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Micheal Martine has a great post on how easy it is to get started video blogging.  A quick trip to a local discounter netted a serviceable web camera with a built in microphone for less than $40.  Then, he simply set up his camera, started it and began talking.

Micheal gives you tips on how to get started, so I won’t recap those here.  However, he does show how easy it is to get started.

Video allows a consultant to demonstrate his/her expertise and is a GREAT choice for those who struggle with the written word.

TokBox has a new product in beta which allows users to leave Video messaging and Web Pro News is offering a video presentation which gives you more information.

WebPro News has been using online video for quite a while now, sending correspondents to conferences to gather information.

In his chat with WebProNews, Ben immediately starts with the recognition that the realm of video search is increasing at an exponential rate. Businesses are going to have to adapt to climate of online video in order to continually develop innovative and contextually relevant marketing campaigns geared toward the digital consumer. A controversial method that Ben touches on is the use of multiple MySpace profiles laden with promotional video, a tactic designed to inundate search results with the maximum amount of video content possible. The debate lingers on whether or not this practice is little more than a spam tactic, or can be reluctantly categorized as “grey hat” in terms of marketing optimization.

Blogging is the hottest communication medium around… and when you add VIDEO to your blog, well it’s like adding a spark to rocket fuel.

The blog Average Joe Blogger offers some great tips for creating compelling video for your blog.

Testimonials have always been a powerful marketing tool.  In my book Beyond the Niche I outline a few tactics small business owners can use to gather testimonials from their customers.

Ken McCarthy says:

When we, the advertisers, say something, or even relate a customer comment second hand in the form of a “testimonial,” our much-abused and rightfully skeptical prospects take it with a grain of salt.

On the other hand, when a real person says it, credibility skyrockets.

THe power of the testimonials lies in its ability to build TRUST with the unknown potential client or customer.  A testimonials provides PROOF that the provider of the product or service really can do what he/she says s/he can do!

Of course, the reason VIDEO makes the customer testimonial so much more powerful is that it is harder to “fake” than a written testimonial.  And that’s the driving force behind Expo.com.  According to Ken:

In the online video arena, one company is making business of video customer reviews: ExpoTV.com. These guys are harnessing the two biggest forces on the Internet today: consumer-generated content and video.  Currently, the site has over 50,000 product reviews, all provided by consumers who shoot, edit and upload their own videos.  ExpoTV then turns around and syndicates this content to sites like Smarter.com, Buy.com, AOL and Yahoo.

Of course, you don’t have to be Buy.com to get video testimonials on your web site.  Simeon Pollock is an acupuncturist whose Wholistic Blog features video testimonials Simeon has shot of his own satisfied customers.

Take a look and see if you don’t agree that video testimonials are MUCH more powerful than written ones.

Andy Beard writes an incredibly popular blog on Niche Marketing.  Andy has over 1400 feed subscribers so when he takes notice of a new product or service, well… people listen.

The other day, Andy was writing about 2 Surfer Dudes who know a thing about video.

Notice how Andy can easily share the videos that inspired him by merely picking up a bit of code from You Tube and adding it to his blog.  VIOLA!  Now the 1400+ subscribers to Andy’s blog can see the 2 Surfer Dudes videos as well.

Sure there are other ways to include video clips in your blog, but none that offer the “portability” of You Tube.

Video is a powerful tool, but even more powerful are videos that are completely portable.  Being able to grab a line of code from You Tube so anyone can share the video via their blog is the biggest reason why your marketing videos should be on You Tube.

See, even though the video is playing on Andy’s blog, by clicking the “menu” button on the video, I can copy the URL… the YOU TUBE URL so I can see other videos uploaded by the surfer dudes to their You Tube Account.

I call this principle “bread crumb trail marketing.”  You don’t expect a LOT of people to go to all that time and trouble, but the few that do and find their way to you are likely to be HOT prospects for your products or services.  If you’re lucky, a big time blogger like Andy Beard will help distribute your bread crumbs which will lead a LOT more hot prospects to your business!

Alison Anton is a Nutritional Chef and a Food Writer who is using You Tube + Blogging in a great way.

Want to learn how to make home made pizza crust?  How about a chocolate cherry tart?  Never fear, Alison is there, showing you how in her blog.

Alison isn’t waiting for Food Network to make her a star, she’s already building a following using cutting edge technology to create her own following.

