Teleprompters are invaluable tools for delivering seamless, captivating presentations in any business video, webinar, or social media video. That being said, small businesses face unique considerations when deciding if they need a teleprompter setup—whether that be physical or a teleprompter app. Here are the major pros and cons of teleprompters in a small business context with which to guide your decision.
Advantages of Teleprompters for Small Business
1. Improved Professionalism and Flow
A teleprompter allows an exec to deliver in a polished fashion, which makes for a professional-looking and prepared presentation. For anyone who runs a small business or who works for one, this may be even more beneficial, if he or she must speak at conferences but lacks extensive public speaking experience. Teleprompters allow a speaker to maintain their eye on the camera rather than constantly referencing notes, so the audience gets a glance of the speaker looking confident and credible.
2. Consistency in Messaging
If you need to deliver a prescribed message, such as for marketing videos or training materials, a teleprompter can help you say exactly what you want to say. In lesser businesses, every video must have to hit the bullseye and no room for an interpreter, this can be a game-changer here.
3. Enhanced Efficiency
Scripted material that presenters must memorize or frequently refer to will lengthen filming. That allows you to speak from your first word to your last without interruption, it can save time and cut the need for several takes if you have a teleprompter. This efficiency can also help small businesses, which may not have the time or resources to dedicate to content production, to be far less difficult and stressful.
4. Helps Manage Stage Fright
You have seen those weirdos who just excel at doing a live or on-camera video, but trust us, hardly anyone is so comfortable in front of a camera. Stage fright is real. A teleprompter acts as a guiding prompt, calming nerves, and anchoring the speaker to what he has to say. For small biz owners or employees who don’t have much experience public speaking or shooting video.
5. Versatility Across Platforms
They can be beneficial for various content formats such as social media posts, webinars, and educational videos. For these businesses, transmitting the script clearly and consistently across different platforms is key, and a teleprompter stabilizes the delivery, no matter the format.
Disadvantages of Using Teleprompters in Small Business
1. Initial Setup and Learning Curve
With a standalone teleprompter or a teleprompter app, teleprompters do require some initial setup. It takes a bit of practice, pacing your words with the scroll, where to put the screen, and how to avoid sounding monotone. Small business owners have many tasks demanding their time, so learning new tools may not be very time-friendly.
2. Costs for Equipment or Software
Professional teleprompter equipment or software subscription. Certainly, you could find some free teleprompter apps in the market, but there may be some restrictions or a lack of powerful features in some of the cases. For small businesses with tighter budgets it can be hard to justify this cost, especially if they are only planning to use the teleprompter a few times.
3. Risk of Rigidity, Mechanical Presentation
The single most important risk of a teleprompter is sounding too rehearsed. But if you read directly off a script it may be a little robotic, which may make the viewers feel that it is less genuine. While this can be a useful feature for making businesses feel more established, it can be a turnoff for small businesses that like to deliver a warm, human-like brand (that feel scripted).
4. Technical Glitches and Distractions
As with any tool, teleprompters can experience hiccups. Technical glitches tend to cause irritation along with stoppage to the flow if it is not an app misbehaving or the speaker in a different gear in the pace of their speech and the scroll. For small businesses lacking dedicated technical support, the time taken to troubleshoot these issues can prove both resource and time consuming.
5. Limited in Impromptu Situations
Perfect for scripted presentations but less so for unscripted, live discussions, Q&As, or a more casual video format requiring a conversational touch. While a teleprompter can be great for some businesses if they regularly use more interactive formats or want to get more real, it ends up being a crutch that hurts spontaneity.
Teleprompters can be used as a real help in making professional, polished video content for small businesses. They provide efficiency, consistency and help those who are less experienced. These factors should be considered by small businesses in accordance with their objectives, budget, and content creation type. When used with consideration, a teleprompter can be a great addition to behavioral business communications to ensure small businesses convey their message with poise and finesse.
