Learn how to make screenshots and recordings more professional

Have you noticed that text is constantly losing ground to more complex visual content?
Screenshots and screen recordings are becoming more popular for collaboration. And that’s no wonder, since they present information way more efficiently than traditional text.

Firstly, visual messages eliminate unnecessary verbal descriptions that cause ambiguity.

Secondly, they save you time since using annotations or voice-overs is 3 times faster than typing blocks of text.

Finally, screen recordings using webcam bring a personal touch to your business communications and enhance relationships with your clients and teams.

Clearer and faster communication — what else can we ask for?

Context always matters

Usually, when you share screenshots/ screen recordings, there’s a need to present them:

➤ I’ve just wanted to change the composition of elements on the banner. What do you think about this version?
➤ I’ve created a video to explain the difference between public and internal links. Please let me know if it’s clear.
➤ Here’s a screenshot of the article I told you about: check out how the design combines with the text!
➤ Context is important to prepare the other person for what will be included in the visual message: whether it is an instruction on a specific feature, feedback on a task, or an interesting idea to brainstorm.

Short text presentations work well. Loom, Screencastify and other screen recorders think that a short intro is enough for visual messaging. It may be enough for simple communications, but for profound collaboration you need more context.

People achieve much more by adding enriching content to their screenshots and recordings. And you can too. How? Let’s find out!

Scenario 1

As a client, you gather different content in task descriptions so that they can be done with fewer iterations.

Let’s imagine that you hire a freelancer for a new website design. Screen records, screenshots, and video calls are inevitable for you. Still, are they enough?

Let’s see how the communication flow usually goes.

You start with a video call where you share the screen and explain to the designer what you need. You even record the first call so that they can rewatch it. You also find some great reference designs and share important links and files. Then, you decide on the terms that suit both parties, sign up a contract and save it as a PDF. During the collaboration phase, you give your feedback with screen recordings and clarify details.

But wait, where does all this information exchange happen?

The discussions, files, links, video calls recordings, screenshots and screen records: are they all jumbled up in your email inbox?

Although email is one of the most used ways of information sharing, it’s not so efficient. Too many messages with various content from too many people and organizations create chaos not only in your inbox but also in your head.

What if you could send the designer only one link to a page where all the needed content is gathered and structured in a clear way? A recorded introductory video call, reference designs, important links, your signed PDF contract and even recorded feedback on the first/ second/ third prototype. What’s more, you can update this page every time you need it: add a link or a screenshot to streamline the work. This way, the designer can get a holistic view of the task and won’t miss any important details.

And yes, it’s possible.

This described page can be easily created in Nimbus Note – a solution integrated with Nimbus Capture. In Nimbus Note, you can create shareable super documents that bring together texts, databases, files, visual graphics, links, and embeds.

Let the discussions and negotiations remain in the inbox, while all the important content is safe, sound and organized in Nimbus Note.

Scenario 2

As a solopreneur, you can add context to verbal and visual messages to better collaborate with your clients.

Adding context is beneficial both for clients and service providers. In the following scenario, let’s see how service providers can enhance client communication with the right tools.

Let’s say you are a marketing specialist, and you have several clients. You constantly check the statistics with various tools. No doubt, you hate having to juggle so many accounts for each tool and client. You’re probably afraid of losing important passwords (BTW, you can use our free template so you don’t have to worry about that). Switching between numerous accounts and tools is tiresome and time-consuming, but that’s part of your work. You often share screenshots with your clients and explain how to interpret the numbers. At the end of each month, you try to show your clients a beautiful dashboard, so you spend days creating an up-to-date presentation with charts and stats.

You have a lot on your plate, but your workflow could be much more effortless and smooth.

As you may already know, Nimbus Capture can help you with creating screenshots and screen records, so that you can explain everything to your clients with annotations and voice-overs.

But the cherry on top is Nimbus Note with its rich embedding feature. It allows you to embed dashboards, charts, databases, and tables. We have two pieces of great news for you. Firstly, you don’t need to log in and out each time you work with a specific tool for a specific client. With embeds, you can work with any tool right in Nimbus Note. Once you’ve added an embed, there is no time wasted logging in and out. Secondly, you can forget about hundreds of tabs and browsers. On just one note, you can gather all the tools and statistics for a client for a needed period. For instance, you can create a folder for your client, Rebecca. Then, you can add subfolders for years and notes for months.

It’s a great idea to share those notes and subfolders with Rebecca so that she is always in the know. What’s even more, at the end of a month, you can create a screen recording with your voice-over and web camera to share your interpretation of the numbers received. This way, your clients will have a complete data report any time they need – whether it’s in a month or a year.

Scenario 3

As a brand, you can enhance visual messages with various types of content and help the world know your name.

If you want to use Nimbus as a White-label solution, you can do this with the Business subscription, which allows you to customize the page you share with your clients: add your logo, choose a theme and a header that best suit your needs.

You can also create your brand subdomain (CNAME). That means that a link you share will be your-organization.com/shared-page instead of nimbusweb.com/shared-page. This way, your client won’t see any mention of Nimbus and will see public pages as a part of your services.
On the GIF, you can see a branded public page that you can easily create and share with your clients using Nimbus solutions:

As an organization, you can create branded client reports, lean canvas, content plans, thematic stocks of ideas, internal wikis and more. You also get a great work tool for your team with a clear system of workspaces and permissions.

Final thoughts:

Visual messaging cannot exist separately from words, links and files. They form a context that streamlines communication in the right direction. So yes, context matters. Especially in a well-structured form.

Gather all crucial content in one place, organize and share with your employees and clients, so you can get things done faster and better.