Video Keys To Promote Your Ministry Or Business By Theresa M. Croft http://Ministry-Marketing –Strategies.com
12 Video Keys To Success In Promoting Your Ministry or Business
The popularity of video online is no secret. YouTube is leading the way with a video craze on the internet with a staggering number of people watching videos online daily. YouTube is said to have 25 percent of the internet's search traffic. That fact alone should open your eyes to the potential of using video to drive traffic to your website or to utilize for promotional purposes. You may have a website and wonder why so few visitors. You could have the best content online but you still have to find ways to drive traffic to your site. Producing great video with excellent content is your solution! If you are looking to get the word out about your ministry, your Christian band, or even your business, having a YouTube Channel is a must. It's been proven that people prefer watching videos to reading. In fact, recent studies conducted over the years have continued to show the persuasive effectiveness of video. One such study, by The Wharton School of Business, showed that video boosts comprehension and retention by 50% over a live presentation. In addition, studies have shown that six times as many people prefer a video to printed information.
You may have thought of utilizing video marketing and are stuck wondering if you can do it.
You can!
With the introduction of the Flip Video Camera, getting started is
easier and less expensive than in previous years.
Here are 12 Video Keys to keep in mind as you work toward video success online in promoting your ministry or business:
1) The first key to success using video online for YouTube or any other video site is simple. You have to put your ego aside, get over yourself and simply do it. That means let go of your fears, don't fret about how you'll look or what people will think. You also have to realize that the video is NOT about you, but about what you have to offer in helping someone find a solution to a problem. You may have the answer to a dad asking what he could do part time to get his family out of debt, or a stay at home mom wondering if she can still be at home and work part time with a legitimate home based business. You also do not have to be a technical genius or Hollywood film producer to make this marketing strategy work for your ministry or business marketing plan. Do as the Nike commercial says, “Just Do It!”
2) So, get started now!
Get a camera. If finances are holding you back, get
a Flip Video Camera. If you can invest, buy a digital camera that has an input for a microphone. The Flip will do for starting out, but there really is nothing like a good digital camera with high resolution. If you can record your videos in high definition, do it. The HD resolution that YouTube will accept is 1280×720 pixels. You don't have to spend much more these days to get a camera that can shoot in that quality of digital video. With that being said, I have to admit many webcams on laptops or a desktop are really coming along in technology where it looks quite good. Bottom line is to get a camera, or use your web cam, and start the process.
3) Watch your light and your background. Good light can make all the difference if you want someone to watch your video! You can shoot outside avoiding the glare of the sun or shadows. Use the lights you have around your house and experiment with the best kind of light on your shot. You will be able to see the difference yourself. Use more than one light
source. Avoid shadows.
Try the lights around your house or invest in a basic
lighting system. I have even gone so far as to use some of my husband's construction lights to help in poorly lit areas to make the shot come alive. Once you got light, be aware of what's behind you. You don't want a lamp or a tree limb or something coming out from atop your head. That may seem obvious, but when you are shooting yourself, it's so easy to be concentrating on what to say that you forget what is behind you. Be professional. Don't have a messy room or desk or bed in the shot behind you.
4) A microphone can make all the difference in helping with a well produced video. That is why if you do buy a more expensive camera than the Flip Camera, make sure you have an input for a microphone. I have found that a simple condenser mic can work fine. There are also some excellent inexpensive USB Microphones which plug into your computer that are worth using, such as the Samson CO1U USB Condenser Mic. If you do use a microphone with your computer, make sure to go into the sound settings in your computer’s operating system to choose the internal connected mic. Nothing is more frustrating that shooting a video and the microphone is not "ON" for your shoot.
5) Keep your video short. Use one to three main points you want to communicate so as not to ramble. Most people don't have the patience to sit for 10 minutes listening to you try to get your point across or try to sell them on something. Practice this by shooting some video of yourself. Test out some short two to three minute videos with your content. Send them to some friends for feedback. There will be times when a certain presentation might take more than a few minutes or a certain video ministry project, but I’d stick to the short videos. YouTube will only allow videos up to 10 minutes. If you have to go longer, make a series of videos in shorter lengths.
6) Share about something which you are most passionate. If you have a passion for some subject in particular, it’s most likely that you have a great knowledge about it. Your passion is the key to connecting with your audience! You can’t fake it. People can smell (see) a fake person right off the bat, especially in video. So be you and keep it real. Share that passion from your heart! For example, I have a real desire in encouraging people with the Word of God. That passion helps me to speak freely about what I've learned in the Word as I inspire them with Keys To Be Free, spiritually, emotionally and financially.
