What Is A Good Marketing Video?
Bells, whistles, and BS means flash graphics, videos, and the entire range of special effects one often sees on Web sites. Should you use them? In some cases, yes; in most cases—no!
A tasteful and well done marketing video a fantastic tool to display your product or service and your communication skills and expertise. A good marketing video is almost a necessity in order to capture the attention of the YouTube and iPod generation. You can develop your own studio effect by creating high-quality and informative videos to post on your site.
There are a couple of options here. One is to hire a video studio to shoot and product your videos. This can be expensive, but there are few substitutes for a professional studio. Another method is to do it yourself. You can purchase a quality, high definition video camera, and once the shoot is complete, it’s just a matter of taking your flash card from the camera to your PC for editing. Or for under $200 you can buy a Flip camera that shoots quality video and interfaces directly to your USB port.
YouTube provides a no-cost platform to launch your videos. On my Web site, I often just upload my promotional marketing videos to YouTube and then use YouTube’s code insertion utility to place the video on my site. This also allows you to track the exact number of views over a given time period. All you need to do is simply log in to your YouTube account, and then you can check your video view reports. Once posted on your YouTube channel, your videos can be easily posted to your blog, too.
You also will need video editing software, and prices on those vary widely. Windows Movie Maker comes with newer versions of MS Office and includes tools you can use to edit and produce quality videos.
If you can take a moderate and balanced approach to special effects, then go for it. Only use them to enhance and drive home your point or product. Don’t include tons of graphics bells and whistles just to be hip or with it. They must be justified. Don’t be cool or fancy just for the sake of it. Less is more. Remember, keep it crisp and clean. The less the clutter, the more your message gets through.
One tip: Always include at the end of your videos your domain name text (on screen). This way, when you post to YouTube or Facebook, it promotes your Web site each time your videos are viewed.
Your thoughts?
By Stuart Atkins
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