I said I wouldn’t do it…I had all the excuses in the world of why I wouldn’t do it, too, but I recently started.  “It” is videos.  I’ve only done three, but each one I do gets easier and easier.  It is becoming a very important part of any business with an online presence.

How many times do you visit a website and there’s a video?  That number continues to grow, and there are some pretty significant reasons for that.  I recently watched a webinar hosted by Lou Bortone, Online Branding Specialist, Video Pro, and Visibility Expert.  He shared some interesting statistics with us.

•     YouTube is the second biggest search engine
•     60% (and rising) of all web traffic is video (by 2013 Cisco reports that this number will be 90%)
•     Websites with videos are 53 times more likely to appear on the first page of a search
•     Visitors stay two minutes longer on average on sites with videos
•     Visitors are 64% more likely to purchase on sites with videos
•     Websites with videos sell 45% more

With these numbers how can you afford NOT to have a video on your site?  Videos help set you apart from your competitors.  Videos also increase your credibility and visibility.   We all do business with people we know, like, and trust.  Videos are a great way to help that process along.  Have you ever watched a video and felt a connection with that person?

You can use videos to attract clients, open new opportunities such as joint venture partners, any number of things.  Videos also increase your social media exposure.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to create your videos.  Using your laptop webcam or purchasing a separate webcam for your desktop will work.  The software comes with your webcam.  You install it and then can use any type of video editor to add captions at the bottom, if you want.
Your videos can be short — 1 to 2 minutes is fine.  If you want to do a longer one, break it up into different sections.  Don’t try to record too much at one time!  And remember, it doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s okay if you stumble over a word or have to look at a note while you’re talking.

Here are a few ideas for recording your video:

•     Series of tips
•     Welcome message on your home page
•     Explanation of specific service or product
•     Motivating people to sign up for your teleseminar or webinar
•     Thank you message to clients
•     Drive traffic from Facebook or YouTube to your site

Still not comfortable being in front of the camera?  Then consider doing a slide presentation and narrating it.

If you’d like to check out my YouTube channel, click here!  If you have some other ideas how to use videos, I’d love to hear them!