All posts by Ron Harper

Put Cool Linkable Transcripts on Videos

Who Uses Video, , , , , , , ,

I have watched Search Engine Optimization experts try and explain what they do to a room full of non-technical folks.  Many small businesses who have websites can tell you why SEO is important, and maybe a handful can tell you a little bit about how it’s done.

Now that using videos on your website is exploding across all small business categories, I’m getting asked: “Is there such a thing as SEO for video?”  Yes, there most definitely is.

Although Video SEO is still in its infancy, here’s something that’s going to help a lot.

Take a look at this video of Cincinnati Internet Marketing Czar Rob Bunting.  Notice anything?

Pretty cool, huh? Transcribing text from video is just one of the new tools that are starting to pop up on the digital landscape.  There are tools for adding captions to YouTube videos and your OWN videos. That’s the good news.  The better news is that captions are searchable by Google.  That will give you an added dimension to your video library and one more thing to worry your competition.

–That’s A Wrap

6 Absolute Musts For Shooting Yourself On Video

DIY ?, Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , ,

I have seen a handful of vanity channels, so-called business presentations, video blogs, and all the rest, and I gotta tell ya.. owning a video camera or a web cam no more makes you a talk show host than owning a guitar makes you Erc Clapton.

I was compelled to start watching these folks because they had a headline that drew me in, they said something interesting, or because I know them. Truthfully,  I didn’t last more than 3 minutes.

So I keep coming back to something I’ve said time and time again: Either you want to be known as an expert, or you want people to buy a product or service from you, so be as professional as you know how, or the next guy will.  Online video has no excuses for poor quality.  If you’re going to shoot yourself, here’s how to do it with a little class:

  1. Find an uncluttered spot. Look at your surroundings the way the camera is going to see it. Don’t let anything get in the way of the camera’s main focus.
  2. Back Away From The Camera.  Really. All this fisheyed e-trade baby video is making me nauseous.
  3. SMILE !!!!  And hold eye contact. Put a picture of someone you care a lot about beside that camera lens.  Then talk to them.  You will be more natural
  4. Take off the headphones.  You don’t have to hear yourself. It also looks really low tech. If there are music cues or an interview you have to respond to, get an earpiece, or just set the phones down out of camera range. You’ll still be able to hear it.
  5. Don’t take five minutes to get to the content.  I don’t really care that this is your fifth show, and you now have two thousand viewers.  Acknowledge what I came to see. At least Letterman and Leno start with a rundown of what the show’s going to be about.  It’s not a bad idea for you to do that, too.  Of course, it will mean actually planning, and not talking off the top of your head.
  6. That will directly affect your “um” quotient.  Take notes, and use those notes to prompt you for the next idea.  Planning and focusing keeps the “ums” to a mimimum.  A little silence is a lot more preferable to inane babble.
  7. Keep it short and to the point.  I’m not going to watch you for an hour. Especially if it’s just you on camera.  Sorry if it hurts your feelings.  Brevity is the soul of wit. You’ll get more viewers with a shorter piece. You’ll be more focused.  Did you know that all of the network evening news shows used to be 15 minutes long?

If you can do those simple things, you’ll be surprised how better you look, and how much more professional you come across.

–That’s A Wrap.

Bad Video ; Empty Promises

DIY ?, Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , , ,

I’ve probably blogged about this before, but everytime I see one of these sites, I just want to erect a barricade around it.  Crime Scene Tape if you will.

It’s those sites who tell you how important video is to your website (it is) and then proceed to tell you that they can put one together for you using stock photos and a voiceover. (they can, but it won’t do you any good)

To make matters worse, THEIR websites usually have the well-placed red text that screams “SIGN UP NOW!!” or “LIMITED TIME OFFER!!”  They do this for the same reason Cosmopolitan writes the kinds of headlines it does for its magazine: It’s An Impulse Item.

If you own a small business, since when is your marketing plan an impulse item?

Yes, you can find some very nice looking stock photos, then add text overlays and pretty music, and you have a nice BORING video.

Where does it connect with your customers, your prospects? Where does it engage that audience of people who are looking for exactly what you do?

