Picture of a Flip Mino HD video camera.
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Using video online today is a must for any business.

A combination of how-to, educational, training, inspirational and humorous videos work well for most businesses.

Sure, promotional videos, and “about us” type videos has a place, but we are bombarded with messages every day. Do we need another “look at me” video?

How do you make videos to meet your customers demands, while still ensuring the business videos are professional?

Here are 7 business video tips to get you started.

I like to start by looking at what other people are doing in my market, and doing research on existing video sites like YouTube.com. And, try not to think “Hollywood” and big productions. You don’t need it to get started. You can work your way up.

Try the below.

STEP 1: Plan

If somebody asked you: “what is this video for” – you should know the answer. What is the intention with this video, and who’s it talking to? Of course, not every business video is the same – one may be purely promotional, another a personal interview, another a seminar your CEO spoke at, etc. But, have a clear goal in mind. Don’t try to sell in every video either.

STEP 2: Equipment

Here’s where we all tend to stop the video creation process. “Oh, I don’t have any good video gear, so I’ll wait until I have the money, or can find somebody professional to help me”. No, skip that – just get a Flip Camera, or a Kodak Zi8. High end cameras for under $200.

STEP 3: Who, where, what?

Back to Step 1 – your plan. Who will be included in the shots, where will the shots take place, and what will be the ‘script’ of your video? Having questions already prepared for an interview for example – will be important.

STEP 4: Stand still

When shooting the video, make sure that the camera and object is still. Using a Gorilla Pad is easy and cheap. You can get fancier with a Tripod, and it’s recommended.

STEP 5: Lights

Read up a little on the technical guide that came with the camera. Try to understand how the camera works, and test a few shots with lighting levels. For example, never shoot a person in front of a window with you facing it. (You’ll get too much light, and the person will be rather dark). Make sure you don’t stand next to a noise freeway either!

STEP 6: Software

Learn how to edit the video. The Zi8 comes with software that easily can make videos for you. Windows Moviemaker is really easy to use as well. If you are on a Mac, the iMovie software works just fine too. Web videos can often be fairly short – 60-180 seconds, but Step 3 will help you determine the need.

STEP 7: Promote!

Share your video. Make sure your audience can see it, hear it. Upload the video to the top video sharing sites and start with YouTube. Share on your blog as an embedded video, use Facebook, Twitter and bookmarking tools like Onlywire.com.

Make sure you optimze it using SEO principles of content and links. When placing the video on YouTube, try to describe the video in the TITLE and DESCRIPTION using keywords. If you can, transcribe the video into text, and include that in the description area as well, placing a link back to your website.

P.S.

Watermark and links inside the video is also recommended. Run a YouTube PPC ads program as well. Share inside the community, and subscribe to others that have similar content. YouTube is a community as well, remember?

Hope this helped you.

Learn more from the Online Business Video Cheatsheet Guys.

Related articles for Online Business Videos:

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Entrepreneur Magazine says Jon Rognerud is one of the most sought-after Digital Marketing Experts. His clients extend from high-end brands and middle-tier businesses in both B2B and B2C. His SEO website optimization book, "The Ultimate Guide to Optimizing Your Website" from Entrepreneur Press is in bookstores now.