the video too – give yourself a beat before ending the recording.
   • Even if you’ve got a mic, it isn’t magic. You’ve got to project your voice and speak clearly, with confidence and energy. And remember to smile! 

5. Start With a Hook
   Your first sentence should grab attention. Don’t start your video with, “Hey everybody – I’m John Smith from ABC Landscaping.” That is not going to hold attention. Instead, figure out what first few words are going to have your audience wanting more. Examples are, “Your hydrangeas do NOT want to be pruned right now,” or “3 tips for choosing the ideal pool size for your family.” Don’t bury the lead—start strong and get to the point immediately.

6. Record in Short Bursts
   Write your script in separate one-sentence lines instead of a paragraph, and record each sentence individually. That way, you only have to remember one sentence at a time. It makes it infinitely easier to get through everything you want to say.  

7. Record in Instagram
   • Instead of saving every video – even the bloopers – record your videos in Instagram stories, and only save the ones you want to keep. Open Instagram, click on “add story,” and in the menu, select the “hands free” option to record a video without having to keep your finger on the screen. Record the first sentence of your video.
   • If it’s a keeper, click the three dots in the upper right hand corner of the screen and click save. This saves that video to your phone’s camera roll. If you messed up and it’s not a keeper, just click the X in the upper left corner and discard that version. You won’t post anything to Instagram, and when you’re done recording, you’ll have your good videos – and only your good videos – saved to your camera roll to string together.  

8. Edit for Engagement
   Now that you’re ready to edit all those video clips together, you’ve got to do so in a way that keeps peoples’ interest.
   Each clip should begin as you’re opening your mouth to speak and should end as the last word out of your mouth is finishing. This removes any dead air and makes your video flow nicely.  

9. Add Titles + Captions
   85% of users scroll with the sound off. Use tools like CapCut or Instagram’s auto-captioning to make sure your message still comes across.

10 Easy Video Ideas 

1. “Did You Know?” Tip – Quick education moment, e.g., “Did you know using LED for outdoor lighting saves 80% on energy?” 
2. Common Mistake – “Most people make this mistake when choosing outdoor countertops…” 
3. Client Story –  This is where storytelling comes in. Talk about a past client and how your product or service helped them. 
4. Hot Trend Alert – Talk about something trending, like a specific style of outdoor patio furniture cushions or “smart irrigation systems.” 
5. Meet the Team – Short intro of a team member, but we like to do this a little differently and get them to answer 10 random questions as fast as they can. 
6. FAQ Answered – Pick a question you hear all the time and answer it on camera. 
7. Tool/Product Demo – Show a cool feature on a product or a tool in action. 
8. “Why We Do What We Do” – This is a 60-second mission video. Get personal and show who your business is. 
9. Seasonal update – Give an update to viewers based on the season. For instance, let them know that spring is not the time to prune hydrangeas.  
10. Cautionary tale – if you’ve dealt with something recently that might help potential clients, talk about it on camera. Maybe it’s that both decision makers need to decide on a budget BEFORE the meeting with the designer.  

You can adapt these to your business, and use them over and over with new focuses to give your ideal clients value. 

Recap 

Video doesn’t have to be scary, overwhelming, or perfect. It just needs to be real. Start with one idea. Use your phone. Speak directly to the clients you want. You’ll get better each time you do it.