Web Video Is Key by Wayne Ford

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Table of Contents Who am I and why am I giving away this report?

I Need Your Help

Why Web Video is Key

Quick Guide to Web Video Equipment

Publishing Your Video on the Web

Video Idea Jumpstarters

Examples of Web Video Being Used Effectively

Directly Making Money From Your Web Videos

Time to Take Action

Tools and Resources

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Who am I and why am I giving away this report?

y full time job is producing, shooting, and editing web videos for Buzz Media, Inc. in Los Angeles,

CA. Buzz Media operates over 30 pop culture and music

related social media sites and blogs. Day in and day out,

I am (among other things) running out to shoots, setting up lights, working with talent, cutting together footage,

wrestling with tight deadlines and exporting video to the web for thousands to see.

Before I moved into video production I worked in search

I started VideoIsKey.com and wrote this report for three main reasons: 1. To show bloggers, marketers, small businesses, organizations and artists the power of web video and that it is easier to implement than you think. 2. To provide you with the techniques, strategies and tools you need (and only what you need) in order to be successful with using video on the web.

marketing for two years and also ran my own profitable internet marketing business.

3. To inject some creativity and new ideas into the world of web video and inspire people to think outside the box

We have all noticed the explosion of video on the web

when it comes to video content and style.

over the past few years. Recently YouTube even became the #2 search engine surpassing Yahoo. But what I have also noticed are bloggers, internet marketers and small businesses struggling with getting video online and utilizing its marketing power in a way that makes sense for them. There has been a lot of haphazard shooting with bad lighting, usage of cheesy graphics, bad green screen and confusion of export settings and embed code. VideoIsKey.com

I Need Your Help

urrently I am in the middle of writing a book on these

topics and Iʼm hoping it will be ready in a few months.

Here is where you come in, I want to know what you need to know. Please take a minute to fill out this short survey. (Don’t have time? Send me a quick email with the answer to this question: “What’s the #1 thing you need help with when it comes to web video?”) Also if you enjoy this report and find it helpful please help me spread the word by blogging about it on your site, tweeting it to your tweeple, linking to my blog or just sending it to your friends. I would sincerely appreciate it! And if you Twitter be sure to follow me. Twitter.com/videoiskey

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Why Web Video is Key

eb video is the most eﬀective medium for engaging,

connecting and inspiring your followers. They hear

you, see you and in essence get an authentic representation of who you are.

different video sharing sites (like YouTube). Another blog owner might think what you have to say will be of value to their readers and, using embed code, easily post it on their site. The viral potential is endless.

Why is this connection important? Because in order for

This is not to say that web video is an instant cash cow

someone to want to read your writing, buy your product,

and that as soon upload as you some videos, they will go

invest in your services, or listen to your music, there needs

viral and you will be rich with money and customers. There

to be some level of trust. People must trust that you are who

are some definite techniques and strategy that need to be

you say you are and that you speak the truth.

implemented in order to be successful with web video. And as far as having it go crazy “virally,” there are some rules

People today are skeptical of everything. Why? because most of us have been ripped off too many times. Like The

you can follow to significantly increase your chances, but there is no guarantee.

Wizard of Oz, we want to see who’s behind the curtain. Cheap sales tricks and old school marketing techniques

The potential with web video is also scalable and can

are no longer effective. Now what’s most vital is human

grow with you. A well made short intro video about you and

connection and interaction. This is hard to do through

what you offer is a great lead grabber. As you become more

computers, so it’s your job to provide your followers with

comfortable with the technical aspect, you can delve into

this feeling of trust through the use of video.

more in-depth web video projects.

