When to Start Video Marketing: As Soon As I Take the Cat Out!
The title says a lot, I look back at my lack of sophistication on video even a month ago and it makes me grimace, 6 months ago and it is everything I can do to keep from pulling the videos from my channel and beginning again. But do you want to know something? As bad as some of those videos were, they got their message out and, not only did people watch them (not that they went viral or anything) but I made money from them!
The right time to begin is NOW, IMMEDIATELY, AT ONCE! And keep doing them because 3 things will happen:
1) You will get more comfortable in front of a camera!
2) You will get better at it and find your true calling!
3) You will stop saying Um, and Ah, and You Know!
I hope you realize I kept saying “you know” for a reason…you know?
Of course you know!
On with the rest of the article!
Video marketing is a relatively easy and inexpensive way for a small to mid-size company to get its message out there. With more than 300 million users going online as of 2008 in North America alone, the use of videos to promote products and services is fast gaining popularity. For internet marketers, videos go beyond the use of images and text and are very effective in holding a viewer’s attention.
So what do you need to get started and when is the right time to begin? The most common mistake people make is thinking they have to wait until they have special equipment to start recording and distributing videos. You’ve just got to do it. Cliché I know, but true. You do not need a high-tech video camera, special editing software, a fancy set, trained actors or expensive video submission services to begin.
You talk to people every day about your product or service. Nobody has the same perspective on it you do. Begin with an inexpensive video camera sitting at your desk or in your favorite chair. If the audio is not clear, you may also want to consider purchasing a microphone. Talk to the camera as if it was a prospective client or customer and deliver your message. You will learn as you go just like anything else.
Write a brief synopsis describing the content of your video using short and long-tailed keywords – words and phrases that people may type into search engines that will help them find your video. Be sure to include a link back to your website or blog. Your title should be also be succinct as some video sites only allow for a 60 character title. For example, a title for a video about this subject matter may be – ‘Video Marketing: How and When to Begin’ or ‘How to Promote Your Business with Online Video Marketing’.
There are numerous websites that allow you to create a free account and post your video. Start with a few of the larger ones such as YouTube, Viddler, Metacafe, Break, and DailyMotion. These sites are highly indexed by the search engines and are a great way to create incoming links to your website or blog where viewers can go to find more information about your company. Take advantage of free social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to create interest on your subject matter and drive people to your videos as well. As time allows and your knowledge and budget grow, consider purchasing a program like Camtasia to create tutorials and broadcast screenshots, and utilizing a video submission service such as Traffic Geyser.
The moral of the story here is this – if you do not begin where you are at – you will never get where you want to be.
I hope this helps you get started. I might add one thing. As you progress, it doesn’t hurt to have an assistant, even if they only work a few hours a week…it can change your effectiveness and your overall profitability. I am fortunate enough to have the best! I know, everyone says that…but she is!
If I were a small-pie kind of person, and I know some people guard the identity of their virtual assistants with their lives, for fear of them being pirated out from under them…but I am not that way and she needs more work than I can give her. So, if you wants an amazing virtual assistant, check out:
Lisa R. Sawyer
Owner-Consultant
Creative Options Media
Phone: 207-659-8987
http://creativeoptionsmedia.com
http://creativeoptionsblog.com (where you see her real talent shine through)
http://twitter.com/LisaSawyer317
I believe in giving credit where credit is due…and this is long overdue!
John
Professor John P. J. Zajaros, Sr.
216-712-6526
Skype: johnzajaros1
johnz@thequestrevealed.com
