If you haven’t started using video as a marketing strategy for your business, what are you waiting for?  Here are three reasons I can think of:

1. It’s scary to put yourself out there

2. You think it will take a lot of time

3. You’re not sure how to make it happen (technical obstacles).

Let’s tackle the first barrier, fear.  OK, what’s the worst thing that could happen?  Well, I can’t really think of anything.  It’s not like it’s live TV and you can’t do another take.

You can keep shooting until you’re satisfied with the final product.  But please, don’t think it has to be absolutely perfect.  You’re not a news anchor and people relate to real people talking about a subject they’re interested in.

Making videos does not have to take a lot of time.  You probably already have a lot of content to choose from.  And once you figure out how to do it, you can make several at one time.  These days it’s easier than ever to make a quality video and it’s almost free to do.

Plus, videos will give you exposure in a way that is so powerful that you just can’t get otherwise. When prospective clients watch your videos they get a feel for who you are and a stronger connection is created.  And of course, it’s a one-to-many marketing strategy which is always smart.

With videos the learning people take away is greater than with written text or audio. Research from noted educationist Edgar Dale showed that in a passive learning setting we retain:

- 10% of what we Read (reading: verbal receiving)

- 20% of what we Hear (hearing words)

- 30% of what we See (looking at pictures)

- 50% of what we Hear & See (watching a video: visual receiving)

Are you convinced?  Ready to begin?  Now for the nuts and bolts of how to make it happen.

CONTENT

As a business owner you help your clients solve specific problems.  Think about the questions your clients ask you and your most popular topics.

If you use speaking or writing as a marketing strategy your content is ready and waiting.  You can share ’how to tips’, advice, or new perspectives about a topic.  

Be sure to mention your website address at the beginning and/or end of your video (or show the url as text at the start and end).  And make a clear call-to-action about your valuable giveaway (more about that here).

EQUIPMENT

- Webcam or Video Camera (which can be a digital camera that takes video – that’s what I use).  There are also really simple video cameras (like the Flip Camera that are reasonably priced.

- Tripod (if you don’t use your webcam).  This can be a regular tripod or a mini version (very inexpensive) you can place on a table.

- Lighting is important but you don’t have to buy expensive lamps.  If you don’t have good natural light you can use lamps in your home.  Experiment by taking videos with different set ups and choose the one that puts you in the best light.

EDITING

If you can get your video in one take then you won’t need to edit. If you need to edit there are many free options.  Windows comes with a free program called Windows Movie Maker and for Macs you can use iMovie (for a list of free editing for all platforms go here.

LENGTH

While there are no hard and fast rules about this, in general shorter is better.  On average, one to five minutes should do the trick.

People are busy and if they have to invest more than a few minutes they may not bother.  If you have more to say on a particular topic, you can create a series of videos.

Once you’ve completed a video, you can put it on You Tube for free.  It’s super easy to create an account and upload your video.  You’ll have your very own ‘You Tube Channel’ – sounds pretty cool doesn’t it?  People can subscribe to your channel and leave comments about your videos.

You’ll also want to put your videos on your website.  You can either embed them (examples here on my website) or provide links to You Tube.  You can also promote your videos on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media networks.

Please don’t wait until you think you’re “ready” to begin.  You are an expert in your field and have valuable information to share so why not add another channel by using video?  Start sharing your expertise using video and watch your business grow!

© Stephanie Ward, 2010

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ‘7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com/.

Have you been hearing all of the buzz about social networking?  Feeling confused?  Don’t worry, you’re not alone.  The great news is that it isn’t as complicated or time consuming as it may seem.  Plus, it’s more than just social; it’s good for your business to get involved.

The list of social networking sites is long and growing.  I don’t want to overwhelm you so I’m only going to focus on two that are particularly suited for you as a business owner, Facebook and LinkedIn.

So why should you care?  What’s the big deal?  Well, here are just a few reasons to enter the social networking realm:

* Gain exposure for your business that may lead to new clients or projects

* Increase the credibility of your business (give and receive recommendations on LinkedIn, post messages on friend’s pages on Facebook)

* Be connected to the people in your network in one location (OK, two if you’re on both Facebook and LinkedIn)

* Re-connect with business contacts you’ve lost touch with (sometimes they find you, sometime you discover them)

* Meet new people and expand your business network (meet your friend’s friends that you otherwise wouldn’t meet)

Here’s a quick overview of them (both are gratis and LinkedIn offers paid upgrade options).

Facebook:

- Informal and more social than business focused (this doesn’t mean it’s not good for your business)

- Almost 100 million members (according to Wikipedia)

- Anyone can ask you to be ‘friends’ (you don’t have to accept) and you can ask anyone to be friends (they don’t have to accept either)

- It is possible to share photos, videos, and add applications

- You can join groups within the network that interest you (or make your own group)

LinkedIn:

- Business focused

- 19 million members (according to Wikipedia)

- You can only invite people you know (people whose e-mail addresses you have) and vice versa.

