Using Video Marketing In Your Online Business

Video has taken the world by firestorm, and to say that it’s a key component in anything related to online business would be a gross understatement! Everywhere you turn there is a video available for you, whether it’s a sales message, entertainment, or something personal, video has become the medium of choice in this generation.

YouTube itself gets more than 2 billion views daily, and is growing still. Video on Facebook and other social outlets continues to expand, and it’s becoming rare to see anything promoted online that does not have a video component!

Video sales letters are fast replacing both short and long form salescopy, and while the words themselves and the message may be identical, the medium has undergone a sea-change.

So it’s become abundantly clear that in order to compete in today’s marketing landscape you need to be involved in video! The question for you is, how?

So What Does It Take To Do A Video?

These days, not much! I realize many of you may be veterans at shooting your own videos, but for those who are new to this, let me run down the ways you can get video into the mix.

Outsource – If you absolutely feel as though you can’t or don’t want to do this, don’t let that stop you from having video as a weapon in your marketing arsenal! You can easily outsource this at whatever level you feel comfortable with. You can have someone simply do lead generation videos, or full-on marketing pieces. Know that this will cost some coin, and proceed accordingly.

Flip Cameras or Phones – You can take video with nearly anything these days. Your phones, Flip cameras, iPads and more will take decent videos that can be shot impromptu, when you’re out and about, or at an event. These devices, if you don’t already own them, are getting less and less expensive, and you can be shooting videos tonight if you are so inclined!

Slideshows and Screen Capture Videos– If you’re really camera shy or need to be able to show data or screenshots form your computer, you can always do a slideshow video in PowerPoint, Keynote for Macs, Jing, or any number of other solutions. These can very easily be done in an hours or two, and look surprisingly good! A great way to deliver solid content to your followers!

Traditional Video Shoot - You could always go the tried and true method of hiring someone who has a professional video camera and have it done for you that way. Of course, this is the most expensive and time-consuming method detailed here. The quality of the video will likely be better, so you simply need to consider the tradeoffs.

How Can You Use These Videos?

Any number of ways! This is one of the best online businesses ideas you can implement. Here are but a few:

Opt-in Bait – Using video as a free gift for opting in to your email list is a terrific use of them. A good video that goes viral can add hundreds if not thousands of people to your list over time. It can be a short time, too!
Killer Content – When you are in the habit of delivering up great content for your followers, video is a good way to do it. It can be done fast, is a lot more fun than sitting down and pounding out a long and detailed post or article, and has far more chance of being spread far and wide than any other medium.
Presell Sequences – You’ve no doubt seen many of these by now. A content-rich video pre-selling series that leads to the inevitable…
Video Sales Letter – The way of sales letters these days. It’s far easier to convey an emotional trigger when you’re dealing with not only words on a page, but live video, music and a compelling narrator. This beats just words on a page every time, and is responsible for the difference in conversion rates. All of their senses are engaged, and you have a much better shot at getting to them emotionally.
Blog Posts – An easy way to make a blog post, many bloggers now post through video exclusively. While that may be extreme, a mixture is clearly a good thing, especially SEO wise!

So Where Do I Post These Videos?

Obviously you want to post them on your site or blog, and on YouTube. A viral video there can bring in hundreds of thousands of views, sometimes millions!

You also want to post in other video sharing sites, such as Viddler, Vimeo, Revver, Metacafe, DailyMotion and others. This can amount to a lot of traffic as well.

Also, be sure to post to your Facebook Page, and announce your video postings on Twitter!

Be sure wherever you post your videos, (other than your own site) that you have a link leading back to where you’d like your visitors to end up. I’ve seen many videos on YouTube that have gotten hundreds of thousands of views, and not a link in sight!

Video is a lethal weapon in a marketers bag of internet opportunities. Be sure to make a plan for making video a part of the plan!

Tags: internet opportunities, online business, online businesses ideas, shooting your own videos, video marketing, video sales letters, YouTube