The awesome thing is: web video can be done effectively for a very low budget and can be leveraged in several

Why don’t more bloggers and internet marketers take advantage of the marketing power of web video? 3 Reasons:

different ways. You can spend an hour making one video, upload it to your site and very quickly syndicate it to several VideoIsKey.com

1. THEY DON’T SEE THE VALUE. Aside from the

psychological reasons mentioned above, here are some cold hard stats. According to eMarketer & comScore:

2. FEAR. “It’s too much work,” “I don’t know how to operate a camera or edit,” or “That embed code scares me!” Are just a few of the excuses given....To that I say “Hogwash!” or at least that’s what I would have said in the

Online video viewing accounted for 12.5 percent of Americans’

1800’s. There is a huge misconception in internet land

total time spent on the Internet in November 2008, up from 8.5

about the difficulty of implementing a web video strategy.

percent the previous year.

It’s actually pretty darn simple, and this report will go a long way in helping you get started.

US Internet users viewed 12.7 billion online videos during

November 2008 alone, up more than one-third over November 2007, according to data released in January 2009 by comScore Video Metrix. Ÿ

comScore said more than 146 million US Internet users watched

3. STAGE FRIGHT. “I’m camera shy,” “I don’t look or sound good on camera,” “I have a face for radio.” That last one is awful, I apologize. But it’s true that most

an average of 87 videos per viewer in November 2008—that’s 77% of

people have a strong aversion to being on camera. This is a

the total US Internet audience.

very normal reaction and is actually shared by some of the major actors you see on camera a lot. They may be good

eMarketer also puts online video viewers at more than three-

quarters of US Internet users, and estimates that percentage will rise to

with a script, character and set but the minute you have them be themselves for an interview they get very nervous.

88% by 2012. The good news is you can condition yourself to overcome Some claim putting video on your website can help

this “fear” fairly easily.

improve ROI (Return on Investment) by as much as 50%. Another statistic I saw recently is 12% of people buy from site with video, while only 1% purchase from a site without

For more tips on overcoming your fear of being on camera visit:

video.

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http://videoiskey.com/2009/06/01/overcome-your-fearof-being-on-camera/

If you are currently using web video, good for you! You realize the value of web video and are ‘in it to win it’ as they say. This report will help you take your video production,

The harder part of all this, is creating web video content

content and strategy to the next level.

that is quality and engaging. You want your followers to know that whenever they click play on your video player, they are going to see something of value to them. It teaches them something, it entertains them and/or it inspires them (maybe to purchase your product or maybe just to come back another day to read your posts). The focus of your web video strategy should be about building trust and a relationship with your followers. Now at first that may sound sort of boring, but there are endless unique, fun and creative ways to do this. Sure most of us are in this to make some money (even indirectly), but direct ad-on-video monetization should not be the main goal. I’m not saying, directly monetizing videos doesn’t have it’s place. But for bloggers, marketers, or small businesses, thinking in the long-term and using video to make that connection, and therefore a customer for life is a more effective strategy. The simple truth is that if you are not using web video you are missing out on a huge opportunity to connect and sell to your followers. VideoIsKey.com

Quick Guide to Web Video Equipment

he strategy here is to start small (but still eﬀective) and upgrade as you go. If youʼre just starting out you donʼt

need to invest thousands of dollars on a high end video

camera, lights etc. And 95% of you wonʼt ever need or want to anyhow. You just want to get the best quality production

Processor - At least 1Ghz (2, 2.8, or 3.2 is better) RAM - At least 512KB (1GB to 2 GB+ is better) Hard Drive - Video files can eat up space quickly so I would recommend at least having 20GBs available on

you can while staying within your budget.

your local drive. You will also probably eventually need an

Here is what you need:

keeps your computer’s resources free for capturing and

external drive (at least 500GB) to store your video files. This editing.

Computer Video Camera Audio (Microphone)

Operating System - Mac OS X , Windows XP, or Vista on a PC.

Lighting Tripod

VIDEO

Software Does your iMac have a built-in webcam? The quality of It’s very possible you may already have some, if not all the equipment you need and you might not even know it...

video on these have improved drastically over the last couple years and if you have one of the newer models you are good to go camera wise (skip to Audio section.)

