Saturday, April 19, 2008

Why Create Online Videos?

Internet users today are coming to expect video on the websites they visit. This is great news for anyone who enjoys creating videos. Even if you aren't currently distributing your videos online, the rise in video popularity means that the time to start has never been more right. To put it simply if you own a website and you arent using video then you are being left behind. Personally I like to create online tutorial videos for members who request my free services. Not only does the use of video make you appear more professional but it communicates your ideas much more effectively than a text based website. You can urge members into a call to action by giving them textual instructions and then actually demonstrating the action in a video. This is only one possibility and there are countless more. Below I have listed five great ways to use online video.

5 Great Things You Can Do With Your Online Videos:
  1. Provide Tutorials - If you run an information website this will greatly enhance its popularity and allow you to communicate more effectively with your users (and keep them coming back). You can show users exactly how to perform a specific task. I use camtasia and audacity to record my computer screen and then add audio instructions.
  2. Pitch Products - If you run a website that promotes a particular product or service a video can be a great way to convince your customers to buy. Not only can it quickly express what you offer, but, if you choose to show yourself in the video, in can build credibility.
  3. Entertain Viewers - Sometimes simply by entertaining your visitors you can keep them on your page and more importantly keep them coming back. No matter what your website or blog is for, having happy visitors is always a good thing.
  4. Drive Traffic- While it is rare, certain videos will be so unique that they will go viral. This means they will be redistributed all over the web by other people who thought your video was amazing in some way or another. Also if you post a link to your website at the end of your video people will often visit meaning you can draw in traffic from wherever you post your video.
  5. Earn Money- You can include ads in your videos, create videos for website owners, and sell your videos to whoever needs them online. All of these methods should net you some easy cash if you distribute your videos correctly.

Now there are also countless other ways to use online video and you should explore them all to see which method suits your needs best. Think about what your customers need and how they could benefit from a video presentation. Video is currently bringing a huge change to the market and you need to jump on it before the competition leaves you behind. Even if you just enjoy creating videos you should look into distributing them in ways that use today's technology.

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