Why Video?
Video is a big deal these days. Yet many businesses do not use it at all. Using video to market your business is a great opportunity. Part of the reason it’s a great opportunity is that so many people who could benefit from it are not using it! Much of your competition is not using video!
Video is a great online marketing tool. Many people would rather watch how something is done than read copy from their computer screens.
When you know the routine it’s easy to create videos. The process has a few tricks to maximize results. But it’s relatively quick and easy once you get the hang of it.
Video and Search Engines
When we talk about online video we have to talk about YouTube. YouTube is the largest video website in the world. YouTube videos are uploaded at a rate an astonishing rate. It is estimated that 60 hours of video are uploaded every minute! The site is growing fast.
Google often shows videos listed among their search results. They call this “Universal Search”. Many times there are just one or two among the 10 results listed on a page. But wow do those they stand out. Even if a video is listed at the bottom of the search page it seems to attract more attention than all the other text-only listings. Having your video on a search results page can be a great advantage.
Creating Your Video
Making your own video is easier than it’s ever been before. Thanks to the many choices of cameras and easy to use websites you can begin making videos right away.
Many smart phones can record videos. This is the handiest way to do it since you always have your phone with you. To get better quality you should use a camcorder. Digital camcorders are common and do not require tape or disks. They are easy to use. Copying video to your computer is easier too!
There are numerous resources and video tips online to help you with the creation of your videos. The biggest tip is to use an external microphone or separate digital audio recorder to get good sound. If you don’t try this you won’t even realize the difference it can make. Getting good sound really does add a lot of quality. Lighting is another obvious concern. For indoor videos you should have plenty of lights. Outdoor lighting is best on shady days because shadows can be tricky to control.
Editing Your Video
You can get by without editing your video. But if you want it to be a bit more polished then using a video editor will do the trick. Many editors are available in the under $100 range. I’ve used Corel Video Studio for several years. Other editors in the same price range include CyberLink PowerDirector, Adobe Premiere Elements, Roxio Creator, and Sony Vegas Movie Studio. Check the web for a review of video editor software. With a video editor you can easily cut out unwanted pieces of video, add music and narration, and add on screen titles. After editing you will end up with a polished version of your video. This is the version that will be ready to upload to the internet. I usually create videos in the MP4 format, then upload them to YouTube.
Getting Your Video Online
As mentioned in the previous paragraph I use YouTube. You must set up a YouTube account before you upload your videos to it. I recommend creating a Google account and using that account when signing up for your YouTube account. You’ll have one Google login that will get you into all of your Google products. Once your YouTube account is set up you should create your YouTube channel. Fill it in with all of your business information as completely and accurately as possible.
Use a video aggregator to publish your video to multiple video sites at one time. I don’t use aggregators but many internet marketers do.
I recommend putting your website URL (“http://www.yourwebsite.com”) in the description of your YouTube video. Also put the link to the YouTube video into your YouTube video description. The reason is that some websites copy videos from YouTube and display them on their own website. This helps optimize your Video and can generate more traffic as it gives you a back link.
Integrate Video on Your Website
After you’ve uploaded your video to YouTube the next step is to integrate the video in your website and other online properties. The video below shows how this is done. YouTube makes it very easy to embed videos on your website. Google places and other online business directories make it easy to include video within your business listings too.
More Reasons to Use Video
Besides that benefits of generating more leads for your business, video can make a much more personal connection between you and your potential customers. So much of the Internet is impersonal. There is a big lack of trust online, and rightfully so. To get customers and do business you must build a trusting relationship with your customers. Video can get this done faster than most things. I always recommend a simple, short welcome message on a website home page. One that greets the visitor and makes them feel welcome. Here’s more video tips that will help with your video creation.