There are companies that will promise you thousands of hits on your website if you will just buy their e-book or sign up for their monthly program.  Some of these same companies promise you thousands of Twitter followers if you will just pay them “x” number of dollars.

But listen to me: You don’t want thousands of hits to your website. The only ones you want are the ones that will BUY from you. Those are the ones who are already searching for you. They may know that they want the product that you sell, but maybe there are different features. Help them decide. Do THAT in a video that stars you.

Ask people to watch a video with only words spinning and scrolling, and to me, that’s tantamount to the web pages of old with their blinking text and spinning animated gifs.

And it doesn’t tell me who you are.

I want to buy from you. I want to do business with you. I want to feel like I already know you.  That’s what your prospects are saying.  How will you answer them?

A slide show doesn’t cut it.

–That’s a wrap.

6 Reasons Why You Need To Use Flash For Web Video, and 1 Reason Why You Don’t.

DIY ?, Uncategorized, Who Uses Video, , , , , , , , ,

If you’re putting video on your website, you want as many folks as possible to watch it, right?  No matter if your viewer is using Windows, or Apple, they should be able to watch it quickly and without hassle.

There are more than a handful of multimedia formats, and some players don’t play them all.

I’m a PC – always have been; always will be.  Here’s something I didn’t know – not all Windows systems have Windows Media Player pre-installed. On the other hand, not all Apple machines have Quicktime pre-installed.  Windows Media won’t play Quicktime files. Quicktime doesn’t like Windows. But there’s one format, and one player that works with both operating systems.

When it comes to putting videos on your website, Adobe Flash has a lot going for it.

  1. The small file size means it loads quickly
  2. You can pre-set the buffer size, so it starts playing immediately
  3. It embeds easily into webcode
  4. You can determine how you want the player to look.
  5. You can view it full screen if you want
  6. Mobile devices are using it.  (It’s true, Flash doesn’t play well with the Iphone.  That’s why you also need an MP4 version of all your videos.)

Your website visitors don’t want to have to wait while a video downloads. Give them the experience they want, and the information they need, and they will actually spend a longer time on your site.  My average viewer spends almost four minutes on each page.  And there are effective and affordable video players which will even generate the code for you.  All you do is plug and play!

Do it now.  The longer you wait the further behind the curve you will be.  Video is not a craze.  It will become as ubiquitous as text and images are on websites.

–That’s A Wrap.

How Video Helps Your Website SEO

Who Uses Video, , , , , , ,

Everytime I talk with someone about using Videos On Your Website, the conversation invariably turns to Search Engine Optimization.  A lot of folks hear the term SEO, and they know it has something to do with keywords, but after that, they’re lost.

SEO is kind of like trying to put a bowtie on a fish.

The guys who do this for a living twist and pull and tweak their websites so they can in some measure figure out what the search engines are looking for.  Nobody’s supposed to know for sure.  But we do know that titles, headlines, and what you write on the page all get the attention of the search engine robots. We also know that a few of the right tweaks will get your ranking up, but with time, that ranking begins to fade as something newer takes its place.

There’s another fish analogy – if you turn your back and forget about it, it will start to smell.

That’s why constantly updating your website makes those search engine robots very happy.  Because a changing site is a fresh site.  And a fresh site must be more relevant. That means content.

If content is King, then having videos on your website should at least be Prime Minister. Videos can, and should be optimized with keywords.  They should not only be on your website, but distributed to as many of the video sharing sites as you can with a URL pointing back to your main page.  Everytime you do this, even if it’s the same video, it is fresh content in the hearts and minds of the search engines.

Ultimately, a visitor might share your video with a link, or a recommendation to a friend. That builds credibility, and that’s the other thing that feeds the search engine’s ranking machine.

To put it another way: having videos on your website can make you up to eight times more likely to land on the first page of Google results than if you just have text.

How are folks finding YOU?  What are they doing when they get to your site?  How long would you like to keep them there?

I’d be more than happy to talk to you about it.

