Build Your Brand with Virtual Backgrounds

If you, like many people, have regular video calls for work, you should be taking advantage of customizable backgrounds. You can make your own unique virtual background to both build your brand and make your calls more engaging.

Video meetings take some getting used to. They often come with a lot of distractions, and it can be a little uncomfortable to let your professional circle see you at home. Virtual backgrounds improve all angles of video meetings. They can make it easier for your and other attendees to focus by removing background distractions, and they will keep the setting feeling professional no matter where everyone is located.

Why take advantage of virtual backgrounds

The background in a video meeting acts as your virtual office space. Since a physical office space serves more than one purpose, a Zoom meeting should be able to do the same. An office or conference room is meant to have everything the attendees will need for clear, comfortable, and easy communication. Zoom can provide that assurance with tools like Zoom Rooms.

A physical office space also lets you reinforce your brand identity and values through the design and layout of the space, colors, and your logo. These things should be treated just as carefully in a virtual meeting space. There's still an opportunity to create a strong impression by making the most of virtual meetings with a virtual background.

Benefits of using a customized virtual background

If you're hopping on virtual conference calls for work on a regular basis, there's really no reason for you to go without a custom background. This feature is relatively simple to use and can be super effective. All it takes is finding or creating the perfect background image, then plugging it into the green screen background option that comes with Zoom. By investing a little time into this process, you'll enjoy several major benefits that come with using a virtual background.

Hide your personal space

Most people are spending the majority of their time at home these days, which means taking work calls from the couch is common practice. But doing everything at home means that it might not always be completely clutter free. And, even if you do keep your home spotless and find the most neutral background, it can still be distracting during a call.

A branded Zoom background will take the pressure off of keeping a clutter-free home and creating a nice, clear background. WIth a customized Zoom background, you can participate in virtual calls from anywhere while maintaining a professional appearance. You can even set the background to be an image of a clean, stylish office space.

Cut down on distractions

Working from home is a major change of pace, and it can be challenging to adapt. Since you can use virtual backgrounds to take some of the "home" out of video meetings, you can make the space feel more professional and comfortable. Virtual backgrounds help keep the focus on the subjects and the content of the meeting.

Maximize brand awareness

The more people in a virtual meeting, the more likely you are to blend in with other participants. That likelihood can significantly decrease with the right virtual background for your online meeting. Creating a custom Zoom background that shows off your brand will garner attention and increase brand recognition. Consider designing a simple background with your brand colors, or with your logo in a wallpaper-like pattern.

Make a unique impression

Although making a virtual background can be as simple as displaying your logo, it also leaves a lot of room for creativity. This is a big advantage over an in-person meeting space, which mostly stays the same in every context. With a virtual background, you can choose to highlight or promote something different with each call. Consider choosing a background that features a product you're trying to sell. Or, show off a photograph related to your brand. You should think of your virtual background as another strategic tool you can use to get your message across.

Tips for using and creating your virtual background

If you're going to make the most of a virtual background, you'll need to make it look clear and professional. Otherwise, it could just act as another distraction rather than another tool for success. These tips will help you in both choosing and designing your background, and setting up a clear video call.

Choose the right color

Color is an important element as you design a branded background for your virtual meeting space. Consider what colors will be pleasant and comfortable to look at for the duration of a meeting. In general, a background that is mostly a bright color like white will be hard on the eyes. Darker colors tend to be nicer, and patterns and textures can make the background feel a little more natural.

Get the resolution right

A carefully crafted background is no good if it shows up blurry. The last thing you want is for your background to look unprofessional and distracting, so be sure to create it in the right resolution. It needs to be 1920x1080 pixels. This will fit the 16x9 ratio used by most video conference platforms. For the highest quality background, ask your graphic designer to save the image as an RGB .jpg file

Find good lighting

Even though the background is playing a strategic role in your virtual presence, you should still be the star of the show. Make sure that when you take a video call you're facing a good source of light, and that there are no windows or lights behind you. If you're too backlit, you'll be silhouetted and difficult to see. With sufficient lighting at your face, both you and your background will appear clearer.

Keep still when possible

The green screen tool isn't perfect. Lots of movement can create some distortion and lack of clarity in the background. Try to sit still during a call to keep the picture clear and set up your call in a place with no movement in the background.