Computer Do you have a new digital camera that also does video, If your computer was made after 2005 chances are it’s

like the new Nikon D90?, if you do than that will work. The

going to be fine with working with your video, but there are

audio using the internal mic is not good however, so you

some basic requirements:

will have to record audio separately and sync it later. You

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may also be able to use the camera as a webcam and use a

computer when shooting and the picture quality, while good

separate mic attached to your computer.

enough, isn’t great and not ever good in lowlight. You will also need a quality external microphone to use in conjuction

Do you have an old camcorder you use for home videos?

with it.

I realized the other day I have a Hi-8 camcorder from 2000 that’s sitting my closet. It’s sort of obsolete now because of

If you are thinking about buying a webcam, I recommend

the Hi-8 tape aspect but I noticed it did have a firewire cable

The Eyeball by Blue. It’s a USB webcam with a pretty darn

port. Therefore the tape doesn’t matter; it just needs a way

good microphone attached. Check out http://chris.pirillo.

to transfer video into the computer. Usually either a firewire

com/which-webcam-has-the-best-audio/ for more about this

or USB cable will work. Now there could be some issues with

webcam. It’s going for around $90 on Amazon.

capture software and drivers that you run into when using older equipment but it’s worth a shot before you run out and buy something.

If you want to go the camcorder route the two most important things to look for are an external microphone jack (or input) and how well it does in low light situations.

What Video Camera Should I Buy? SD VS. HD With web video any camera over 2 MP (Mega-Pixels) is fine, and pretty much any camera on the market today will have that.

I’m a huge fan of HD (High Definition), There is significant improvement in video quality. However since your video will be uploaded to the web and compressed to load and

Webcam VS. Camcorder

play quickly- HD is not vital or even practical for most (and there is a pretty big jump in cost). You can still get

If you think you are only going to be doing simple (just

great quality video with SD (Standard Definition) providing

you talking into the camera) web videos then a webcam

you light and mic correctly. As people upgrade to faster

might be the way to go. They are definitely cheaper, as you

internet connection speeds and more sites like Youtube

can get a decent quality one for between $50 and $100.

and Vimeo allow for the uploading of larger HD files, it may

The drawbacks to webcams are that you will be tied to your

be worth investing in HD equipment in the future. Another

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consideration with HD is the raw video files are much larger

marketplace but I’m still a big fan of using tapes. DV tapes

and it will take up a lot more hard drive space.

are cheap (at about $4 a piece) and can record an hours worth of footage. You can always digitize it later when you

I have been very impressed with the new SD and HD Flipcams that you can get for $200 and under. They are

capture it to your computer and then you always have a hard copy (the tape) in case your hard drive fails.

easy to use and pretty decent in low light conditions. BUT there is no mic jack, which you need in order to plug in a

With a memory card you will probably transfer it over to

separate mic for better audio or to use a handheld. If you

your computer and then erase the card to make room. If

are in a quiet room (no screaming kids, humming AC units

something happens to your hard drive, it’s gone for good.

etc.) the audio quality may work fine but I’m having a hard time recommending it. You can’t beat the $200 price for an

AUDIO

HD video camera, though. External Microphones Mic jacks on cheaper consumer video cameras also seem

If you are planning on using a webcam, I would

to be disappearing. It seems manufacturers are saving this

recommend one of Logitechs noise cancellation

feature for higher budget prosumer cameras. The cheapest

microphones that are designed for use with webcams. If

HD camera with a mic jack is over $600. Like I said before,

you want superior sound then invest in a Snowball Mic from

SD will do just fine and there are a few video cameras for

Blue (about $70) or a Rode Podcaster (about $229). They are

under $300.

both USB mics that can plug directly into your computer.

I recommend the Canon VTR 960 which is about $250 on

If you are not getting good audio from your on board

Amazon. This is a DV tape based camera. Canon also makes

(internal) camcorder mic, you can either record audio

a memory card based camera (with mic jack) for around

separately with one of the web cam mics mentioned above.

