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The Switcher team is pretty picky about the conferences we go to. And as a marketer, you may also find it hard to decide which ones are worth your time and budget to attend. Luckily, we’ve found some that we really like and find a lot of value in attending. Here are the top four for the Switcher team:

Let’s face it: If a video doesn’t look great, you tune out. Good lighting is one of the key components to creating better-looking video. If you shoot without thinking about lighting, the end result can be full of contrasting colors, shadows, and a range of other lighting problems.

To give you an idea of what I mean, here is what Switcher's studio looks like before and after we add lights:

Last week we talked about why native LinkedIn video is so important for B2B companies. It combines the targeting power of a B2B platform with the performance power of native video posts. But even if you’re sold on its potential, you may not be sure where to start when it comes to adding LinkedIn video to your marketing plan. The specific videos you choose to create will depend on the business goals you’ve established for your marketing efforts, but here are a few all-purpose video ideas perfect for building your brand:

Prior to late 2017, the only way to post videos to LinkedIn was by sharing YouTube and Vimeo links. These days, however, videos can be created and posted natively on LinkedIn and from within LinkedIn's mobile app itself. Native LinkedIn videos perform better in user feeds than shared YouTube links, allowing more people to see and view your content. Posting videos can help you build trust, reinforce your brand, and give others a look into who you are and how you operate. They also convey emotion better than text content. Here's a look at how to add videos to LinkedIn — whether on your profile, pages, and groups.

For companies using content marketing to drive traffic and generate leads, it’s important not to overlook the unique value that LinkedIn offers. As a social media platform, LinkedIn is particularly useful for B2B marketers, allowing you to leverage your industry contacts to increase reach. Couple this with the power of native video posts and you have yourself a winning combo: engaging, high-performing content reaching targeted audiences. Here are a few reasons it’s time to add LinkedIn video to your marketing strategy if you haven't already done so:

Going live for the first time? Hold up! Before you hit that stream button, there are a couple things you should consider. Not to brag, but we’ve gone live a few times in our day — and have run into problems along the way. Here’s a quick list of the logistics we cover before we go live and recommend you do, too.

This is the fourth post in our Live Video Content Strategy series, helping you craft a strategy for your live videos.

I recently became a first-time homeowner, taking on all the responsibilities that this entails. My husband and I bought a flipped house, so there’s not much more work to be done immediately, save for one big project: salvaging a severely water-logged yard. The problem is, we know absolutely nothing about lawn care. Enter the MAGIC OF YOUTUBE.

After a single search, we came across a video of a sweet old landscaper with a Boston accent teaching a homeowner how to install an underground drain in his own water-logged yard. We found the video so calming and informative (maybe we’re weird) that we literally sat on the couch and watched three additional videos of the old Bostonian landscaper helping people implement different types of drainage solutions in their yards.

Now this is a man who has found his niche.

Whether you’re a veteran livestreamer or a beginner leveling up your video game, it’s important to consider the tools you need to create truly exceptional live videos. These days, a smartphone is really the only gear you need to pull off a live broadcast. There are dozens of platforms making it increasingly easy to go live directly from your phone.

Not all live videos are created with equal production value, however. Who hasn’t watched a video whose creator didn’t think to stabilize their nauseating hand-held camera? Or one in which the person talking is so far away from the camera that you can’t even understand what they’re trying to say? Or, my personal favorite, one in which the video starts out vertical and ends up sideways after the first 5 seconds? Then you have to lock your phone’s screen rotation and hold it funny so it keeps playing — I mean, are we all just supposed to lay on our sides to watch this?

With a few best practices, it’s not hard to create awesome videos with your smartphone, ones that will make your audience keep watching rather than throw their phones against the wall. Below I’ve covered the basic gear you need to create great livestreams, but don’t worry if you’re not ready to invest in any gadgets yet — I also convey several free ways to improve your videos.

Today we’re rolling out Switcher Studio 4.0, the biggest update in a year for the live video-creation platform. The rollout introduces user-requested extensions like Video Chat and Scoreboard as well as a number of user experience improvements. The Switcher platform is getting more powerful and more customizable, ensuring users go live with confidence. To take advantage of all the latest features, make sure your devices are updated to iOS 12.

This is the third post in our Live Video Content Strategy series, helping you craft a strategy for your live videos.

Being a good conversationalist is all about knowing a) whether the information you’re relaying is interesting and b) whether the person you’re talking to cares. Surely you’ve had the experience of being stuck in a conversation with a bad conversationalist, someone intent on relaying the minutiae of their obscure hobby despite your obvious lack of interest. If you’re like me, you nod politely while also sidling away from the talker slowly.