“I see you everywhere!” Yup, I get that a lot! Colleagues and clients tell me all the time that I seem to be “everywhere.” They see me on YouTube, Facebook, on blogs and on Twitter. I am definitely visible! But my online visibility is no accident. My visibility strategy is simple: I leverage the power of video to increase my exposure – and you can, too!
Online video is the perfect tool to maximize your web presence because it’s highly visible and viral. You can create one video and have it spread from YouTube to Facebook to your own website and beyond. It’s the ultimate leverage resource, because you create it once and use it in many different ways, and in many different places.
Best of all, creating a video to enhance your visibility is quick, easy and inexpensive. Armed with only a webcam or an affordable Flip Video camera, you can shoot a simple video message and upload it to YouTube in minutes. All you need is a (high-speed) Internet connection and a free account on YouTube.com.
Once your video is posted on YouTube, you can send it to Facebook and MySpace with one click! Other free video hosting sites like Blip.tv give you easy sharing and cross-posting functions to add your video to your own website, or to social sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon. To really leverage your time and energy, use another free service, TubeMogul.com, to blast your video out to over a dozen sites with one click! You get the idea: One video to many sites means leverage and visibility across the web!
Keep in mind that even just posting your video to Facebook is going to give you video some mileage. As others comment on your video on Facebook, the video then appears on their Facebook page in addition to your own. That’s the “viral” in viral video!
And let’s not leave Twitter out of the video party… While you can’t post the video itself on Twitter, you can certainly promote the link to your video on Twitter. Better yet, there are several free services, such as Tweetube and Twiddeo, that will notify Twitter for you whenever you put your video on their sites.
Finally, if you want the ultimate, maxed-out, super-charged version of video visibility, be sure to get in touch with me about a free trial of Veeple.com. Veeple is the video hosting platform that I use to make my videos clickable (with live links) and interactive. Veeple’s new deal with TubeMogul means you can even blast your video from Veeple.com to a boatload of popular video sites. It’s one-stop shopping for massive video visibility! You can find more info on Veeple here: http://tinyurl.com/ltdjgv.
If you’d like more information or a quick crash course on video visibility, please feel free to visit my “Video Traffic Blast” website. There you can find out more about my step-by-step viral video process. Be sure to get your video online now! Start sharing your video on the web and soon, you too can be seen “everywhere!”
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 www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.
Tag: web video
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Ask the Online Video Guy!
Recently, Lou Bortone, a.k.a. “The Online Video Guy,” was interviewed on Blog Talk Radio about the explosive growth of online video, and how entrepreneurs can use web video to promote and grow their business. Highlights of that interview are below:
Q: Tell us in one line what you do…
Lou: I help entrepreneurs build their brands and boost their businesses using online video.
Q: Why is video branding an important concept for solopreneurs to embrace?
Lou: Video branding is important because online video is becoming such a pervasive part of business. Right now, more people are watching online video than are watching traditional television. In fact, MediaPost recently reported that in typical week, online video viewing has overtaken TV viewership of all the networks combined! In addition, time spent watching video grew over 50% in 2008. Small business owners can capitalize on this trend by getting into online video now – while it’s still easy and inexpensive.
Q: You have helped many different small businesses start and expand their visibility on the web, so what are three of the most important factors in doing this effectively using video over the Internet?
Lou: Three of the keys to success in online video are:
1. Focus on the message – Be sure that you create compelling content.
2. Keep it short – The shorter your video is, the better. Under 2-3 minutes!
3. Don’t get bogged down by technical issues. “Done is better than perfect!”
Q: One of the things that you’re known for is your strategies that give professionals unique ways to marketing and promote their business. Can you talk a little about your video branding approach?
Lou: Video is very effective as a visibility and credibility tool for a few reasons:
First, video is visible. It’s up close and personal, so it makes you more familiar to your clients and customers, and it builds a strong connection.
Second, video is viral. Video has the ability to share and spread quickly over the Internet, so it’s viral by nature. You can create one video and blast it out to many sites at once. This leverages your time and effort. Your one video can serve many purposes in many different places. I explain the entire process in my Video Traffic Blast video tutorials. (http://www.VideoTrafficBlast.com)
Finally, video gives you a global online presence, 24/7. Your video can be working for you and promoting you all over the world, even while you sleep!
Q: What is the biggest mistake business owners make when they put a video on the web and expect people to find it?
Lou: The biggest mistake people make is not sharing and spreading their video across various platforms. You can get a lot of mileage from one video if you distribute it properly. For example, look at all the ways you can leverage one YouTube video: From YouTube, you can:
• Share the video to Facebook, MySpace and Twitter
• Email a link to your video to your clients or fans
• Use the “embed” code that YouTube provides to add the video to your blog
• Share the link to your video on Ping.fm
• Blast your video out to several video hosting sites from TubeMogul.com
Q: What is the most important thing that you recommend an entrepreneur does as they develop a video branding strategy?