$350.

Or you can purchase an external mic for use with your camcorder. Consumer cameras will use a stereo jack, while

Tape VS. No Tape. Memory card cameras seem to be picking up steam in the VideoIsKey.com

higher end cameras will use XLR. Even if you purchase a mic with the wrong input you can always buy an adaptor at

Radio Shack to make it fit the jack.

store and/or those china ball lights you can get at IKEA.

Shotgun Mics

Work Lights

If you are going to do a lot of “run and gun” style shooting

These things are 500 watts and are crazy bright. You

(at random locations with no setup time, talking to multiple

will usually want to bounce the light off a wall and maybe

people at once) it would be worth it to invest in a good

even the ceiling as well before you use it to light your

shotgun mic that has a good windshield.

background. I would recommend one of these lights to light the background and one that you will use as face light.

Lavelier Mics If you plan on doing formal sit down interviews you will

The one you use for face light you will need to diffuse. You can do this by clipping a piece of white fabric in front

need 2 wireless Lavelier (or Lapel) mics. These are the tiny

of it or hanging the fabric on something and then shining

mics that can be clipped on your lapel or shirt. The cheapest

the light through it and then onto your subject’s face. Be

I found was around $50 for one.

careful when putting anything near these lights as they get extremely hot and may catch the material on fire.

Handheld Mics If you are going to do some event coverage, man on the street, more casual sit down interviews, or want to have that

China Balls (or China lanterns) These lights are about $12 at IKEA or online and provide

newscaster look, a handheld mic is the way to go. I would

great soft ambient lighting. They aren’t as powerful as the

also recommend investing in a mic flag (the little box with

work light but you can use them to provide more back light

your logo on it) that sits under the top part on the handle.

or to get a little more light on your subjects face.

People will take you more seriously. Good lighting is crucial and I will be producing some video

LIGHTING

tutorials on the subject very soon. In the meantime here is a great series on DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Video Production

There are a lot of very expensive lights made especially for video and film use but you don’t need them. You can

lighting by Drew Noah that includes the basics of 3 Point Lighting and some other cheap DIY light setups.

use affordable work lights that you can get at the hardware VideoIsKey.com

Soft Boxes Softboxes are used all the time by videographers and

On a Mac you may have iMovie or the iMovie Lite version that will handle the capturing and be a good starting place

photographers. These are powerful lights (usually 300 to

for editing. Or you can try MediaCapture. It’s shareware and

500 watts) covered with a fabric “box” to diffuse and cast a

costs $15.

nice soft light on your subject. You will have to shell out a little more money for this option but if you search eBay or Craigslist you may be able to find some good deals.

As far as editing goes, if you have a Mac hopefully iLife containing iMovie came with it. iMovie is great for producing web videos and will do more than enough to get

Or you can make one yourself. Here is a DIY softbox tutorial.

you started. If you don’t have iMovie consider purchasing it. At $79 for the whole iLife package, it’s not a bad deal. The next step up for Mac users would be Final Cut Express,

Tripod

which retails for $199.

Unless you plan on doing elaborate camera movements like fluid pans, any old cheap tripod should do just fine. As

For PC users, if and when you find Window Movie Maker

long as it keeps the camera in one place and doesn’t move,

limiting, then you will want to upgrade to Adobe Premiere

it will do the job.

Elements (around $140) or Sony Vegas ($55 to $125, depending on version).

Video Capture & Editing Software If you want to get serious about editing web videos then If you are using a webcam, most likely some sort of capture software came with it that you can use.

Final Cut Pro (Mac Only) is the way to go. Adobe Premiere (Mac or Windows) is OK, and what I originally learned video editing on, but now that I have been using FCP for almost 2

If you have a PC with Windows, then you can use Windows

years I will not go back.

Movie Maker or free capture software like http://www. deskshare.com/vc.aspx or Debut http://www.nchsoftware. com/capture/index.html.

