The Visual Lounge

The main aim of customer education content is often to help customers overcome the odd hiccup or knowledge gap. But a truly successful customer education strategy does so much more than that.Customer education is also a business strategy focused on keeping customers happy so that they return to your products again and again. Simply put, good customer education can be instrumental to scaling your business.Daniel Quick is a master in customer education with over 20 years of experience designing learning, delivering training, and building customer education programs. His background includes leading customer education at Optimizely, Asana, and now Thought Industries.Daniel joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share how organizations can create customer education strategies that better serve their users and their business, and how to create customer education content that is effective and efficient.Learning points from the episode include:What makes a good customer educatorHow to demonstrate and find value in customer educationTwo strategies to scale your business with customer educationHow to help customers in their moment of needThe role video plays in customer educationHow repurposing can explode your customer education content opportunitiesThe effect talking head videos can have on your customersHow to use gamification within your customer education strategyImportant links and mentions:Optimizely AcademyThought IndustriesDaniel’s LinkedInCustomer Education Slack channelEmail us: thevisuallounge@techsmith.comLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, click here.

We get a lot of questions from folks who are just starting out about how to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to video equipment.It can be very hard to know what to spend money on.In this episode, Matt Pierce, Andy Owen, and Justin Simon go over where they each would invest in gear.Do you want more tips on creating videos? You can easily watch and search past episodes here. You can also find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

When it comes to team communication, sometimes speed is the most important factor. A busy organization can save hours and hours of working time collectively by hosting a simple 30-minute meeting. Email and instant message solutions like Slack are the go-to options for internal communication day-to-day, but even those have their downsides.In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Sherri Powers, VP of Marketing at TechSmith talks about how video communication can save time.Short videos and simple screen recordings can often get the message across faster and more efficiently than email or in-person meetings. Sherri breaks down the math in this episode to show you how much time you could save if you embrace video.Learning points from the episode include:Why you should always try to use data to back up your messageHow email can be overly polished when compared to videoWhy video can convey more personality than written requestsHow much time you can save by opting for video over physical meetingsWhy you should try video if you’re already used to doing in-person presentationsImportant links and mentions:Camtasia SnagitLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, click here.

Lighting can make or break a video.It's crucial to get good lighting for videos, especially when it comes to being on camera.In this episode, Matt Pierce, Andy Owen, and Justin Simon talk about the different lighting options we use when we record a video - and walk you through how you can do the same!Do you want more tips on creating videos? You can easily watch and search past episodes here.You can also find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Have you ever thought about the best ways to communicate with your team?Many businesses put their heart and soul into crafting the best ways to get their message across to customers. But when it comes to internal communications, it’s often overlooked.In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Austin Norton (Project Manager) and David Patton (Partnership Marketing Specialist) from TechSmith join to discuss the importance of great communication in your team. Austin and David talk about using simple screenshots or videos to get messages across much faster and clearer. They take us through their different approaches to creating internal videos and explain how the era of remote work has affected our willingness to be on camera.Learning points from the episode include:Why screenshots are often a faster and easier way to communicateThe importance of “getting into the zone” when creating videoShort videos vs. long polished videos: How the TechSmith team does it differentlyWhy you should lean into your strengths when it comes to visual contentWhy video is flexible and gives us so many communication optionsImportant links and mentions:CamtasiaKnowmiaSnagitLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, click here.

Transitions are one the most important effects to know how to use. They let you seamlessly move from one video clip or image to another and bring annotations and other graphics on or off the screen. But when used poorly, they can absolutely destroy your video. In this episode, Matt Pierce, Andy Owen, and Justin Simon go over how to effectively use transitions so help, and don't hurt, your videos.Do you want more tips on creating videos? You can easily watch and search past episodes here. You can also find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Want to learn how to master YouTube?Creating video and pushing it out into the world can be a massive challenge – especially if you’re an educator who needs to create engaging and informative videos.Valerie Pennington of The Penguin Prof YouTube channel joins this episode of The Visual Lounge to share her tips and tricks for mastering YouTube. She explains the lessons she’s learned to overcome common challenges that educators face with video.Besides being a YouTube whizz, Valerie is a Professor of Biology at Southwestern College and a Teaching with Technology Coordinator. She began creating videos for her students to teach them about biology, anatomy, and chemistry. Eventually, she decided to make her videos public, and today her YouTube channel has amassed over 100,000 subscribers!Learning points from the episode include:Why video is often missing humanity and connectionWhat the biggest challenge people face with video is Why it’s essential to practice as much as possibleThe importance of audio and vocal exercisesValerie’s three phases of creating videoThe benefits of scripted vs. non-scripted videosImportant links and mentions:The Penguin Prof ChannelThe Penguin Prof websiteLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, click here.

Trying to add music to a video can be more challenging than you think. And while the right music enhances the experience for your viewers, while the wrong music can send the wrong message entirely.In part 2 of a 2-part episode on music, Matt Pierce, Andy Owen, and Justin Simon talk about how you can effective use music in your videos to make it strength rather than a weakness.Want to learn exactly HOW to add music to your video? Here's a full step-by-step breakdown: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/add-music-video/ Do you want more tips on creating videos? You can easily watch and search past episodes here. You can also find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The latest Camtasia release is now available, but which of its new features will help you create better videos?In this episode of The Visual Lounge, Matt Pierce guides you through his favorite new features from Camtasia 2021. He guides you through how to use them and gives his expert advice on how to add that extra spice to your videos.Matt is also joined by TechSmith Trainer, Jason Valade, who shares his top Camtasia tips and more about putting the new features into practice.Learning points from the episode include:What proxy video is and why it’s perfect for big video filesHow to make the most out of the extensive transitions libraryWhy audio emphasize is the revolutionary new way to add music to your videosHow to use media mats for more engaging videosHow to color your video like a proImportant links and mentions:Tutorials and trainingTechSmith webinarsCamtasiaAudiateLearn more about the TechSmith Academy.To read the blog post on the topic or watch the video, click here.If you have questions or feedback about anything in this episode, let us know! Email them to us at: thevisuallounge@techsmith.com

Background music can add more interest to your videos, and make them even more engaging and entertaining.But where can you find music? And how do you pick the right music for your video?In part 1 of a 2-part episode on music, Matt Pierce, Andy Owen, and Justin Simon go over the best ways to find and choose music for your videos.Want to learn exactly HOW to add music to your video? Here's a full step-by-step breakdown: https://www.techsmith.com/blog/add-music-video/ Do you want more tips on creating videos? You can easily watch and search past episodes here. You can also find us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.