Love it or hate it, remote working quickly became the new norm following the events of 2020, forcing us to exchange our coffee shop and boardroom meetings for a webcam on the kitchen table. Some of us even started using the home office, once known as the ‘junk’ room, and over time we adapted as Zoom calls and video meetings became part of our daily routine.
Today we’re going to be talking about the importance of your surroundings and how the backdrop to your video call can really make a difference to your business.
First Impressions
To some businesses, video meetings are still a new and daunting concept that they’re still getting used to. In the beginning it’s fair to say we were a little more forgiving. It didn’t matter so much if the cat walked across the keyboard, your husband poked his head in to say hello, or the washing was drying in the background. We were more understanding of the sudden changes and many of us were in the same boat.
Now that time has passed, it’s important that you begin to take pride in your backgrounds as they represent your business when you’re online. We need to ensure that you’re giving a great first and lasting impression when talking to potential clients and customers in order to remain professional and build trust.
How Can I Make My Background Look Good?
To begin with, all you really need for a professional-looking backdrop is a plain, non-distracting background such as empty wall space. This immediately takes away the distraction of people walking past, doors opening and closing, and background movement. Having an empty space also allows room for branded materials such as wall stickers or banners, which create a clean and professional look.
At R-Print, we provide a variety of options for backdrops such as:
Can’t I Use Virtual Backgrounds?
You may have spotted the interesting variety of virtual backgrounds that zoom offers. They are great if you want to appear in front of a bookshelf, on a beach in Bali, on the moon, or in a private jet, but they just don’t cut it for business meetings.
Another thing to note is that virtual backgrounds don’t work for showing real-life products. They work in a similar way to a green screen, so if you’re trying to present something to your viewers the background tends to glitch, your product or item won’t be visible, and you’ll end up looking like you suddenly have missing hands or arms.
Printed Branded Materials
At R-Print we can create high-quality branded wall stickers, printed banners or flags for use in the background of your videos. Our printed materials are a powerful marketing tool and help to achieve a professional and positive first impression, whoever you are talking to.
You are more likely to think highly of a business when they have effective branding, not to mention, we tend to remember quality branding too.
Merchandise
In addition to your backdrop, using printed merchandise in your online meetings can be a good idea too. You may wish to consider mugs, pens, and notebooks to tie your branding efforts together and demonstrate your commitment to your brand. Trust us, a branded mug reflects on you much better than your ‘Best Snogger in Ibiza 2008’ one.
If you’re interested in refreshing your home office, fancy some branded wall stickers or need a new backdrop, contact us at R-Print today and we’ll be happy to help.