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Publishing Your Video on the Web

ow that you have a video ready to go, the next step is

to get it uploaded and published onto the web. Before

I go over the two main methods to do this you need to understand a couple concepts.

1. Although there are some ways to publish using

to get the best quality and prime file size. Sorenson Squeeze – (I use this at work) Flix 2. Now that you have a flash file you also will need some

Quicktime (.mov), Windows Media (.avi) or other formats,

sort of video player. This is the box around your video that

the clear winner is Flash (.flv). The Flash format became

usually has the play, pause, progress bar and other features.

popular because of it’s ability to create a small video file

This can get a little confusing but just remember your video

while still keeping it very high quality.

and the player are two separate files.

Getting your video file into the Flash format is usually a

You will need some sort of software or online

two step process. You will first export your video from your

programming script that will insert your video into the

video editing software into a .mov, .avi, or .mpeg format

player and create embed code for you to publish on your

(there are others but for now I would stick with one of

site.

these). Now back to the two main methods of publishing your Next you need to convert this file into a Flash file. You can

videos.

do so with a free converter program: 1. Use a video sharing site like YouTube or Vimeo. This http://flvencoder.com/ (online)

method tends to be a little bit quicker as they have already

http://zamzar.com/ (online)

setup an easy way for you to upload and generate the

http://ffmpegx.com/ (software)

embed code you need to publish the video on your site. They also host the video for you so you don’t need web

Or you can try a paid conversion program. The advantages

space.

to this is that there are more options to optimize your video VideoIsKey.com

One of the major disadvantages to this is that you are

as your secondary channel. Focus mainly on posting

not in control of your video; they host it and anything could

videos on your site and then most of the time put them on

happen. They could decide it violates a copyright law or

YouTube as well, or make a separate teaser video promoting

that it is inappropriate and will delete it without warning.

the complete video on your site.

Granted, your videos probably shouldn’t violate those rules anyway but the point is that it’s out of your control.

The misconception with YouTube is that your video will instantly be seen by thousands after you upload and this

You are also creating a traffic getting page for YouTube

is not the case at all. All video sharing sites use a complex

and, percentage wise, very few people are going to click

algorithm to decide what videos they promote on ‘top video’

over to your site after watching your video.

lists. The most important elements are popularity and tags (relevant keywords you use to identify the content of you

2. Host your video yourself, and use a third party player.

video).

With this method you are in complete control and create the traffic for your site.

It’s sort of a catch-22; your video has to be popular in order for it to become more popular. So unless you have

There are lot of video players available on the web. Below are some free options: http://flowplayer.org/

somewhere to post your video to get an initial 20,000+ views, it’s not going to explode with viewers. I say focus on your site, your followers, your Google

http://www.longtailvideo.com/

grabbing video pages, and let YouTube (and other video

http://www.mac-dev.net/blog/index.php (video player

sharing sites) be a secondary marketing method. Slowly but

plugin for wordpress with lot’s of customizing and skin

steadily build an entirely different following on YouTube.

options). I want to point out that I have over simplified this a bit The video publishing combo strategy:

and because of YouTube’s huge built in audience, and social networking features, it can be a very powerful marketing

The best plan is to take advantage of both distribution

tool. It should just not be your only video marketing tool.

options but prioritizing your site or blog. Think of YouTube VideoIsKey.com

Video Idea Jump-starters

ltimately the content of your video is the most

important ingredient in your web video strategy. Below

are a few video ideas you can steal or use as starting points for your own genius.

Note: For most of you, web video is only a part of an overall blogging and marketing plan so keep in mind that there is no need to create a whole video channel and try to do several different web videos each week. I would pick one or two of these that you think would be most effective in

Planning (or Pre-Production)

connecting with your audience and set a goal of producing them on a regular basis. Whether it be once a week or once

Take a minute to think about what it is you want to accomplish with your web videos. There are several different

a month, as with all web marketing strategies- consistency is key.

niches of bloggers and marketers so there is not one master strategy for all, but the basic goals will include: 1. Make connection.

