We’re pleased to welcome back Dr. J for another guest post featuring the use of social media in the ‘real world’ of small business.

Be sure to check out Dr. J’s bio at the end of the post and reach out and say “Hi!”.

Good News and Bad News

First off, I’ve got some good news and some bad news…

The bad news: I’m not a social media expert. I’m a chiropractor and don’t have all the answers.

The good news: I’m not a social media expert trying to sell you video creation services. I’m going to teach you all I know about video marketing simply because I’ve used these techniques myself in my Nanaimo Chiropractic clinic and they seem to be working!

I’ve picked up this video marketing stuff stuff by trolling literally hundreds of blogs, video tutorials and online articles. And you, you lucky devils, get it all in one concise post!

At this point, you are probably saying to yourself “This video stuff is great and all, but I can’t do it and it’ll cost a bundle.” The truth is, ANY business can make video marketing work for them and it DOESN’T HAVE TO COST YOU A CENT.

I’ll show you how…

Why Use Videos as Part of your Marketing Plan?

• It sets you apart from the competition. Using this medium makes you stand out as a leader in your field.
• It grabs attention. Today’s fickle internet user is often happier watching a video than reading.
• People give business to those who freely give information. Don’t hoard your knowledge. Giving away your advice gratis will garner trust in your viewer.
• People give business to people they know. By seeing and hearing you before they’ll feel they know you. In my clinic, most of my patients recognize me the first time they meet me. In my book, that has real value.
• It gives you valuable backlinks to your website or blog. Search engines place you higher in their results if you have more pages linking back to you.
• You will get more listings on the first page of Google. I regularly have a couple of my videos show up as thumbnails on page one. I’ve even known people to nearly own the entire first page of search results.
• Lastly, it’s FREE!

“OK. I’ll do it! What next?”

First, you’ll need to come up with a topic. Here are some great topics to consider: question and answer, top 5-10 lists, secrets, things you must know before buying, product review, debunking myths, top tips, and “how to.”

I encourage you to think about a series of videos, each tackling a different topic. Stay away from a sales pitch. It will turn a viewer off in a Google Instant. Remember, your videos are about sharing your knowledge, not selling your product.

Equipment and Shooting Tips

A home camcorder or even a digital camera in video mode will do a great job. I’d recommend using a tripod to eliminate distracting camera movement.

Shoot from the chest up. Try to modulate your voice and exaggerate your body language on camera. Move your head about. It’ll feel weird at first but it looks natural and is more visually interesting than standing motionless for the entirety of the video.

Each video should be no more than 3-5 minutes in length. Can’t get through it in one take? Film it from multiple angles and splice together for a professional modern feel.

Refer to the viewer as “you” and take a conversational approach. It helps the viewers bond with you and will keep them watching.

The Biggest Secret to Creating Great Looking Videos

Want to know the biggest secret to great looking videos?

Lighting!

I like filming outdoors as it generally has great natural light and an interesting background. Avoid filming at midday on a sunny day as it makes harsh shadows and you’ll squint.

If indoors, use bright lamps. Work lights from a hardware store provide a great cheap alternative to expensive professional lighting. Cover the lights with parchment paper to make a soft diffuse light.

You can also learn video lighting basics here

Editing Your Videos

More good news…You don’t need to buy any video editing software. PCs have Windows Movie Maker and Macs come with iMovie. Both are easy to use.

I recommend incorporating a short branded intro that you use for all your videos. Make sure to include your logo and your web address in the video so that no matter where it’s viewed, the viewer knows how to find you.

Include a call to action at the end of the video, both verbally and in written text. You must tell your viewer what you want them to do next: subscribe, comment, go to your website, etc.

After you’ve Uploaded Your Video

Once you’ve uploaded your video to your favorite video hosting site (YouTube!) you still have some critical work to do.

Be sure your title contains keywords relevant to the video and to your business. Put your full website or blog URL at the beginning of your video description. This allows your viewer to easily click through to your website.

Also include even more relevant keywords in the video description field so that your audience AND the search engines know what your video is all about. If you don’t like the selected thumbnail image for your video there are others you can select in the editing tab.

Publicizing Your Video

Google ranks videos more highly if they have a lot of activity in terms of views, comments or favourites. Here are a few ways that you can publicize your video to get more of those all important views:

• Post a link on twitter. Put it on your facebook page. Embed it in your blog or website. Don’t be afraid to repost to twitter and facebook to catch people that use social media at different times of the day.
• Email friends and encourage comments or favouriting as this makes the video appear higher in search results.
• Spend some time making worthwhile comments on related videos. The video owner or other viewers will often be curious and visit your YouTube channel. Add your video as a video response to a well viewed video in a related subject area. With some luck the author will approve your video response.
• Collect permission to email customers and embed your video into a monthly e-newsletter. This can be done very inexpensively through companies such as godaddy.com or constantcontact.com.
• As with other social media such as twitter or your facebook page, put a link to your YouTube channel in your email signature.

With a little initial effort to get started, videos are an excellent ‘set it and forget it’ small business marketing method. Done right, they’ll continue to send you new business for a very long time.

What do you say?

Have any questions about small business video marketing that you’d like to ask Dr. J? Have any tips of your own that you’d like to add? Let us know by leaving a comment below and you could be featured on Fan Friday!