–That’s A Wrap

Look Who’s Watching Now

Who Uses Video, , ,

I recently had the pleasure of producing a video for a company that specializes in fitness for seniors. We had a blast, and the video is going to be used to bring the program to more people, which is always exciting.

“Are you kidding?!” one of my friends said, “Seniors don’t go online.  I don’t know of any who even own computers.”

Wrong, says Beulah Buzzer. (And you almost have to be over 50 to remember that phrase)

As a matter of fact, You Tube is the fourth most visited destination for folks 65 and older. That’s according to a new study by Neilsen. In 2009, there were almost 18 million senior surfers spending upwards of two hours a day online.

Want more proof of the trend?  Well, Google was the number one destination, followed by Windows Media Player at Number Two, Facebook was third, and You Tube fourth.

Windows Media Player AND You Tube.  I’d say there is an audience out there.

Let’s don’t write these folks off just yet.  Remember that when they were in their 20’s, they were the ones buying Rolling Stones and Beatles records. So while they may not be scooping up the latest i-toys, the online world definitely does not intimidate them.

And, by the way, Beulah was the name of the buzzer on the radio and TV show “Truth Or Consequences”.

–That’s A Wrap.

5 Ways To Make DIY Videos Better

DIY ?, , , , , ,

Of course, I’m a big supporter of using videos on your website. There are many ways to record videos for business. One way is to do it yourself. Some of these new pocket-sized cameras are making it very easy

So what’s being shown in all these videos? Not much more than talking heads.

There is so much that can make a great and compelling video: different angles, close-ups, b-roll. But it’s hard to take those shots and mix them in, because the selling point of the little micro-cams is that they will upload directly to the web. And that means no editing.

Editing is how you tell a story. Look at all of your favorite programs on TV. They have different shots, and various angles, reaction shots from the other players, location shots to establish where they are. You can do that if you’re doing it yourself. It just takes a little planning. Planning will make a mediocre video a GREAT video.

If you’re going to shoot with a microcam, here are five things that will make your videos better from the start:

  1. Make sure you have a steady platform. Use a mini tripod.
  2. You can’t see what you’re shooting with most microcams. Try not to get that “in your face fisheye” effect. Don’t be afraid to shoot it again and again.
  3. If there are going to be two or more speakers, don’t swing the cam from side to side. You’ll just make the viewer dizzy.
  4. Shoot in different locations. Use a background shot to show where you are, then in one edit, you can be moving forward with your content.
  5. Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan Plan.

If everyone’s video looks the same, these tips will set yours apart. Many folks, however, are attracted by the easy shoot and quick upload of these microcams. If you already have an expensive looking website, don’t sabotage your image with a poor quality video.

–that’s a wrap

Ad-ology Insights To Advertising

Who Uses Video, , , , , ,

What if you could put a blindfold on your competition? And what if you could then make yourself the hero in the eyes of their customers and prospects? Whatever you sell, be it product or service, what if everybody considered you the expert?

If you could put a blindfold on your competition, would that help or hurt your business?

Well, there’s a good chance that’s happening right now. In a recent advertising and media study by
Ad-ology, a Columbus Ohio company, they asked 1100 small business owners about social media marketing. By the way, small businesses in this case is defined as 100 employees or fewer. The study was done November, 2009.

31% of those small business owners say THEIR CUSTOMERS don’t use social networks! Let me know when you’ve picked yourself up off the floor…

Isn’t that amazing? When Facebook has enough users to qualify as the fifth largest country in the world, one in three small business owners think their customers ignore social media.

Here’s another of Ad-ology’s findings: 73% of those small businesses don’t use YouTube. Why not?

• They don’t have the equipment to shoot and edit video
• They don’t know what subject matter to present
• Some actually don’t know how YouTube works
• They think YouTube is only for cute cat videos

Whatever the reason, those are all things I can help with. Yeah, I even have a couple of cute cats, but that’s another blog.

YouTube is the number 2 search engine behind Google. There are product demos and how-tos galore. Do folks actually search for them? Well, yes, some of them do, however the best reason for putting an optimized video on YouTube is because it will show up on Google organic searches. And it’s 80% more likely to show up on the first page of results. Add some of the other video sharing sites to that, and it turns out putting Videos On Your Website is pretty good for business.

