The age of video is here. Everyone has been saying, for what seems like years, that video will dominate the Internet. It’s been slow in coming because of bandwidth limitations. But now with high speed broadband and free, video hosting, courtesy of youtube, it really has come of age. Youtube has even changed it’s logo to ‘one billion views a day‘, just so you are in no doubt who is the king of video hosting. That’s a lot of people watching videos.
So, as a webmaster, should you be getting in on all this traffic? All you have to do is make a video or two, put them on youtube and get lots of exposure and traffic. If only it were that simple! Well, it is and it isn’t. It’s actually easier today to record a webcam or a screencast. The software and equipment is inexpensive and can produce surprisingly good results. But with so many bad, amateur videos on youtube, producing a video people want to watch is a lot harder. The good news is youtube wants to help all us do online video right. They are partnering with videomaker magazine to offer free webinars on equipment, techniques, lighting and more. Essential viewing I would say.
One of the best ways to leverage video is to publish a video blog. Gary Vaynerchuk has been hugely successful with his wine library video blog, generating enormous traffic, resulting in lots of business. But how do you run a video blog? Leah Betancourt tells us what makes a good video blog including how to create and distribute it in the complete guide to video blogging. This isn’t for the lazy, but you could be riding the next Internet wave.
And if you do decide to publish a video blog or create one or more videos, how do you promote it? As always, I think the best way to learn is to listen to experts. Maria Andros runs the social media traffic blueprint coaching program, currently fully subscribed, and is very much an expert. Listen to Gideon Shalwick interview her in how to leverage youtube, twitter and facebook to get truckloads of traffic.
You won’t ever regret learning to create and publish videos, that’s for sure.
