Over the past few years, I am sure that you have not failed to notice the rise in big name brands and your competitors, using online video more than ever.
With stats coming out of communications giants Cisco systems, telling us that 90% of consumer web traffic is going to be video based in 2013, it seems that video is something that people cannot ignore if they use the Internet for their business or to make money online.
So how do you get started?
My biggest tip to help people get started with using video online is to watch what other people and big name brands are doing. Take one of my favourite brands, Laithwaites. Here is an example of how they are using video online (Clicking the video below will take you to the Laithwaites wine site):
[clear][/clear]Click here to watch Oz Clarke on Laithwaites website
For some, Oz is the celebrity that makes this video worth watching, however there are other elements such as the insight into his selection of summer wines, the fact that it is only 2 minutes long, the engaging music, where it was shot, the mix of talking to camera and an interview style of video, makes it really engaging for those that love wine.
[rb_icon_block title="Your task for today" icon="note" icon_title="Note"]Take just a few minutes and look at your competitors and your favourite brands online, to see what video they are producing – comparing it all to what you do.[/rb_icon_block]
My 7 secrets to successful video for the web.
Whether you think that video is for you or not, by the end of 2013, 90% of consumer web traffic is going to be video based. For business to buisness organisations, it wont be far behind this stat. You need to understand it and engage in web video soon.
If you want to start thinking about video for your website or business, start trying to plan and get ideas together around these 7 key areras:
[rb_list type="numbers"][rb_list_item]Mindset – Understand that video is important to your online marketing and try to identify where your potential customers are currently being engaged online with video.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Purpose – Identify the main reasons why you want to use video online, how you are going to help or give huge value to your audience and, what you hope to get out of it.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Scripting – Write either a full script or outline bullet points that you can learn and be confident in what you want to deliver when you stand in front of that camera.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Shooting – Use either your own equipment or enlist the services of various video companies that can help you produce high quality web video that you can use on your website.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Editing – If you are able to edit the video yourself, ensure that you are able to add welcome and finishing slides, watermarks, voiceover and music to enhance your brand. If you can’t do this, there are many services out there that can help, but learning how to use MovieMaker on your PC or iMovie on your Mac will be of huge value to you.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Video Hosting – YouTube is great to getting your video out there in the public arena and you should put all your videos on there, but one thing that I think Laithwaites could have done better with their video, was to use separate video hosting for the video on their website and use a cutomised player. This will give a better quality of video, sole branding for Laithwaites (no YouTube logos) and a more enhanced user experience.[/rb_list_item][rb_list_item]Marketing – Using all your marketing efforts to point people to online video will engage people in a much easier way for them to understand what you do and to make buying decisions about your products and services. If web video is going to a massive part of our lives moving forward, we all need to be engaging in it and using it in our marketing. Social media sites, blogging and even pay per click marketing to drive people to your videos will have a huge impact on your exposure and your ultimate return.[/rb_list_item][/rb_list]
If you want to know any more about using web video and how to get started, HodgesNet now offers a range of web video for business services and I am personally able to help with our Sales System Video Consultancy and Training.
Visit www.hodgesnet.co.uk/web-video-for-business for more information – or call me in the office on +44(0)1793 608777
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