Tips that every business owner should know and use
If you're a business owner, you can't ignore the power of online video to generate leads, turn prospects into clients, and bring you repeat business. Online video is no longer difficult or expensive, so it's time for you to take advantage of it.
According to Google, which owns YouTube, over 60 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute. Yes, that's 60 hours every minute! That means that if you wanted to watch all the video uploaded to YouTube in a single day, it would take you 10 years - and that's watching it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!
Here are three simple ways to use video in your marketing.
- Create a welcome video on your Web site home page.
This video sits near the top of your home page, and is a nice, simple, friendly video that introduces people to you, your business, and your Web site. It shouldn't be more two minutes long – and one minute is even better. What should you say in it? Here's one simple formula: Start by stating the biggest problem that clients face when dealing with other people in your industry, then explain why you're different, then tell them what to do next on your Web site.
For example, if you're a trainer, you might say something like this:
"Hello, I'm Ann Andrews. One of the biggest problems people have with hiring a trainer is not knowing how much of an impact the training will have after it's over. You spend lots of money on a training course, your people are out of the office for hours or days, and you're worried that they will forget everything they learn as soon as they walk out of the training room.
So you'll be pleased to know that we're different. When you work with us, you don't just get me for a training course, you also get the support of our entire team to integrate that training back into your workplace. We have follow-up webinars, one-on-one coaching for participants, and ongoing assessments during the next 12 months. And everything we do is tailored to your needs.
So if you want training that really makes a difference - phone me on [phone number here] today.”
Record this video and upload it to YouTube. Try it out – it's easy!
- Send a private video using EyeJot.
If you're worried about splashing your face on YouTube right away, here's how to start with something simpler: Send video e-mail usingEyejot.com.
You log on to their site, record a short video, and then send it to somebody as an e-mail. They get the e-mail and click the video link to watch your message.
This is perfect for keeping in touch with people, and it has a “Wow!” factor because it's impressive – and unexpected. If you're a trainer, imagine your client's reaction if you send a video e-mail like this 24 hours before their workshop. Or you could send a short video after speaking at a conference. Or you send a follow-up video after a coaching session.
This is so easy to do, because people expect e-mail to be friendly and casual, so it doesn't matter if your video isn't slick or elegant.
- Ask your clients to create a video
Ask your clients to record a testimonial video and send it to you. That gives you instant marketing material for no effort at all!
You can ask clients to just record themselves talking to camera about your service, but that can be a bit dull. So get creative! For example, if you're asking people to do something different or quirky in your workshops, you might run a competition, where you tell participants to record a short video of themselves doing that thing. And you give a prize to the most creative video. Or whatever.
Get started with video!
So those are three pretty simple ideas for you to use video marketing in your business. The most important thing: As Nike says, “Just do it!” The more you do it, the easier and more natural it will become.
Gihan Perera
www.gihanperera.com.au
About Gihan Perera
Gihan Perera is an entrepreneur, business consultant, speaker, mentor, author and interviewer. In 1997, when the Web was young, spam was just a luncheon meat, and Google wasn't even a twinkle in its owners' eyes, Gihan founded First Step Communications, one of Australia's earliest Web design businesses. Since that time, it's grown to include clients in every continent (except Antarctica).