"Yes, All The Hype About
Video Marketing Is True.
But Multiply It By 10
To Reach Reality!"

What would your life be without moving pictures? Either from the movies, television, or today, the Internet. Yes, video has become "BIG" on the Web.

But just a few years ago seeing a video online was a novility. So what has changed?

Actually, mass online video has become possible becasue of two technologies.

1. Video takes BIG files to look good. But transmitting big files over the Web takes time. So we use a "codec" to compress the video files. And then when one of your viewers want to see your videos their computer decompresses the video. All that saves the size of files that need to be sent so that your customers can enjoy your videos.
2. The bigger the bandwidth the easier it is to send video over the Internet. And today more people are getting broadband connections to the Web.

The best part of all this is that YOU don't have to know anything about the technology since there are a number of simple tools available to make you appear like a video expert.

The $1.6 billion sale of YouTube.com to Google certainly opened everyone's eyes to just how powerful video is going to be on the Internet. And checkput how many YouTube clones are online today. Not as successful, but still gathering traffic from people who want to watch niche videos.

My last count was over 100 of these YouTube look alikes as well as unique sites that will host your videos FREE online.

Considering the cost of "bandwidth" their free hosting can be a good deal.

But then again...

I'm sure you've heard the statement, "There is no free lunch!"

And we all know that companies can't stay in business unless they make a profit. Especially after the Dot Com Bust a few years ago.

So what you'll find is that just about every free service is going to use your videos (and others) to get traffic to their site. Not bad for you as long as when they play your video they don't drive traffic from it to another video.

But that's just what happens. Check out the end of a YouTube video and see what happens. At the end of your video two things happen. The YouTube logo comes on with a question to replay your video and there are a number of "simliar" videos shown and your visitor is asked if they want to watch one of the other ones.

Yes, your video is listed there but it's a bit hard to find since it's way to the left.

People are recording their own videos, posting them to YouTube, and then embedding the YouTube video on their website to sell their products.

Good idea?

After all, they don't have to pay for the bandwidth to play the video. So it's a no brainer.

Or is it?

Remember, a YouTube video plays on your site the same way that it plays on the Youtube site. So what you'll find is that other people's videos will be offered to your customer at the end of your video.

Not a great way of closing the sale is it?

Yes, there are some tricks you can do to get around that problem. Simple ones. But most people are not using them.

You might want to check out our blog to see some of the solutions that you could be doing without any extra costs to you. The Multimedia Guy's blog.

Of course, one of the first steps you need to do to gey your videos on the Internet is to create them. Another step is to decide just what type of videos will you produce. There's the full motion videos you see on YouTube where someone gets in front of a camcorder or webcam and talks. These videos are good at providing information, product demonstrations, or one-on-one interviews.

Another type you will see are the screencast videos. The type that you can make with various screen capture software programs. These are really great at showing someone how to use software, navigate a website, or learn how to do just about anything on their computer.

And fianlly there are the animation videos. You remember these from the days of watching cartoons at the movies and on the Web. They can make an impact with your audience and, if they are good, can go viral across the Web. A few years ago there was the dancing baby animation that went viral even though it took about 20 minutes to download.

So which technique should you focus on?

I've had my own video production company for over fifteen years and have been doing screencast videos since 2002. And I've even done some simple animations. So I have tried all of the ways of putting video online.

So if you came to me and asked my recommendations here is what I would say:

If you want to put your own video online for the least cost and training time, then I suggest creating screencast videos. I've been making them for over five years and believe me, they are quick to do, only requires a simple piece of software and a microphone.

The best part of screencast videos is that you can do them in your "underwear". No one will see you on the video. They only hear you and see you move the mouse.

You might want to check out our audio discussion that a friend and I did about creating screencast videos. Multimedia Profits Revealed.

I will clue you, there are a number of different screencast software programs available. And each says they're better than any other. I have tried a half dozen (from free to about $600) and find that Camtasia still has the most benefits for the money. They are mid range in price but their video editor makes them by far the best overall.

I've used Camtasia to make hundreds of screencast videos.

Camtasia was not the first software that I tried, but it's the only one I use exclusively for creating tutorials, tours, and product information. Plus you can put it directly onto YouTube. No need to get some extra converter to post your videos online.

And you will find that most of the "Internet gurus" use Camtasia. In fact, so many people use it that I decided to figure out how to make my screencast videos better than others.

And for a limited time I've made a short teleseminar on how to make your screencast videos stand out. These are simple techniques that anyone can do but they took me five years to perfect. Multimedia Secrets Revealed.

The next way of putting your face on the Internet is to use full motion video. I've been doing that since 1997 and know that it does take more training than making simple screencast videos. But I also know that not all subjects can be shown with screencast video. So if you are really committed then the next best way to put videos on a site like YouTube is with full motion video.

And you can use either a simple webcam or a camcorder. If you want to just see how hard it is to put video on the Internet then I recommend using a simple webcam to start. Less costs since all you need is the webcam.

If you want to use a camcorder you will also want to get a tripod, lights, microphone and a backdrop. You might find some useful items in Our Store.

They are inexpensive and allow you to find out how you will look and sound on "Internet camera". Beleive me, when you see and hear yourself on video you might want to chuck the whole idea.

I've been making videos for over fifteen years and it's taken me some time to get used to seeing and hearing me "live". I guess I forgot to tell you, my video production company made "how-to" videos and I was usually the on camera talent.

So don't worry about how you look or how you sound. The most important step is to provide good information in your videos. And that's true if you are doing screencast videos or full motion videos.

I suggest you go to the Video Production Website to get more information about creating full motion videos. This fellow has even more experience than I.

That leaves one other way of putting video online, and that's with animation. My experience with animations is that it takes a lot of time, training and talent to make good looking animations.

Perhaps one of the best products that you should consider if you really want to make animations is ToonBoom This software is used by some of the best animators online. Plus they have a number of training programs to help you get started.

What to keep up to date with the latest on Web 2.0 Video? Then you need to sign up with our weekly newsletter, Insider Video Alert!

We'll tell you about the simple, low-cost, highly effective ways to add video to your websites and products. And even some of the simplest tools and techniques, when applied in just the right way, can immediately have you producing valuable videos. Add a few of those together and you will have joined the videos revolution on the Internet.

Our newsletter Insider Video Alert! is packed with tips, techniques, and insider strategies you can immediately use for creating profitable video products for the Internet. It's easy to get these killer techniques. Just sign up today to receive Insider Video Alert! and in addition we'll send you:

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Best always,

Bob Chambers, The Multimedia Guy™