Video is a very powerful tool. Just like a picture is worth a thousand words, video conveys so much more than words or photos alone can do.

Video For Everyone

Video used to be elitist. You needed a video camera, tapes and en editing system to create videos. But today, all you need is a cell phone. Not that I recommend creating videos for your business via cell phone, but the point is, the technology is readily accessible to nearly anyone.

Equipment

You need a few things to make a decent video. Chances are, you already have all of these things.

  • camera (either a dedicated digital video camera like a Flip, or a digital camera with video capabilities)
  • computer
  • basic editing software (pretty much every computer comes with it now. )
  • internet access

Plan It Out

You need to decide what your video will be about. Start off simple, with things you know. Are you selling a product? Demonstrate it (if you have a line, pick one). Do you run a restaurant? Give a tour. Write down the topic and a general storyline. I suggest a bulleted list, which will keep you on target but won’t allow you to read from a script. Keep the entire thing under 5 minutes, 10 max if you’re doing a tutorial. People won’t watch you demonstrate a item for an hour.

Action!

Find someone with a steady hand and a quiet place, and start rolling. If you’re going to be sitting, get a tripod. If you’re going to be moving around, be sure the person recording knows where you’ll be going by walking through it a few times. Don’t worry about messing up. Do it a few times and remember to be yourself! This is when you want your personality to show through.

Edit

If you can do the video in one take, that’s great, but you’ll still need to do some editing. Use a basic editor (Flip Camera comes with software, iMovie works as well) to trim the ends. You can split the video and piece it together as well, if needed.

Brand it

Using the software create a begining and ending title screen. This is where your branding comes into play. Use your logo or at least your business name. At the end include your web address and phone number.

Make it Online Ready

Every video needs to be compressed for online viewing. Depending on the speed of your computer this can take a while. I suggest doing this when you don’t need your computer for an hour or so, so it can compress the video unhindered.

Upload It

You have several options for uploading your video. If you use WordPress or another type of online CMS you can upload your video right to your website, but this does take up a lot of space. I suggest creating a YouTube Channel and embedding it there. Read my post about the benefits of YouTube to learn more.

Congratulations!

You are now a video producer! Video enhances your Search Engine results and gives customers a reason to come back to your site. Don’t forget to tell everyone about your new video on Facebook and Twitter (you ARE using those, right?).