Internet and Businesses Articles

Videos are one of the most popular ways to market your business. Whether you're posting them on your website or to any of a number of well-known video-sharing sites, videos can create great visibility and credibility for you and your business. If you decide to make a video, there are several things to keep in mind:

Shorter is better.
Everyone is busy. The shorter your video, the more likely someone will view it from beginning to end. Sometimes people get carried away with videos. They want to include anything and everything about their business. This isn't the best approach. If you have a lot of material to cover, consider making several shorter videos. Keep each one focused. For example, you might make one short video that provides an overview of all of your products and services. Then you could make additional videos that showcase a specific product or service offering.

Branding matters.
Your brand is what you communicate and how you communicate who you are and what you do. It includes everything from your company name and logo, to the products and services you offer and the charities you support. Make sure the look, feel, and even the sound (if you include audio) of your videos are consistent with your company's brand attributes.

Information matters.
Everyone likes to watch a cool video which showcases all the latest special effects. But don't forget the content. Make sure that your video includes enough information (text and/or audio) to ensure that the viewer can fully understand who you are and what you do. And don't forget to include your contact information. In fact, it might be a good idea to include your web address at the beginning and end of your presentation just in case the viewer doesn't watch the video in its entirety.

Now that we know our videos should be short, branded and informative, how can we use them to market our business?

Opportunity 1:

Create a video to showcase your products and services. If you're a product-based company, you can discuss each product's features and benefits while showing how to actually use the product. If you sell services, you can do something similar, perhaps using more text accompanied by colorful photographs, actual moving video shots, business models and other graphics which illustrate the concepts, target market or outcomes that relate to your specific offerings.

Opportunity 2:

Interview your customers or clients. Testimonials are one of the most powerful techniques you can use to communicate with your target market. Candid conversations are very compelling when it comes to selling more products or services.

Opportunity 3:

Introduce your team. Business is all about relationships. The most successful people and companies have large networks of people with whom they keep in close contact. Sometimes dealing with companies can feel rather impersonal - and especially so nowadays because much of our business is transacted over the phone or over the internet. But the best relationships can come from a good, heartfelt conversation and a face-to-face meeting. While you can't quite capture the look and feel of a real encounter with someone, video is a great way to make a strong connection with your audience.

One fast, easy and effective way to connect is to create short 30 to 60 second video interviews with your company's key team members. Have them share something interesting or humorous about themselves - in a rather unrehearsed manner. People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. A video from the leadership team is a great way to start the relationship building process.

Creating videos is a great way to market your business. You don't need to be a film school trained producer; they don't need to be perfect. What they do need is to communicate who you are and what you do to the people you most want to work with. So don't delay, start learning how to create videos today.

Tara Alexandra Kachaturoff is a business consultant, writer, speaker, Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and producer/host of Michigan Entrepreneur Television. Drawing on over 15 years of corporate experience, she coaches executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs on business and lifestyle issues and has been featured in print, radio and television. Her websites include http://www.virtualleverage.com, http://www.tarakachaturoff.com, and http://www.michiganentrepreneurtv.com