Don't Make These Video Mistakes!

Good morning, readers. Are you using video in your web
sites? You know it amazes me how many people utilize video
poorly.

For instance, many folks -- the vast majority -- simply
upload their videos to YouTube or other video hosting
sites, and then cut and paste a line of HTML to add their
video into their web pages. While this is very easy to do,
it is also not the recommended way to do it.

Why?

Simple. At the end of your video, YouTube and most of the
other video directory and hosting services display
thumbnails of other people's videos. Sometimes those videos
are inappropriate for your site and your visitors.

After all, if you are trying to sell or promote something,
whether it's yourself or a product, do you really want them
to sit their watching videos from other people after they
watch yours? No, you don't.

Some video hosting services add advertising at the end of
your video. And those ads link to other people's sites.
This is a great way to encourage your visitors to abandon
your site prematurely before buying from you.

Not smart.

Now I know a lot of people say they don't know how to add
video to their own site. That's silly. There are many
low-cost and simple tools available to do this:

Video Web Wizard 2.0 - You simply browse to your file, pick
a video player, and click a button to convert. Then FTP the
files to your site and you are pretty much done.

Pinnacle System Studio 12 - You can get this online or in
your local computer or office supply store. It is a full
production studio. You import video from DVD or camera,
arrange scenes, add titles and special effects and music.
Look like a pro. Save in multiple formats including Flash.

Screen Cam Generator - This is a Camtasia clone. If you
can't afford the real thing, this less expensive version
may do the trick. It can capture videos of on-screen
activity, you can narrate, add music, and it has many other
cool features.

Visual Communicator - This is considered the creme of the
crop and enables you to shoot videos from your PC/laptop
with a webcam, read from a teleprompter, fade and
transition, add credits and effects, and even superimpose
yourself against a virtual set using a green screen.

Skin My Video - This is a collection of video player skins
to dress up your your web page and make your video look
cooler and more professional.

Video Post Robot - This tool will enable you to upload your
video to multiple video directories like YouTube among
others in a semi-automated fashion. A real time saver.

Instant Video Generator - This is one of the oldest and
easiest ways to add video to your site. Shoot your video
using your webcam, and then copy and paste one line to your
web page. Instead video!

Video Skins Pro - This is a brand new collection of video
skins for your video. You receive over 100 different
players in different sizes. Copy and paste HTML to your
page. Very easy to use.

Most web hosts will allow you to store your video files on
their servers. Even the most basic accounts can usually
handle this. Will your bandwidth costs go up by storing
your video on your web host? Possibly, but only if you the
videos are large and you get unusually high traffic. Try it
for a month or two and then consider choosing a different
web host plan.

So think about your present video strategy and look for
ways to make it better. Stop encouraging your visitors to
watch other people's videos and to abandon your site before
they take your call to action. It's not good business.

All my best,

Steven Schneiderman