- It is not possible to share photos and video (only your own profile photo)

- You can join groups within the network that interest you

To get started you just have to go to the website, sign up and follow the directions to create a profile.  Because LinkedIn is mainly for business it is professional and the profile area is quite structured which makes it easy to follow.

Facebook is another story, although it does have a structured profile area, there are loads of additional features you can add to your page.  When you join for business reasons be careful not to make your page too busy or too personal.  You can be yourself and share your interests, just don’t reveal anything you wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with a group at an in-person networking meeting. 

When your profiles are finished you can start asking people to connect.  The process is different for LinkedIn and Facebook but both are pretty straightforward.  LinkedIn has a ‘Help/FAQ’ section on the website and Facebook has a ‘Help’ area as well (bottom right hand corner of the page).

You will learn more as you go, so just go ahead and get started.  And as you meet new people you can ask them to join you on your networks.  Networking, off-line or on-line, is about building relationships over time.  So give first when possible, be yourself, and have fun with it.

The benefits of social networking for business owners are clear.  You will be able to meet new people, build relationships with your network, improve visibility for your company, and discover new opportunities for more business.  But that’s not all, it’s fun too.  So why not get started and join the world of social networking today. 

© Stephanie Ward, March  2008

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.

Blogging is really hot and yet many people still have no idea what it is or what it’s for.  I usually get one of two responses when I tell people that I recently launched a blog: ‘A what?’ or ‘Great, where can I find it?’ 

It seems people are either completely aware and involved with blogging or unaware of its existence.  Don’t be left behind and miss out on a fabulous opportunity to connect with more potential clients and partners.

Some people have heard about blogs and have a negative impression of them.  Yes, there are people who have blogs that consist of nothing more than an on-line diary that documents their ordinary, daily life activities.  This is NOT what I am talking about.  I want you to use blogging to promote your business!

Highly respected business leaders and writers like Debbie Weil, Tom Peters, Seth Godin, and Malcolm Gladwell as well as large corporations have blogs, so why not you? 

How blogging benefits your business:

* Gain additional exposure to prospective clients and the media

* Drive traffic to your website

* Positions you as an expert and your business as the solution

There are several ways to get involved with blogging.  Start where you feel comfortable and choose any, or all, of these options:

1. Start reading interesting blogs

2. Comment on others’ blogs

3. Begin your own blog

READING BLOGS

Think about authors of books you like and see if they have a blog.  What about your industry, who are the leaders?  Do they have a blog?  You can search technorati.com which is a search engine similar to Google which is  specifically for blogs. 

So how do you know when the blogs you like have new information for you to read?  You can download software to your computer although I recommend two other options.  One is a web based ‘reader’ which simply entails going to a website, for example like Bloglines, and signing up and then selecting blogs you are interested in.

The other option is to receive notification of your favorite blogs via e-mail by signing up at each blog you like.  You can always do a combination of both.

COMMENTING ON BLOGS

After each entry on a blog there is usually a link at the end that says, you guessed it, ‘comments’ and if you click on it you can type in your thoughts on the topic.  Some blogs allow you to post your comments immediately and others preview your comments before posting.

When you write interesting comments to blogs, you gain exposure because you ‘sign’ your comment by adding a link to your website, your e-mail address, or to your own blog.

START YOUR OWN BLOG

There is a ton of free information on the internet about how to start a blog so I won’t go into the details here.  Trust me, I’m no technical wizard so if I can do it, you can too.  You don’t have to design anything, most blog hosts provide a wide selection of templates you can choose from.

You can choose a free blog host like blogger.com or wordpress.com.  I chose an inexpensive paid blog host, Typepad.com, because it is important for me to have access to technical support. 

It is critical to decide on the focus of your blog and stick to it.  I love Typepad.com’s tag line, “Inform. Influence. Inspire.”  What could the purpose of your blog be?

Ideas for the focus of your blog:

- Specific aspects of your business that are not covered on your website

- Case studies, tips, or articles

- Trends in your industry

With a blog, it is super easy to add new entries whenever you want.  For a blog to be effective it is important to post frequently, at least once a week.

Think about it, how often do you update or change the information on your website?  Probably not often even if you are able to make changes yourself.  Many business owners rely on a webmaster to make changes which makes the process even more complicated. 

When your blog is ready, be sure to tell people about it and add it to the blog search engines which are easy to find on the internet.  You can also add a link to your blog on your website, e-mail signature, and business cards!

Are you starting to catch the blog fever?  Don’t delay, get out there and start reading blogs, adding comments to others’ blogs, and hopefully launching a value packed blog for your business in the very near future!

(c) 2006 Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to set their profits on fire!  Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: http://www.fireflycoaching.com.