The Welcome Video Time Length: 30 seconds to 1 minute.

2. Gain following. 3. Make money through promoting a product or service or through ads on your site.

If you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a blog that you update on a regular basis and your website is more of a portfolio of your products or services, a 30 second to 1 minute video greeting can be

You will essentially be producing 2 types of video (with

a great way to grab the attention of a visitor. Focus more

some overlap). Video content for those that already know

on making your visitor feel at home on your site, quickly

who you are and visit your site (Your Followers) and videos

mentioning who you are and how they can benefit from the

for those that have yet to discover you and how you can

site.

help them (Your Prospects). Keep this in mind as you create your web videos.

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The Introduction Video

Interviews

Time Length: 2 to 3 minutes.

Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes but could be 2 or 3 parts.

Similar to the Welcome Video, but telling a little bit more

Whatever the subject matter of your blog or site, there

about yourself and your background (as it relates to the

is likely an expert, a person of interest, or a user/fan that

blog). If you have a particular product or service that you

you can interview. Put yourself in the mind frame of being

offer, spend some time revealing how your viewer can

a journalist and ask the questions your followers want to

benefit and how they can go about purchasing. Be careful

know.

not to over sell.

Product Demos The Update Video Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes. Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes. Tell the story of your product and visually show every If you have a regularly updated blog I would recommend

aspect as you do so. Take the time to script this out and

starting with something small, like a weekly video update

make sure your audio is crisp and clear. You might mix in

. You could use this to directly reply to some recent

screen casts with live video to add a little dynamism to your

comments made on your site or reply to some emails that

presentation. Also displaying text to illustrate key points is

you feel more of your readers would benefit from having the

a good idea.

answer. Or give a short update on what you are working on.

Customer Testimonials The ideas above I think of as the bare-bones, good place to start, web videos. Now letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go over some additional

Time Length: 1 to 2 minutes.

creative video content ideas that can really start to engage your followers.

Testimonials from current customers go a long way in convincing new people to purchase you product and service.

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On video, those testimonials become even more powerful.

People love tips! And tips they can get quickly are even

Contact customers that have already given you positive

better! Shorter than a ‘how-to’ video this type of video

written feedback and ask if they would be comfortable

focuses on some aspects of your topic that can be learned

doing one on video. Hopefully you can find at least few

or improved upon quickly. Ex: 5 Quick Tips for Saving

people with a webcam or the know-how to do a quick

Money on Airline Flights, 7 Tips to Making Your Blog Posts

video. If they know how to digitize it they can send it to you

More Interesting. Use text overlays to highlight key words or

through a service like yousendit.com or they can always mail

points.

you a tape. There is some leg work involved with this type of video, but the end result will be a very powerful marketing

Countdowns

tool. Time Length: 2 to 5 minutes.

How-To VH1 and E! have built their networks on these easy and Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes.

cheap to produce shows. You can create mini versions of these shows for your videos. Ex: Top 10 Marketing Myths,

Using a video camera or screen casting, you show your viewer exactly how to do something related to your topic.

10 Reasons Dark Chocolate is Better than Light Chocolate or 15 Greatest Songs of All Time.

It’s best to simplify the process as much as possible and break the sequence of events out into steps. If you have a

The Review

knack for this, you can make some decent money just by regularly producing “How-To” videos. Lot’s of examples of

Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes.

this can be found on eHow.com. Review a site, blog, product, or service that is somehow

Quick Tips

related to your topic. This could definitely be used as a more direct sales tactic, as you could review a product that

Time Length: 2 minutes.

you are an affiliate for. People are definitely more likely to buy something if they see you already have it and are using

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it. You could also joint venture with another blog and swap video site reviews.

There is a real art to teaser video and several different ways to use them. One of the most popular is to create a shorter ‘get people hooked’ version of a video to post on

Mini Documentary

YouTube that then directs viewers to watch the full video on your blog.

Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes. Another technique is to post a teaser video on your blog What is the background, history or motivation behind your topic or product? Think like a documentary filmmaker and

and then offer the full video when they signup for your newsletter or twitter feed.

put together a piece with photos, screen shots, music, visual words and video (this can also be done without any actual

Behind The Scenes

video). Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes.

Current News The most common version of this type of video we see is Time Length: 3 to 5 minutes.

behind the scenes of a photoshoot, music video, TV or film shoot. But it can also be behind the scenes of your product

What’s the latest news on your topic or product? Think of

being made, or your daily routine as it relates to your

yourself as a news anchor informing your viewers. Try to tie

market.

in what you are offering with events happening currently in the world to solicit views from people searching those newly

Music Montage

popular keywords. Time Length: 1 to 3 minutes.

Teasers Sometimes what you want to communicate can be done Time Length: 30 to 45 seconds

more effectively through visuals and music. Examples of this could be a promo ‘reel’ showing photos or screen shots

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of your work put to music or screen shots of your website with traffic stats and endorsement quotes interspersed throughout.

CALL TO ACTION No matter what the content of your web video is, it should always end with some sort of call to action. You don’t want someone to just watch your video, you want them to take action. “Go to this URL to learn more,” “Subscribe to my newsletter,” “Use this coupon code,” are just a few examples. I would recommend both verbally communicating your call to action and showing it with the use of text overlays.

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Examples of Web Video Being Used Effectively

hris Guillebeau (ChrisGuillebeau.com)

Chris Guillebeau of “The Art of Nonconformity” posts

[Sidebar: Chris’s blog and informational product ‘Unconventional Guide to Working for Yourself’ have been invaluable to me and helped motivate me to write this

video updates on a fairly regular basis and for some reason

report and book I’m working on. I would highly recommend

even though I don’t read all his written posts (I should,

becoming a part of his ‘small army.’]

but sometimes I don’t have the time), I watch all his video updates. That’s a point I want to really drive home: There is

SEOmoz.org

something about a moving visual image, seeing the person and looking them in the eyes that is so innately powerful.

Every Friday they do a video segment called ‘Whiteboard

And you can easily harness that power on your blog or

Friday’ where they go over a certain topic with the help of a

website. Sure it probably helps that he is always at some

whiteboard.

exotic location around the world but that’s part of his ‘story’ and blog concept.

The video starts out with a simple but professional looking logo graphic, and then another screen with the

His videos are fairly simple and there is never any hard

title of the video. The main content of the video is lit well

sell. In fact he usually doesn’t even mention one of his

and the audio is crisp and clear. Also notice the little logo

informational products. It’s all about gaining interest in him

watermark or ‘bug’ in the left hand corner, branding the

and his travels that keeps you coming back to his blog and

video throughout. The call to action “hope you join us again

eventually taking a look at what he has to offer. He doesn’t

next week...” is quick but it does the job. Again no hard sell.

even use a ‘call to action,’ but that is also part of his whole philosophy on selling without selling.

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ThreadBanger.com This edgy craft blog consistently posts well made “howtos,”, entertaining sketches and interviews with craft experts. The videos open and close with a professional logo motion graphic which helps raise the overall production value. The editing is kept pretty simple with lots of straight cuts, but it works with the overall fun “you could make this video” raw feel. Again notice the branding logo in the upper right hand corner. They also do several call to actions at the end, asking people to post in the forums, leave a comment and follow them on twitter. ThreadBanger also get bonus points for prominently featuring its most recent videos on its main page, above the beginning of actual blog posts.

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Directly Making Money From Your Web Videos

ne of the goals of this report is to stress the power

of web video for making a deep connection, gaining

There are also some recently emerging ways to make money creating shorter How-to videos. These could be

trust, showcasing ideas and building followers. Followers

anything from a 1 to 5 minute video on “How to Clean Your

For most of you reading this, directly monetizing your

paid per video or by video views depending on the site’s

that may eventually purchase from you or use your service.

