Internet video can be a do-it-yourself project
You can create your own Internet video that 60 or so seconds of you on your website demonstrating your product, selling your consulting expertise or explaining why your not-for-profit deserves support.
Whether you should create your own video is up for discussion.
“You need good content that includes a call to action,” says Manny du Mont, president of Wheaton-based du Mont Communications, Inc. and a videographer who understands the marriage between content and graphics. Content may be number one, but technical skill also matters. To du Mont, that means “clean audio and a visual image that doesn't look like a criminal photo. You're not doing a network commercial, but a poor quality video can do more damage than good.”
Sharon Joseph agrees. Principal of Spectrum Consulting Services, Inc., Hoffman Estates, she deep-sixed her first video.
Even though Joseph hired a professional, her video didn't work. “My eye contact was terrible. I didn't have a steady and sincere gaze. There were too many edits. I wouldn't buy from that person on the video,” Joseph says.
She will, however, try again. “Video is like websites were five or six years ago. They're the ante if you want to play the game.”
Terri Kosecki knows graphics can work. “When people meet me, they say they've seen me on LinkedIn,” she says as an example. Kosecki, principal of The Kosecki Group, a Villa Park-headquartered career consultancy, wants her video to establish an “emotional connection” with prospects. She currently is “getting feedback” before posting her first video on her website.
TKG and Spectrum Consulting, both smaller businesses, went outside for video help. Porte Brown, LLC, a 70-person Elk Grove Village CPA firm that serves privately held businesses, stayed inside.
Built around “strong content” from firm experts, the Porte Brown videos “will allow us to do education-based marketing,” says Sales Manager Chris Zdunich. The videos are d-i-y, shot in-house with an employee's high-end Sony HD video camera on a tripod, and will be on a Porte Brown YouTube channel and the firm's website.
The trickiest issue may be connecting your video with viewers. “You can't send a video as an e-mail attachment,” du Mont says. “A lot of companies won't accept any attachments” and a video is far too big for many servers.
A better option, du Mont says, may be to send potential viewers an e-mail with an embedded link to your video, hosted on your site.
Posting your video on your website isn't automatic. “Your website must have the ability to handle video,” du Mont says. “That's something your IT person can tell you.” Alternately, “you can use a transparent other site” that looks like your site and is where people you want to see your video can easily link.
Ÿ Contact Jim Kendall at JKendall@121Marketing Resources.com.© 2010 121 Marketing Resources, Inc.