Your Top Online Video Questions Answered

With the popularity of Online Video skyrocketing, more and more small business owners and entrepreneurs are racing to get in the game.  To help you get past any potential hurdles you may face when you decide to add video to your marketing mix, I've answered some of the most common questions below.  Here's what your colleagues from across the globe are asking…

Sue - Lancaster, PA

How do I optimize a video on a video sharing site to get the most exposure?

When uploading your video to YouTube (or any video sharing site), it's important that you use your keywords in the title, description and tags.  Using "My New Video" as your title will certainly not give you any SEO benefits, so be descriptive.  Also, when uploading to YouTube, be sure to start the description section with your website's entire URL.  This will show up on YouTube as a live link back to your site!

Nikki - New Orleans, LA

What's the best sequence of attention-getting benefits to attract and keep the viewer intrigued for addressing their problems? What are the best, most attractive places to shoot your video?

To make your video more engaging, keep it short and relevant. Get to the point, address the needs of your target audience, and offer some value in your video.

As for setting or background, that really depends on your brand and the message you are trying to deliver.  If you're an attorney, the best background may be your law office or a courtroom.  If you're a work-at-home mom, it's perfectly acceptable to shoot video from your home office or even your living room.  Shooting video "on location" outdoors is also an option, as long as there is some logical connection to what you're talking about on camera.

Jerry - Montclair, NJ

I am disappointed by the audio quality of the new mini-cameras (like Flip). The pictures are fine. How do I get both good pictures and good audio without buying a professional rig?

One of the few limitations of a pocket camera like the Flip video camera is that the microphone is in the camera, and there's no way to attach an external mic.  If you're using a Flip, the best advice is to stay no more than 3 or 4 feet away from the camera when recording.  If you're too far away from the camera, the audio will fade.

One alternative is to look at video cameras that allow you to attach a separate, external microphone.  Kodak's new Zi8 pocket camera is similar to the Flip, but you can plug in an external mic - giving you much more control over your audio quality.

Ashley - Dallas, TX

How important are written comments that show up on the bottom of your screen while making a YouTube video? e.g."call this number (finger pointing down) for more information," or "check out this website: www.abcdef.com".

With the enormous volume of videos on YouTube, it's always a good idea to keep your call to action front and center.  If the goal of your video is to drive traffic to your website, then be sure to include your web address on the lower third of your screen at the end of your video, if not for the entire length of your video.

Make it as easy as possible for video viewers to find you and take the next step.  Be sure to list your entire web address early in your video description, as well.  For even more interactivity, consider using a video service such as Veeple.com, which allows you to embed live, clickable links into your video!

Janine - Johannesburg, South Africa

I would like to have a website that shows short travel videos. What is the best way to do so?

One of the best ways to begin quickly and inexpensively may be to purchase a "dot TV" domain name, such as www.YourNameHere.tv, so you can create your own web TV "channel."  You can even do this with a simple WordPress blog site, then upload all your travel videos (or any video) to your "TV" site on the web.

Chris - Chula Vista, CA

What's the best and quickest way to make professional style unique videos without being in front of the camera?

There are many alternatives for online video that don't require you to be on camera.  Camtasia or Jing are two options for creating computer screen captures which are great for training or demo videos.

You can also use some of the popular new web-based video creation solutions such as Animoto.com or OneTrueMedia.com.  There are free versions of both online, and each allows you to simply upload some photos, select some music and add some text for an almost "instant" online video.  The online software is easy to use and the end result looks very professional.

Melissa - NY, NY

I want to insert videos into Blog entries. My first video is being hosted by YouTube. Is this the best way to do things (hosting on a server other than where the Blog is)? And is YouTube the best platform for doing so (taking into account cost, performance and overall exposure)?

YouTube is a perfect starting point for uploading and hosting videos that you can then add to your own website or blog.  YouTube (and most other video hosting sites) gives you an "embed code" that you can copy and paste into your site.  YouTube also provides easy, "one-click" sharing options to send your video to your Facebook or MySpace page.  Other low-cost video hosting options include Amazon's popular and reliable S3 service, as well as Techsmith's Screencast.com.

Phil - Perth, Australia

What length of video into do you recommend for a website?

The short answer is as short as possible!  In today's no-attention span society, it's best to deliver your video message as succinctly as you can.  If you can make your point in 30 seconds, then do it.  For most videos, you really should try to keep the length under a minute and a half.

The exception would be training videos, online lessons or demos - which by nature usually need to be longer.  Otherwise, short and sweet is the way to go!

Lou Bortone is a long-time marketing consultant and branding coach who helps entrepreneurs build breakthrough brands on the Internet.  As an online video branding specialist and award-winning marketer, Lou provides services such as video production, brand development coaching, creative support and video coaching.

Lou is a former television executive who worked for E! Entertainment Television and later served as the Senior Vice President of Marketing & Advertising for Fox Family Worldwide, a division of Fox in Los Angeles. Lou is an author and ghostwriter of six business books, a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and a Book Yourself Solid Certified Coach.  His website is at: http://www.OnlineVideoBranding.com.