Alison is also tightly targeting her message…Whole Gourmet NATURAL cooking…..

Holistic recipes also populate her blog, and yes… she even has a newsletter to stay in touch with those who visit her blog.

Alison has done a great job of integrating video into her blog…. and it offers a true benefit to the reader.

Video has ALWAYS been a powerful marketing tool, however when you combine the power of video with the internet, you create Viral Video which is by far the most powerful force in marketing!
Online videos are nothing new.  Way back in 1995, you could watch video of an exploding whale on the internet.  The catch?  You had to wait 30 minutes for the clip to download and you had to have the correct software installed to view the video.  Other than that, what was not to love?

Fast forward 12 years and online video is HOT! The rise of high speed internet now allows users to view the exploding whale video without waiting for the entire file to download.  However, if you think online video is just for idiots to showcase their need to be removed from the genetic pool…think again.

Michelle MacPhearson in her post Video Marketing for Free Traffic offers a great admonition:

First, let’s forget the silly videos you’ll find all over YouTube of kids running into fences and demonstrating the newest dance move. While that kind of video can bring in hundreds of thousands of views, it won’t bring the targeted traffic you need.

Instead, consider making a video tightly targeted towards your niche.

EXACTLY!!!!

Creating a video that shows you’re more “daring” than anyone else is going to attract the under 20 crowd in droves.  If that’s your target audience… then go for it!  If it’s not, well then you need to know exactly who populates your niche market.  To do that, of course, you need to know:

1. Who specifically is included in your niche market?
2. What are their Goals/Desires/Problems?
3. How can you help them with #2?

A great resource to help with answering these essential questions is the book, Beyond the Niche. According to the book,

Fortunately, there really is a simple, intuitive formula you can use to uncover what your customers are really looking for when they enter the doors of your store, or click on your web site. 

Once you know what’s important to members of your niche audience, then you have the fuel for your online video.

According to HP’s Eric Kintz, who writes The Marketing Excellence blog:

In October 2005, Nike produced a pseudo home digital video of soccer star Ronaldinho, practicing while wearing his new Nike Gold shoes. The clip was downloaded 3.5 million times on YouTube and provided Nike with tremendous exposure to its core young male audience. As the young generation moves away from traditional TV to dedicate its time to watching the likes of YouTube, I anticipate that more brands will develop entertainment ads.

The Nike example above is a GREAT example of creating a video that SPEAKS to your niche market and speaks DIRECTLY to their goals/desires/problems.  In the Nike case above,  young aspiring soccer players have a goal: to be a professional soccer player.  By tapping into that goal/desire…. Nike created a video marketing tool that was positively VIRAL in nature.

That’s what happens when you focus on specific Goals/Desires/Problems when you create your video.  It taps in and creates a life of it’s own.

Video has ALWAYS been a powerful marketing tool…. online video is just the latest method of delivery.   Unlike other methods though, the internet allows video to become viral and that is the magic most business owners are seeking!

Sometimes, video is neede for illustration purposes.

Didier Stevens in his post Google and the Drive-by Download takes you step by step through the process of getting infected by a Drive-by download.

And while Didier describes the process in complete detail, he also illustrates it using a You Tube Video.

Like that video? Didier has several others hosted a You Tube as well….

Talk about leaving bread crumb trails for interested viewers to your other work!

I love my VW… quite honestly, it’s our favorite of three cars.

However, this video does NOT make me want to add another to our “stable”….

There are two types of video… video that entertains and video that sells.

If you can create a video that does BOTH, it’s magic, It’s also rare.

If you miss… as is the case above, you risk alienating your audience.

Think about your message…. THEN measure whether the message is a selling one or an entertaining one and plan accordingly.

Carol Solomon just shared with me a keynote she delivered over the weekend which was entitled “No more excuses”…. in it she gave the following as an example of a 91 year old woman who has launched her own online business.

Now, Carol’s point was that this woman is selling products and collecting email addresses as a way to build her business, but when I went to the site, I saw that she’s also using online video to promote her business.

Think this is some internet scam, think again.  There’s little old Mavis talking to you about her love of sewing.

As I was talking with another client this morning, when I suggested online video, she immediately mentioned a site that used online video.  It’s growing… and for now, including online video will make your site stand out even if the video is done poorly.

There’s no more excuses… if a 91 year old from Australia can do it….