7) Look into the camera and talk to it as if you were talking to your best friend. I learned this from my time working at a local television station in the late 80's. I worked in the Sport's Department around an anchor that was well liked by the whole state. He was not some "hunk" of a dude, but a nice looking man who loved sports. As I'd watch him on the set or live at a sporting event, I quickly noticed something about "Bud". He'd look into that camera, smile, and no matter how hectic things might have been all around, he'd speak to that camera like he was talking to a good close friend. What a powerful connection! You try it. Don't look at yourself on the camera (if you have the viewer pointed at you or you're using a webcam). NO, look deep into the lense of the camera, or tiny spot where the web cam points at your face, and communicate as if it was just you and your one dear friend.
8)You have to have a servant’s heart to help people. Give your advice away, but leave something additional for them to want more from you. Make your content valuable. Give people a reason to want more of your videos, and the desire to send your video links to their friends. Many people rely on their friends’ suggestions and opinions to know if something is worth their time
viewing. If someone comes across your helpful video and finds it interesting, inspiring, or even funny, you have a greater chance of them sharing it, creating a larger audience. Creating quality content can help your videos to be tagged as "Favorite" on YouTube. In addition, if someone finds it worth viewing, they might embed the video on their blog or website, increasing your exposure.
9) Use basic software in the editing process where you can add music, place your URL at the bottom of the screen and create a more inviting video for someone to watch. Just be sure you use royalty free music tracks when it comes to the background music. In addition, the URL helps "watermark" your
video. Stamp some kind of URL or information on every one of your produced videos. When you upload a video online, anybody can take that content and use it as their own without asking your or even giving you credit. So I make sure I add one of my domains (using a post video editing text overlay) to each of my videos. Watermarking them with your own URL is going to make it more difficult for another person to use the video without giving you credit. This text is made to be a part of the video itself.
10) Give the viewer a reason to visit your URL that you have placed on the bottom of your screen. Remember the phrase, "What's in it for me?" when shooting the video. And once again, the video is about them and not you. Give them a reason to visit your site or want more information from you by helping to provide a solution to a problem or a need they have. To do that, you have to know WHO is your target audience. What do they need? Find that niche and do something unique that no one else is doing. Find out what kind of value you can add and create your own "brand".
11) Use keywords in your title and description. Think of what someone might
type in a "Google" search to find your information in your video.
Make sure
your title is under 64 characters long while using four to five keyword phrases. Your description should be 200 characters or less. In your description, start it out with your URL, your website you want them to visit. For example, I put one of my domains in front of my key word loaded description. Now, if you were to Google "Ministry Marketing with Video" you'd find my videos and links in the top of the searches. It's interesting to note that another person has added my videos as an extension of her ministry site. Since I had my URL in the description and the videos are watermarked, the traffic is directed to my web pages! In other places on this same "Google" page, some even show up with a small thumb size video that you can watch from the search page. Consider that a homerun in your creating traffic for your site!
12) Upload your videos to YouTube and all the video sites. Sounds obvious but this can be time consuming. There are tools to help you get the job done. One is free, the other is worth its weight in traffic gold. The free one (for now anyway) is called Tubemogul. Here you can upload for free once to a number of the video sites available on the internet. They give you tools and charts to keep track of the views at the varies video hosting sites. The other, Traffic Geyser, does the same thing BUT, it also uploads the video to podcasts, blogs, and social bookmarking sites all at once. You can also at a one time upload schedule for the video to be re-submitted every week afterwards up to four times! In a 24 hour period, a well keyword titled video could make it to the top ten in a Google search! In addition, Traffic Geyser comes with tools
to help you create a video even if you don't have a camera with its Slide Show Creator. This is a simple software that enables you to upload photos or Power Point presentations, and then you can call an 800 number to add your voice to the slideshow turned video. Top that off with tools to make "opt-in"
pages (also known as squeeze pages), custom video players to add to your site, video tracker, and amazing support with video tutorials.
Finally, the one thing to remember amidst all these keys is to keep it simple. Enjoy yourself and the process. Don't get hung up if you are having a bad hair day. Besides, the video is NOT about you, but about what you have to offer to help your target audience. Remember, it’s important for you to speak clearly and look into the camera as you explain a solution, or advice for the viewer of your video. You can find a routine and a method of making it a priority to shoot quality content videos regularly. As you begin to take advantage of uploading these to YouTube and the various other video sites, you are capitalizing on a potential audience waiting to find you! It's an incredible tool to promote your ministry, share about your business, sell a product, or just inspire others with a video ministry. For more information, or to receive our Free Video Series which compliments this e-book, click here and visit inside the home site of Ministry Marketing Strategies!