Small Business Online

There are many ways to reach your customers and those avenues are evolving constantly. One of the newest, but most effective, is the use of online video (”videocasting”). It requires very little financial investment and just a little know-how to get started. Before you know it, you will be able to offer short video clips on your website and via YouTube to reach new customers and offer a service to your existing clients.

Any type of business can use videocasting in their marketing. “Main Street” type businesses can video record basic maintenance techniques, like changing a faucet washer, as a free service to their viewers, which builds interest and loyalty. Retail business owners can tour potential customers through their stores and share key features of the business to the viewer.

Service businesses benefit from using video as well. Your potential clients get to meet you and your team online ahead of time while YOU tell them about your business. You can offer short training videos as well and create relationships built on trust. This makes it much more likely for them to enlist your company’s services because they get to see, in advance, that you have real content to offer them.

Videocasting isn’t expensive. There are excellent video cameras for $150 or less. You may already have decent video recording capabilities on your digital camera. Digitally recorded video clips should be 3 minutes or less. If you are sitting at a desk, use a tripod. If you are recording a process, it may be better to have someone else managing the video camera for you.

Make sure the lighting is decent (natural light is always preferable to overhead or desk lighting) and that your filming area is quiet. There are exceptions to all of these rules and you can find successful videocasts where the speaker is walking or the lighting is grainy. In the end, again, it is about having something to say. In the beginning, you will probably shoot several versions before you are happy and few of us like to see ourselves on video!

Your video camera will come with basic editing software which is enough. Often no editing is required and your free software will allow you to directly upload videos to YouTube. YouTube has social media features where you can communicate and network with other members and it also allows you free storage of your video. If you don’t already have a YouTube account, open one and complete the full profile including a link to your company’s site.

When your video is uploaded to YouTube, make it public so people can find it easily. YouTube offers the “share” feature and you can retrieve either the URL link or the code to add the video to your website. Videocasting is an inexpensive but very worthwhile marketing tool that can help you stand out from your competitors!

With 30+ years consulting experience, Steven Schlagel provides training and coaching for startups, entrepreneurs and small business owners. Check his site for more articles to increase your success!