Turn Your Smartphone Into A (Mini) Mobile HD Video Kit

Hi, I'm Cheryl Plouffe and I am a video marketer. I help rising star entrepreneurs to take their business to the next level and create really celebrity status around themselves with video online. So today I want to talk about video equipment, but specifically for your smartphone. Now, how many of you don't go anywhere without your smartphone? That's me. I go nowhere without it, and I've discovered along the way that there are some really some key pieces of equipment that you can purchase on a budget at that, so that's a bonus, but on a budget that allows you to turn your smartphone into what I really like to call and consider a mini mobile HD video kit so that no matter where you go, you'll always have the capability of producing excellent quality video with your smartphone. Smartphones are good enough in and of themselves, but if you want to take it to the next level, there are a few things that you can buy to really make it sing. So here's a snapshot from one of my free PDFs that I give away, and this is the part about turning your smartphone into a mini mobile HD video kit. And I put little images here of the equipment that you'll need to do it, or the things that I recommend. So let's go through the list, starting off on the top left with the multi-function tripod. This one here— and again, everything here is found on Amazon, so it's not difficult to find— but that particular multi-function tripod I really like I think it's $15, but what I like about it is that it has different functionality, obviously. So it's a tripod, it can be like a little desktop tripod. It can also be a monopod. It has a remote. It also has the adapter to clip your smartphone into that image on the far left. That's what holds your smartphone in place. So I really like that because it's a multifunction tripod and it's inexpensive and fantastic. Easily accessible. You can just get it on Amazon. The second thing there is the most important, I think the most important thing, and also really the most, really the best value, frankly, the clip-on LED light. This one here, it shows the image where it's clipping. There are different versions of this. I've seen different types. This is the one I own. I like it because it also has a USB plug-in, so you can plug it into your USB port and charge it that way. But it's a light that has 3 different levels of light. You click it, or you clip it on rather, to your smartphone, and it serves as just honestly the best thing I've ever bought. In fact, I want to buy a couple more to keep them around my house and my office and such. So that's another thing. The SmartLav microphone, option number 1 that you see on the bottom left, I own this one and it's okay. I actually, I found that the app wasn't necessarily the easiest thing to use, but the lav mic itself, I really like the concept of it because you plug it into your phone. Like, you actually plug it in and then clip it on. It's a lavalier mic, meaning it's the type that you clip onto your lapel, and when you use the app with it, it gives decent sound. But there's another option here I've provided with the microphone option 2, which is the Mikey Blue microphone. This one here is showing the Lightning adapter, so that's for the newer phones. Obviously you can get one that has— well, maybe not be obvious, but there is one that you can get that has the other, the older type of adapter for the smartphones, for iPhone, for example. So this microphone option number I personally like this one better, but I wanted to give you two options there. And I can't recall the prices. You'd have to look online to see what they are, but it's called the Mikey Blue Microphone. And then the third option here on the far right-hand side is a microphone option that actually serves different purposes. For those students of mine who have home-based or office-based studio where they're creating videos for YouTube and for Facebook and longer format videos, not just quick status updates, I suggest this microphone for them. This is what I use personally to make my YouTube videos. But what's great about this, if you use it with the adapter that I show at the top here, that U-shaped adapter cord, you can actually use this microphone both ways. Like, you can use it with your smartphone, and then you can also use it with your digital camera, your DSLR camera that you're using at home to create videos. So it serves dual purpose. So for that reason, it may be a good option. That microphone, it's an Audio-Technica ATR3350. And it's, I think, $30. The adapter is $25. So for less than $55, you've got yourself an amazing dual-purpose microphone that gives you amazing audio quality. So there you have it. It's really not that complicated, nor is it that expensive. Just a few key pieces of equipment that you can have on hand to help you create quality video when you're out on the road, when you're mobile. I know for me, I'm often at the ballpark, I'm at the rink, and there are times when I could be creating videos if I'm so inspired. What I would suggest you do is just get a little— it can be like a little cosmetic bag, something cute, okay? A little cosmetic bag that you would get and then put all the pieces of equipment in there and then keep it either in your car or in your purse even so that you always have it at the ready. If you enjoyed this video, please share it with a friend or family member who's also trying to build their business and making videos and maybe wants to take their business to the next level. I really would appreciate that. And if you are on my blog at CherylPlouffe.com, Be sure to take advantage of the free gifts that I offer there. If you're watching on YouTube, then give me a thumbs up or thumbs down, whatever. Thumbs up, thumbs down, some kind of reaction on the YouTube channel, and be sure to subscribe as well. Thank you so much for watching, and I will see you in the next video.