Know anyone not using video, and still wants to grow their business? I would love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with them.

–That’s a wrap.

I Have Never Made An Offer Like This Before

Uncategorized

Yes, I look at my competitors’ websites. Sometimes, I’m impressed. Sometimes, I’m ashamed.

Web video is new to a lot of folks. I know some who REALLY “get it” I know producers who have editing styles I think are brilliant. I know clients and small business owners who understand web video too. They are the people who keep me excited day after day.

Web video is not television.

When I talk about putting Videos On Your Website, I mean it as a whole new way to communicate with your client base. Here’s some conversations I’ve had with business owners recently: “Clients are always asking us how we make our product”, “We have a lot of Case Studies on our website, if only people would take time to read them.”, “I wish my clients would understand more about –..” Very quickly, each one of them grasped the concept of what I do.

If you’ve looked through my site, you’ll notice I have a video on almost every page. Right now, I’m changing them a few times a year. It could be more, and one day it will be. But that kind of schedule is a good place for a small business to be at this stage. Yours, too.

Unfortunately, I have seen some sample videos from other producers that don’t quite measure up. I had been directed to one site with a client testimonial. Those are easy, because they’re usually the “talking head” kinds of videos. While the lighting on the piece was great, it clearly was shot without a tripod, a serious no-no when filming a static subject. I’ve seen website videos where I can tell that the cameraman is more at home shooting weddings and dance recitals than videos for business. And I know that they’re charging way too much to get those kinds of results.

So here’s my offer:

If you’re considering having a video produced for your business, and you’d like an honest appraisal of anyone’s style and abilities, just email or call me. I mean that sincerely. You have the right to work with whomever you choose, and I won’t try to change your mind. But if there are some things that I can pick up on that may make your video better, I want to do that.

Because this kind of content is an important addition to the structure of your online presence. To get more businesses online with the right content will help video producers everywhere. When you see the kinds of results you’ll get; you’ll be back for more, and so will dozens of other small businesses.

–That’s a wrap.

Are You A Videographer?

Who Uses Video, , , ,

I never know how to answer that question. I don’t really like the word. To describe what I do takes a little more. So I looked it up.

vid?e?og?ra?pher [vid-ee-og-ruh-fer]
–noun someone who makes films with a video camera.

Empty. So, what is the best way to describe what I do? I can’t think of a really good one, although, I like Content Producer. It really is all about content. That’s why it at the top of my web pages.

If you want to capture a wedding day, you can call a videographer. If a reporter needs someone to get pictures of the story he is telling, he’ll take a videographer. And let me say, that I’m not knocking those tasks at all. The term just does not describe my business.

My first role is as a consultant. In the preliminary stages, clients ask about the process, subject matter, and we brainstorm ideas. I’ll take that information, do some additional research, and come up with a script. That’s one of the things I love. I’ve been writing professionally since I was 16.

On the day of the shoot, I’m with my client for less than two hours. If we’ve done our planning, that’s all the time we need to get the images.

I transfer the files into my digital editor and start piecing together the message. Many times, scenes are shot out of sequence, or maybe a scene needs to be moved to give it more emphasis. I have to create the graphics, find the right music bed, and maybe do a couple of voiceover pieces.

I’m not through yet, I’ll watch it a couple of times to see how the shots match up and do some more tweaking. I’ll do a rendering to see how the video is going to look online. Does it have a great opening? Will the colors go well with the website it will be shown on? More tweaking. Finally, it’s ready.

After client approval, I make a number of renderings in different formats: Windows Media, MP4 Quicktime, MPG, Flash, and start uploading to the most effective video sharing sites. Yes, there are a couple of dozen others besides YouTube that show up in search engine optimizations. Many times I’m also working with my client’s web master or designer.

So there you have a condensed version of what goes into every project.

There has never been a better time to start using Videos On Your Website to promote your product or service than right now! And as you can see, you get more than just a video. You get my decades of experience in knowing how to reach your target audience.

Give it whatever name you want. But know that it neither starts nor stops at the camera.

–That’s a wrap