Dog’s Ears” to “Thin Chin Beauty Secrets,” You might get

videos is probably not the best strategy, but there are some

program.

ways to do so. Below I will discuss them brieﬂy.

Here are a couple new programs to take a look at:

In these scenarios the video itself becomes the product, so you must be confident you are offering something of value. In other words there must be some sort of payoff

http://www.demandstudios.com/ (Create videos for eHow. com, & ExpertVillage.com)

for sitting through an ad before it starts or paying a fee to watch.

How-To Videos & Video Products If you have a specialized knowledge that people would pay

http://info.howcast.com/filmmakers

Sponsored Video Podcast If you are regularly producing a quality video product that

to know more about, you could create a web video series.

gives valuable, usable information for your audience, you

This could be a training series on anything from fly-fishing

could eventually add sponsors to the video. This could be

techniques to how to win at backgammon. Distributing your

in the form of short ads before or after your video, a small

video product online via a members-only area or download

popup text ad during, product placement, ads around the

links saves you the cost of making DVDs.

video player or some other form of sponsorship.

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like LinkedIn, Facebook or Myspace might be a good place I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t recommend this unless you have already built

to start.

up a regular viewership and your podcast is listed in the iTunes directory (by way of your RSS feed). Putting ads on your videos before you have established yourself as an expert and your videos of value will quickly scare off viewers.

YouTube Partnership Program If you can build a popular YouTube page that is constantly updated with new videos, you may be eligible for YouTubeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ad sharing program. You receive a percentage of the profits from the ads placed in and around your video. More information: http://www.youtube.com/partners Other video sharing sites have similar programs.

Video Consulting Become an expert on using video effectively and help others in your industry do the same. Now more than ever businesses are trying to figure out the best way to use web video to promote themselves. Build a portfolio of sample videos and contact businesses you think could benefit from your services. Your connections on social networking sites VideoIsKey.com

Time to Take Action

ow that you are armed with the tools and techniques

Learning More

to get started, itʼs time to put what you know into

action. Get your equipment together and start getting to know it. Try out lighting setups and test audio.

Don’t worry about getting it right the first time. Your first

No matter how much you know there is always more to learn. This holds especially true in the world of web video.

Free

few videos will probably look like crap. Who cares? No one is going to see them but you.

There are a ton of free video making tutorials online. Search Google or YouTube.com or check out these

Very quickly you will figure out what works and what

resources:

doesn’t- Does your computer desk in the background of your video look messy? Oops. Clean it up, add a plant and

http://library.creativecow.net/

re-shoot. Tweak your script. Print out your outline with a

http://simplevideoediting.com/

large font and tape it to your tripod. Not enough light? Go

http://onemansblog.com/2007/05/23/top-video-editing-

back to Home Depot and get another work light. Windows Movie Maker not working for you (it is pretty limited)? Try the cheapest version of Sony Vegas instead.

video-tutorials/ http://www.howcast.com/categories/1528-Music-andVideo http://www.peachpit.com/articles/index.aspx?st=60532

Just go for it. You can’t screw up. No one will see your video until you are totally satisfied with it. Relax, have fun,

Paid

and create. IzzyVideo.com - A membership site focused on learning the fundamentals of shooting and editing web videos. Over 125 video tutorials. $69 for 6 Month membership. Free VideoIsKey.com

videos posted regularly. WebVideoUniversity.com - Membership site focused more on making money directly from web videos. 112 web based video lessons organized into a 4 week training course. $99 a Month or $497 for 6 Month membership. 7 Day Trial for $1. Lynda.com - Online training library for hundreds of software programs including video editing programs like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, Motion, After Effects, and Premiere Elements. Memberships start at $25 monthly.

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Tools and Resources Video Toolbox: 150+ Online Video Tools and Resources