Video is where it’s at.

It has been for a while.

As a small business owner, you can easily take advantage of this opportunity and use video to promote your business.

Whether you haven’t started or you’ve made a few attempts, it’s important to know how to make sure the videos you make get seen by as many people as possible.

What I can promise you is that the only way to get started is to actually make your first video.

It’s like anything else, the more you do it the easier it becomes. You will learn as you go.

Once you’re over the hurdle of making a video, it’s time to leverage it.

It’s a simple process but it isn’t so easy to figure out. There are a lot of moving parts and some important details to keep in mind.

I’ve got you covered with the steps below.

1. Make a Video

There are many ways to make your video. You can use a digital camera, your built in laptop camera or external webcam, or your smart phone.

Once you have your video, download it to your computer so you can edit it by adding some text.

The text can include your name and website and at the end a call to action with a website link.

If you have a MAC you have access to free video editor software iMovie.

And for a PC there is Windows Video Editor.

For even more tips about how to get started using video and what you can use it for, be sure to check out the posts on this page.

2. Upload Video to Your YouTube Channel

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world behind Google (its owner).

It’s free and easy to set up your YouTube Channel.

You can create beautiful and professional looking channel cover art using Canva (which is amazing and free). Follow this link to Canva and then scroll down to the ‘Social Media & Email Headers’ section and then select ‘YouTube Channel Art’ and get started.

Be sure to add your other social media links to your channel as well.

Remember to add keywords and a description that starts with a live (clickable) link to your website.

3. Embed Your Video in a Blog Post

You don’t want to send people to YouTube to watch your videos. You want them to go to your blog/website.

Hopefully while they’re there, they will see something else that interests them.

Perhaps another post or maybe they will sign up for your free giveaway and ezine (which is your ultimate goal).

So create a blog post for each video you make and embed the video into the post using the link from YouTube.

4. Share Your Blog Post on Social Media (not on Facebook)

Share the link to your blog post, which contains your video, on all of the social media platforms that you’re on. Except not on Facebook, more on the below.

Instead of posting on each platform one at a time you can use an option like Hootsuite (it’s what I use) or Buffer to send one update to multiple platforms. Both offer free versions.

These services also allow you to schedule posts which is handy.

5. Upload Your Video Directly to Facebook

Facebook doesn’t like for people to leave Facebook. So if you include a link to your blog post that goes to your website, it won’t get much action.

But, if you upload your videos directly to Facebook – oh baby, you’re in business.

The video will auto play and it will get seen by many, many more people.

So although it requires a bit more of an effort, it’s worth it. Here’s how to do it (see image below).

Go to your Personal Profile or your Facebook Page (wherever you want to upload the video).

Go to a new status update and add some text about your video.

Then click on ‘photo/video’ to the right of ‘status’ then choose ‘upload photos/video’ and then select the video from your computer files.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonus Tip – Facebook Live

Have you heard about Facebook Live? It’s available to everyone now (except Android users) so it’s time to make your first live streaming video.

It’s simple because you don’t have to worry about editing or doing a bunch of takes because it’s live. It’s a little scary and also quite easy.

Here’s how to make it happen from Facebook. To start a live Facebook broadcast:

 

 

 

 

When you want to end your broadcast, tap Finish. Your broadcast length limit is four hours. When you end your broadcast, it’ll stay on your Timeline or Page like any other video.

I hope you’re feeling inspired to make sure your videos get seen.

If you already have some videos, follow these steps and watch your views increase.

And if you’re still thinking about getting started with video I hope this information will motivate you move forward so you can get more visibility for your business.

© Stephanie Ward

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEBSITE? You can, as long as you include this information with it: Stephanie Ward is the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to create meaningful and prosperous businesses. Grab your FREE copy of the special report ’7 Steps to Attract More Clients in Less Time’ plus business building tips, at: https://www.fireflycoaching.com.

How are you using video for your business? Share your thoughts and questions below. I respond to every single comment.