With the advent of broadband Internet access and the
proliferation of free video hosting sites like YouTube,
Blip.tv, Revver and Veoh.com, today anyone with a camcorder
and an Internet connection can produce a video and share it
with the world. Producing video for the Web can be a
powerful marketing tool for your business. Some obvious
benefits include:
1. Free or low-cost publicity and exposure for your company
2. Instant access to a worldwide audience on the Web, 24/7
3. The ability to use your video hosting site's HTML code
to add the video to your own Web site
Here's a step-by-step guide for getting started:
1. Produce a short video
"Short" is the key word here, for several reasons: First,
online viewers have a much shorter attention span when
watching video on the Web. Second, longer videos mean
larger file sizes. Most free video hosting sites have a
100MB limit; some even less.
Additional resources: For great, do-it-yourself, online
video tools, visit Serious Magic and look at their
inexpensive "Vlog It" software. Videomaker magazine also
features tips for creating online video.
2. Output your video for online viewing
Once you've got your video, it still needs to be encoded
and compressed to make it "Internet-friendly." Video files
can be enormous, but compression software shrinks the video
file size so it plays more smoothly on the Web. Remember to
save or export your file to an online-compatible size,
which is 320 X 240 resolution; and compress it so it's
under 20MB, if possible. Be sure to save your video file in
a format that most video sites accept, such as a Quicktime
movie (.mov), a Windows movie (.wmv) or Flash (.flv) file.
Additional resources: QuickTime Pro (for Windows or Mac) is
ideal for compressing your video and transferring it to
whatever file format you prefer (Windows, Flash, MPEG).
The software is about $30 (US) and is worth its weight in
gold when it comes to converting files for online video.
Another option is Blaze Media Pro. ($50)
3. Upload to several free video hosting sites
Now comes the fun part - You get to upload your video and
share it with the world! Most of the popular video sites
have relatively easy upload instructions: First, you'll
have to create an account for each site. The video hosting
sites usually have a two or three step process that allows
you to browse for your video file on your computer; add a
title and description; and then click "upload" to post your
video file. Most sites will also give you options for
adding a thumbnail photo, selecting your genre or category
or, in some cases, signing up for revenue sharing. (Don't
expect the money to start pouring in unless you've got a
wildly popular "viral" video!)
Additional resources: Go beyond the obvious sites like
YouTube and Yahoo, and upload your video to some of the
more feature-rich sites such as Veoh, Revver, iFilm and
VideoEgg Visit the individual sites for easy upload
instructions.
4. Promote and share your new "online TV channel"
After you've uploaded your video, these free video hosting
sites provide the option of "sharing" your video by giving
you a link/URL that you can e-mail to your contacts. Most
sites also include a great feature that allows you to copy
the HTML code and "embed" the video into your own website
or blog. Simply cut and paste the code provided into your
own site. Finally, use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to
offer "subscriptions" to your online videos.
Additional resources: I find the most "user-friendly" sites
to be Blip.tv and VideoEgg. Sites like these and
Brightcove.com tend to be geared toward businesses and a
bit more professional. Popular (and free) RSS feed
providers include Feedburner and Mefeedia.
Finally, keep in mind these special considerations for web
video:
* Since your screen is typically much smaller on the web,
avoid wide shots with a lot of people in them. It just
doesn't translate well on the Internet.
* Avoid pans and zooms. Rapid movement is harder to watch
on a smaller screen.
* Keep it simple. Don't go crazy with a lot of titles and
graphics. They may be too small to be effective.
* Keep it short - Less is more on the
"short-attention-span" Internet!
----------------------------------------------------
Lou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer
with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and
promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps
entrepreneurs create video for the web at
http://www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com . In addition, Lou works
as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a
ghostwriting site at http://www.GhostwriteForYou.com .
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