A Free How To Guide: 10 Steps to Video Marketing

1. Do some research on your competitors. Are they using video yet? It is inevitable
that they will have videos as research shows that the majority of top search engine
results will be video in the next two years. What are the implications for your business when getting a head start on your competition? What if you do not use video?

2.Think about your value proposition. What’s in it for your intended audience?
Why would they watch your videos? Something to ponder: Videos are the best way to
capture your target audience as your properly optimized videos will be watched only
by those interested in what it is you offer vs. the “shotgun” approach of conventional
advertising and marketing methods that “push” unwanted offers onto anyone who will listen. Video is an easy way to qualify online traffic, sending you those who are ready to buy now.

3. Focus. In most cases, your videos will be brief, you will not be able to cover
everything you offer in depth in one video. Spread your message out across multiple
videos, this strategy has many advantages. Think of it as fishing with a net vs. one
fishing line.

4. Organize your thoughts on paper. Write out your ideas and share with your team or current customers. Have a really clear idea of what you want to do but understand video is still an artistic process open to artistic interpretation. Again, plan to make several shorter videos as the more you have online the more exposure you will get, as always in marketing – never put all of your eggs in one basket.

5. Determine the style. Decide whether your video should be a mini-documentary style video, a humorous story style video or something completely different…the choices are limitless! Most people are passionate about what they do, think about how you can share your passion through this video. People respond to emotional connection, it’s okay to laugh, to cry, this is what makes us human and that authenticity makes for a great video.

6. Make your video. There are many options for creating videos yourself with minimal
investment in materials:
a. Software. You may already have software on your computer that will enable you to do basic editing. Read the manual and give it a try, but don’t be too hard on yourself, professional editing takes years of experience and professional grade software.
b. Cameras. Cameras come in all shapes and sizes. Most video cameras are now HD, which is highly recommended for a number of reasons but the top reason is just quality- your video is meant to show off your company at its finest and standard definition or poor quality footage (such as from a wobbly iphone or low quality lens) can take away from the brand you have worked hard to create.
d. Computer.Many will find that you will need a new computer that is powerful enough to edit large HD video files. Make sure that your computer meets the demands set forth by the software you will use before purchasing.

7. Don’t be over critical. If you didn’t have a Hollywood budget for this DIY project, your videos may not look like they belong on the Silver Screen. If you want a highly polished, high budget production there are really great video production companies that can handle that for you (Wink Wink). The end-all reason to make videos is to create a buzz and share your message with your target audience in the most concise and engaging way possible: Let them know who you are, gain their trust, develop a relationship with them before they ever setting foot into your business and generate some loyalty.

8. Share your video. Once your videos are created, you may want to upload them to
your website. More importantly, you will want to distribute them online so that they have
a better chance of being seen by the search engines. There are several video websites
available and individual reasons to use them which for practical purposes we will not get
into here. Start with Youtube and Facebook.

9. Optimize. Tag your videos with text and descriptions that are relevant to the video’s
content, this is how search engines like Google will find your business.

10. Monitor. Monitor and evaluate your video’s performance online. If you are not
getting the results that you need, paid advertising channels will send qualified traffic to
your video. Again, this is a topic that requires an in depth analysis of your overall goals
for your business and video marketing campaign.

That is only the tip of the iceberg in video marketing, just know that we are here if you need us! Some have found that for the price of a camera, computer, software and all the time invested, they could have just had us create the video and saved themselves a lot of time and stress….but of course we know it looks super easy to do….if only :0)