Videos are an essential part of marketing your business today. Just as you have to have a website for your business, you also need to incorporate videos into your marketing efforts. They are a part of your presence on the internet. They not only drive traffic to your website, but add a different dimension to your marketing campaigns. You can connect with your customers and clients on a new level using videos. Seeing you or information about your company in a video creates a deeper level of trust than text ads. By uploading your videos to YouTube and similar sites, you can reach new audiences, and spread the word about your business. You don’t need to have a big advertising budget to make videos. There are various methods of making your own videos at no cost.
The simplest method, and perhaps the best, is of course standing in front of the camera and talking directly to the viewers. When they get to know you this way, they are more likely to trust you and buy from you. Photos of your products, or samples of your work if you offer services, are a nice addition to this kind of video.
If you don’t want to be in front of the camera, or just want to make different styles of videos, you have other options as well. A practical tool is on your computer if have Windows. Click on the “Start” button, go to “All Programs” and open “Windows Movie Maker.” A page will appear where you can upload photos and video. You can also upload music for your video, or narrate with a microphone. Drag and drop the pictures onto the storyboard at the bottom of the page. You can rearrange them in you need to. If you have uploaded music, drag that to the storyboard as well. The audio will appear in a line below the photos.
You can create various effects for your video using the menu on the left side of the page. In the middle there is a section entitled “Edit Movie”. Use the “Make Titles or Credits” tab to write a title for the movie and introduce your business. Then create other slides with useful information, and insert them in appropriate spots between the pictures you have on your storyboard. You can change the color of the background and the text if you like.
Now you can add some visual effects to create a nice flow for our video. Click on the “Video Transitions” tab. Choose the effects that appeal to you, and drop each one between the slides where you want it to appear. You can also look at the “Video Effects” to see if they are of use to you. I generally find that the transitions suffice for my videos.
Once you have all the elements in place, look at your storyboard to see if the line for your music is longer than the one for the pictures and text. If it is, click on the endpoint, and drag it back to make it equal with the endpoint for the slides.
You can preview your video by clicking the small play button just above your storyboard. If everything is to your liking, save the video to your computer. From there, you will be able to upload it to YouTube or anywhere else you like.
If you want to have variety in your videos, you can also use websites like Slideroll, which is a photo slideshow maker. Slideroll is a free service. You upload your photos, select a piece of music from their collection, and a slideshow is created for you. You can’t add written text, but the slide shows they make are nice. They do pans and zooms of the pictures, creating a nice flow. You can turn your slide shows into videos to upload to YouTube, but you have to download their “Video Creator” in order to do that.
Another good website is Animoto. You upload photos and/or video. You can upload music, or select a piece from their site. Their system processes and puts together the video. You can export your video to YouTube, and embed it on your website. 30-second videos are free. They charge a small fee for longer movies, starting at $5 per month.
If the nature of your business allows, you can make whimsical videos with characters at Xtranormal.com. You can choose one or two of their characters. They will speak the text you type for them. This way you can create a short conversation. However, you need points in order to publish your movie at Xtranormal. New users receive 300 points. You can earn more points by inviting friends to their site.
By using these methods, you can create videos and gain visibility for your business. Be creative and try various styles of videos. Enjoy creating movies and sharing them.