Many people state that video marketing should be a part of your marketing strategy. But with all the work and equipment cost, is video marketing really worth the trouble?
From all indications, the answer is yes it is worth the trouble. For those individuals selling a product or service, they are able to explain and give samples. And, in many cases, it can help to keep an individual's attention a little longer, than someone having to skim through a long web page to get information. However, content should always be a supportive element to your video, if you have it on your blog or website. Why? There are still many who prefer the written word. I've read that some people would prefer to read, then look at the video.
In addition, if you have a video on a blog or website, the video can be be used to better market products or services to those that are already engaged or frequent your website.
Okay you have an idea of what videos can do for your business now comes some typical, but important questions.
What camera should I use? Do I need editing software? If so, what are some examples of software available.
Check out my article on Video or Webcast-Lets Do Some Video Marketing to learn more about how it can help your business and how to get started making your own videos.
Video or Webcast-Lets Do Some Video Marketing
You can market your website or product through either a video or a video webcast. Many newbies do not attempt video because of the cost. However, there is a solution for everyone. I’ll go into the benefits of videos, the equipment you will need for video,, how to market your video, as well as, a overview of doing an Internet webcast.
Benefits of Videos for Your Bottomline
Everyone that is trying to make money online is looking to find a way to reach their targeted audience. Some, I should say, many are looking to video to explain their product and service, and bring in more revenue. Thus, if you present a professional looking video, you can gain in many ways. Such as:
- Increased visibility of your website and product
- Increased sales and with it, increased number of visitors
- Greater Brand Awareness
- And if they like your video, increased backlinks
- Great Tool to presale offers
So, now that you know a little about the potential of video marketing, do you want to give it a shot? If so, you’ll need to get acquainted with the equipment you will need.
Video Marketing Equipment
If you decide to have a professional do your videos, then you have no worry about video equipment. However, many in the beginning do not have that luxury and will choose to self-produce.
Video camera- Instead of directing you to a specific camera I will give you some simple guidelines. Why? Because each individual has different skill levels and wants when creating a video.
First, realize that there are great cameras at any price range so how do you choose a camera. Look at your experience level. If you are efficient with a video camera, then a high-tech camera with all the bells and whistles may not be too much for you to handle. However, if you lack the experience in video it may be wise to look at buying a "point and shoot" camera or camcorder. Not sure? Here are some simple questions can you ask yourself before buying a high-end camera?
1. Do I know anything about lenses?
2. Do I know anything about aperture settings?
3. Do I know the importance of shutter speed?
If you're not sure, "point and click" is where you begin. Bottom line, known your skill level. By not being honest with yourself, you may have doomed yourself before you have even begun.
2. Take the time to do research. Amazon offers a lot of cameras and many reviews. Many of the reviews will give you an idea of what the camera or camcorder can do, and cannot do. I know you are probably groaning at this suggestion. Trust me; the groan will be three times as loud if you paid for a camera or camcorder that is not capable of doing what you want it too.
Other Video Issues
Though your equipment is a major issue in the beginning, once you have your camera in hand, there are still other issues to consider.
Audio-If you want audio, it would be wise to invest in a secondary audio device to capture sound. Why? In many cases, at least from my limited experience, I have found the sound not to be of the caliber it should be for a presentation to a large and varied group of people.
Lighting- We aware of your lighting before you shoot. You may not need professional lighting equipment, but at least be aware of the light around you, or you may have a video that
is in silhouette.
Content - No matter if it is written on a page or in a video, content is important. You will have wasted all of your hard work, if you do not have quality content to convey the message you want to deliver to your viewers.
Marketing Your Video
You may be asking yourself, “Where can I market my video? I don’t want to spend a lot of money on equipment and find that I have no place to market my creation.” Here are some suggestions:
1. Host the video on your website-When hosting your video on your website, you already have individuals that know about you. This in essence, is your direct market strategy. (Make sure your website is capable of having video, or in some cases, streaming video. You will be surprised some websites are not capable or you may have to pay more for this service.
2. Host your video on YouTube, Vimeo and other video hosting sites. Here you are trying to pull in new visitors to your site. The important thing you have to do here is to pull in your "targeted" market. If you are getting eyes that are not your target market, you will be getting hits, but no sells.3. Once the video has been placed on the different video hosting sites, it's time to kick in the social media market. To create buzz you need to send out messages to other bloggers and through Twitter.
When you host your videos on video hosting sites do not forget the link back to your site. This quality backlink will get you more traffic.
Internet Webcast Basics
Creating a video webcast is a great solution for those just beginning to get their feet wet with video. Yes, you still will need to software and equipment, but it may not be as expensive. As I have alluded to above, it depends what you want to do with your video, and how you want to connect with customers. If you want to just create a webcast you will need to do the following:
1. You will need a webcam. Choosing the webcam is important. This means, you will need to get the best quality webcam you can afford. Why? You want a webcam that can produce a video that is not grainy.
2. You will need video editing software. Sometimes your operating system or webcam comes with video editing software. However, if this is not the case, you can choose from the following:
PC
- Roxio Creator
- Adobe Premier Pro
- Corel Video Studio
MAC
- iMovie
3. Upload your video to a video hosting site like, YouTube or Vimeo, or any other chosen video site. However, if you are wanting to save a little money than chose YouTube or Vimeo. These sites are free.
4. Then you can market your webcast through social media, blogs or on your website.
Whether you decide to use a full-blown video or a beginning Internet webcast, they both, if done professionally, will get your marketing message in front of your targeted market.
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