If you’ve been envious of websites which have video but have been intimidated thinking the time and cost was prohibitive, this article is for you. If you can operate a digital point-and-shoot camera you can get your video on the web in 5 minutes!
Web video has numerous uses and offers tremendous benefit by personalizing your website, reducing content someone has to read, catering to the short attention span of visitors, and more. Future articles will address specific and more sophisticated uses for video, but this will get you started immediately.
What you’ll need:
- Digital point-and-shoot camera with a video mode, or a digital video camera.
- Tripod- even a cheap one is fine (hand-holding your camera is too shaky)
- A YouTube account (www.YouTube.com)
- (optional)Â FTP access or a way to edit your website (CMS, template system, etc.)
Step 1: Shoot your video. Try to keep the total video time under 1 minute. Remember to use a tripod to avoid the “Blair Witch Project” camera effects. (Although, didn’t that movie make hundreds of millions of dollars?)
Step 2: Copy the video off your camera onto your computer (consult your owner’s manual if you need instructions).
Step 3: Create a free YouTube account at http://www.YouTube.com and upload your video (you’ll only have to create an account once). Be sure to give the video a juicy, keyword-rich title, since that’s a primary component in YouTube’s search algorithm. Avoid “My Video” and try more for “Amazing widget device adds 200 yards to your golf swing”.
Step 4 (optional): Copy the “Embed” code from your video and paste it into the code of your website, blog, MySpace page, etc. If you’re unsure how to do that, consult a professional. If you choose not to “embed” the video on your web page, it’s still completely accessible through a direct YouTube link (copy the “URL” code of the video) which you can send out in an email, post on a discussion forum, print on a mailer, and so on.
That’s it, you’re now the envy of your competition and the delight of your customers!
If you’re not sure what you’d use video for, here are some simple ideas:
- Personal introduction (“Hello, I’m ___, let me tell you about my background”)
- 1 minute presentation, AKA “elevator speech” (describe your product/service, primary benefits, competitive difference from other companies, etc.)
- Product demonstrations
- Tutorials / User guides
- Guided tour (overview video for each page of your site)
Do you have ideas on how to use quick and easy web video? Post your ideas, comments and links to your online videos that you’ve done below!
And……… ACTION!
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