One of the biggest hurdles for those involved in the internet marketing business is generating leads, preferably for free. It doesn't matter how great our website is, how revolutionary our product is or how affordable it is..... that is all for nothing if we are not attracting qualified visitors to our site.
One avenue that has proved successful in generating free leads is the use of video.
There are many video websites out there, but at the moment YouTube appears to be head and shoulders above all the rest. It's very easy to use and it's also free to join. The only expense you have is purchasing a webcam. You can get one for less than $100.00. A camcorder produces a better image, but YouTube is not all about the quality of the picture. Content is 'king' when it comes to video. I edit my videos using my Windows MovieMaker. It has some really neat features and you can make your video look quite professional. YouTube also has features on their site to personalize your video.
When getting ready to record a video, I recommend that you double check your settings, especially for the lighting. You might have to close or open the blinds in your room or put on a light or two. You want the viewers to be able to see your face clearly.
One very important thing to remember is to have your website address periodically show throughout your video. You have to do this during the edit stage. Some think that as long as their website is shown on their actual YouTube page, then it doesn't have to be in the video. However, if you do not do this and someone likes your video and forwards it on to a friend, that person will have no way of getting in touch with you.
Most people do put their website on their YouTube page, but in many instances they are not doing it correctly. Your full website address with the http:// should be the very first thing you enter in your information box. If you put it at the end, it will not show on your page, as YouTube only shows the first line or two and if people want to read the entire notation, they have to click to read more.
Many people are very nervous about doing videos. My best advice to them is to be as natural as you can be. Just imagine that you were talking to a close friend and it was just the two of you in the room. Look directly into the camera and don't be afraid to smile or laugh. Show your personality!! Do as many practice videos as you need. You can just erase these after you have examined them to see how you can improve. You do not upload these practice videos, unless of course you are happy with them.
Dress with your target audience in mind. One mistake I made initially was that I would not do this for my practice videos and then when I produced one that I was happy with, I had to do it over again because I was not dressed appropriately. So even for your practice videos be presentable. It might just be your 'winning' video. Don't forget to come right out and ask your viewer to take action. You want them to visit your website, so just tell them to do that and give them an idea of what they will receive by doing so.
Also, now that you have a video up and running you want to maximize it. The way you do this is by posting the same information to your Blog and on your other social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. The search engines love content and Google especially likes video and blogs right now.
A good video can go viral and be seen by hundreds of thousands. If that's your video, you will be in 'free lead heaven'.
One avenue that has proved successful in generating free leads is the use of video.
There are many video websites out there, but at the moment YouTube appears to be head and shoulders above all the rest. It's very easy to use and it's also free to join. The only expense you have is purchasing a webcam. You can get one for less than $100.00. A camcorder produces a better image, but YouTube is not all about the quality of the picture. Content is 'king' when it comes to video. I edit my videos using my Windows MovieMaker. It has some really neat features and you can make your video look quite professional. YouTube also has features on their site to personalize your video.
When getting ready to record a video, I recommend that you double check your settings, especially for the lighting. You might have to close or open the blinds in your room or put on a light or two. You want the viewers to be able to see your face clearly.
One very important thing to remember is to have your website address periodically show throughout your video. You have to do this during the edit stage. Some think that as long as their website is shown on their actual YouTube page, then it doesn't have to be in the video. However, if you do not do this and someone likes your video and forwards it on to a friend, that person will have no way of getting in touch with you.
Most people do put their website on their YouTube page, but in many instances they are not doing it correctly. Your full website address with the http:// should be the very first thing you enter in your information box. If you put it at the end, it will not show on your page, as YouTube only shows the first line or two and if people want to read the entire notation, they have to click to read more.
Many people are very nervous about doing videos. My best advice to them is to be as natural as you can be. Just imagine that you were talking to a close friend and it was just the two of you in the room. Look directly into the camera and don't be afraid to smile or laugh. Show your personality!! Do as many practice videos as you need. You can just erase these after you have examined them to see how you can improve. You do not upload these practice videos, unless of course you are happy with them.
Dress with your target audience in mind. One mistake I made initially was that I would not do this for my practice videos and then when I produced one that I was happy with, I had to do it over again because I was not dressed appropriately. So even for your practice videos be presentable. It might just be your 'winning' video. Don't forget to come right out and ask your viewer to take action. You want them to visit your website, so just tell them to do that and give them an idea of what they will receive by doing so.
Also, now that you have a video up and running you want to maximize it. The way you do this is by posting the same information to your Blog and on your other social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace. The search engines love content and Google especially likes video and blogs right now.
A good video can go viral and be seen by hundreds of thousands. If that's your video, you will be in 'free lead heaven'.
About the Author:
Jan Shimano was District Manager for Health & Welfare Canada for many years. She was also self-employed as a Nutritional Consultant and Master Herbalist. She is currently a Business and Health Coach and operates her own internet marketing business from her residence on Vancouver Island. Jan invites you to learn more about her at YouTube.com/1jinny.
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