by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media
Sharing videos over the Web is a great resource for small businesses to establish a social media presence, particularly because of how many people are tuning in. According to a November 2009 survey released by comScore, a digital marketing research firm headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Google's many video sites accounted for 12.2 billion videos viewed that month, including YouTube, which accounted for nearly 99 percent of the total.
Webcasting is essentially broadcasting a video or media file over the Internet using streaming media technology, which can be distributed to many simultaneous viewers at once. Done the right way, webcasts, also called video podcasts, vblogs, videocasting or Web shows, can be effective promotional tools. "It's a cool opportunity to take people behind the scenes of a business," says Dina Kaplan, co-founder and COO of blip.tv, a four-year-old Internet TV network. Her network airs video podcasts from hundreds of companies as diverse as the New York City Ballet to the crafter website Etsy, which broadcasts online classes. "It's been interesting to watch, especially in the last year, how many businesses have created Web shows to promote their product or gain exposure for principals," Kaplan says.
Shooting a video for YouTube or starting a more elaborate webcast essentially takes four basic ingredients: equipment, a theme, an online home and marketing.
Sharing videos over the Web is a great resource for small businesses to establish a social media presence, particularly because of how many people are tuning in. According to a November 2009 survey released by comScore, a digital marketing research firm headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Google's many video sites accounted for 12.2 billion videos viewed that month, including YouTube, which accounted for nearly 99 percent of the total.
Webcasting is essentially broadcasting a video or media file over the Internet using streaming media technology, which can be distributed to many simultaneous viewers at once. Done the right way, webcasts, also called video podcasts, vblogs, videocasting or Web shows, can be effective promotional tools. "It's a cool opportunity to take people behind the scenes of a business," says Dina Kaplan, co-founder and COO of blip.tv, a four-year-old Internet TV network. Her network airs video podcasts from hundreds of companies as diverse as the New York City Ballet to the crafter website Etsy, which broadcasts online classes. "It's been interesting to watch, especially in the last year, how many businesses have created Web shows to promote their product or gain exposure for principals," Kaplan says.
Shooting a video for YouTube or starting a more elaborate webcast essentially takes four basic ingredients: equipment, a theme, an online home and marketing.
- The equipment. Very small businesses can buy a webcam or camcorder, wireless microphone and simple video editing equipment such as Sony's Vegas Movie Studio or Final Cut Pro 7. They can also use free editing software than can be found at http://freevideosoftware.org/. However, a webcam limits you to filming yourself sitting in front of a computer, and that's not very exciting. Instead, invest in a video camera, which results in a higher quality picture and you can be creative with location or shoot action.
- Hire someone. If you have a bigger budget, hire a professional. Prices run from $2,000 for three to four 10 to 15 minute shows to $15,000+ for longer more detailed shows, according to podcast industry sources. If you're trying to market yourself as having a very professional business, you want to put your best foot forward.
- The show. You could have the best-looking video around, but it wont' matter if you didn't do something that is interesting and consistent. For webcasts, stick to a regular broadcast schedule, whether that's once a day, week or month. And keep shows short. Your aptitude for sitting in your uncomfortable office chair lasts about six to ten minutes minutes. Be personable, and to stick to the old news adage to show, not tell. If you run a retail business, walk around the store, and talk about new merchandise. Talk to a customer. If you have a hardware store, show them the new saw that is on sale.
- Hosting and marketing. Once you've got a video complete, upload it for free to your company's channel on YouTube, where it can be viewed by anyone. Webcasts can also be uploaded to free or paid hosting sites such as blip.tv, iTunes or Libsyn. Where a podcast is hosted isn't as important as spreading the word that it's there. You can point prospective viewers to the podcast from your website, your blog and by including a tagline promoting the show in your email signature. Another great way to promote it is with the use of Social Media platforms suck as Facebook, Twitter, Digg, etc. It is the wave of the future. For anyone who wants to use 21st century technologies, this is the way to go.