Lou: I advise my video coaching clients to do three things starting out:
1. Begin with the end in mind. What are your online video branding goals?
• Increase your online visibility?
• Establish credibility?
• Extend your brand?
• Increase your search engine rankings?
2. Focus on content over quality. Online viewers are pretty forgiving of web video quality. Make sure that your message is compelling and relevant – You can worry about the Hollywood effects later!
3. Get it out there! Just get it done! Your video doesn’t need to be perfect. It’s more important that you get started and get some video online. You can learn and improve as you go!
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 www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.
To see an ONLINE VIDEO version of this article, please visit: http://tinyurl.com/3jj5f7
I lived and worked in Hollywood for many years, right in the shadow of the famous HOLLYWOOD sign. Los Angeles is the undisputed entertainment capital of the world… or is it?
With the proliferation of video hosting sites like YouTube, and live video streaming sites like UStream.tv, these days anyone with a webcam and an idea could be the next online video sensation! You could become an Internet superstar right from your own home or office…
If you’d like a shot at web TV stardom, or if you’re just looking for new ways to promote your business, then you should be taking advantage of new web resources that make it easy to shoot and upload your own video to the web.
YouTube has delivered online video to the masses, but now there are even ways to “broadcast” live from the web. One of the more popular web streaming sites is UStream.tv.
Ustream makes it easy to do a live broadcast right from your computer. Just sign up for a free account, fire up your webcam and click the “broadcast now” icon. Then, boom! You’re “on the air,” instantly, streaming live over the web!
Once you’ve got your own channel on UStream, you’ve got to drive viewers to your show. You can do that by sending out an e-mail with the URL to your list, or by posting your show’s unique URL on Facebook and Twitter.
The great thing about UStream is that it’s interactive – your viewers can ask you questions or make comments in real time using the chat function. This makes UStream a great way to host live teleseminars or Q & A sessions with your clients and “fans.”
In addition, you can record your UStream show so that your customers can watch it later. In fact, you can submit your “saved” show to Technorati, Digg and StumbleUpon. Of course, you can also upload it to the usual video hosting sites like YouTube.
One final tip to increase the viral nature of your show: Sign up for a free account at TubeMogul.com. When you upload your video to TubeMogul, they will then blast it out to bunch of other video sites like Blip.tv, AOL Video, Revver, MySpace and several other video sites.
Last, but not least, remember to take the “embed” code provided by YouTube or the other video sites and copy and paste it into your own blog. That way, you’ll get extra mileage out of your video by including it and promoting it in your blog.
Take the plunge into the world of online video and live streaming video, and you’ll be hooked! You’ll improve your search engine rankings, publicize your business, and maybe even become a web TV star!
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 www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.
With the proliferation of video sites and social media sites like Facebook and MySpace, more and more of us are making web videos – and that’s a good thing. However, an amateur or poorly produced video will not put you or your business in the best light. Fortunately, there are a few little things you can do that will make a BIG difference! If you follow this simple advice, your videos – and your business – will look much more professional online.
1. Watch your background!
Now, I realize you may not be able to use all the special effects that I do on my “LouTube” Videos (http://tinyurl.com/6lslh7) but you’ve still got to consider your environment! Where is your camera? What’s behind you in the background? Nobody wants to see your dirty laundry or your velvet Elvis painting in the background! Just use a plain or professional-looking background.
As another alternative, do what my friend Travis Greenlee does, and shoot your video outdoors. Most of Travis’ videos come from outside his home in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado!
2. Light it up!
Very simple: You’ve got to have more light in front of you than behind you. Otherwise, you’ll look dark and shadowy – which is fine if you’re doing a horror video, but not for your average videoblog! Too much light coming from behind you will trash your video. Even regular household lighting or a lamp placed in front of you should be adequate.
3. Are YOU ready for your close-up?
Before you hit record, how do YOU look? Just because you can work at home in your pajamas doesn’t mean we want to see them! Nancy Marmalejo at VivaVisibility.com does a beautiful job with her backgrounds and her overall presentation. She looks like a pro, because she is a pro.
4. Keep it simple!
More often than not, a webcam is more than adequate to shoot your video. I just use the iSight that’s built into my Mac. However, you could also invest in a neat, little $150 dollar Flip Cam. If you really want to take it up a notch, get a Sanyo Xacti camera like video pro Sherman Hu uses.
5. Be interesting!
Try to offer some interesting or unique content! To keep your viewer’s attention, you have to deliver some value. Keep your videos short and compelling… Remember, we’ve all got IDD – Internet Deficit Disorder!
That’s really all there is to it! Follow these five simple steps, and your online videos will be a lot more “watchable!” And remember, search engines love video, so keep on making better videos!
For more free tips and tricks, please feel free to visit my website anytime at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com.
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 www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.
Categories
Putting the YOU in YouTube
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 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.
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 newer, more feature-rich sites such as Veoh, Revver, VideoEgg and Stickam. 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 www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.