Video marketing can be incredibly effective for entrepreneurs and small business owners who need to compete with bigger, better funded competitors. Promoting your business with video can level the playing field and give you a huge advantage because video builds the “know, like and trust” factor and accelerates the sales process.
However, many entrepreneurs feel that video marketing is beyond their reach because it can be so time consuming and complicated. Many people are missing out on the online video revolution because they fear the time commitment of doing video.
Fortunately, video does not have to take a ton of time or effort. There are all kinds of shortcuts and hacks for making video simple. Here are my 6 favorite video productivity tips:
1. That Jing Thing – Go download Jing at https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html. (Free) This simple sibling of Camtasia is more than a screen capture tool. You can also instantly record your screen for up to 5 minutes. It’s perfect for quick screencast videos or mini-slide shows. Just fire it up and start talking over your computer screen. Best of all: The 5 minute limit keeps you focused and succinct… a must for videos!
2. Zoom in on video – If you prefer to be on camera, or if you want the flexibility of being able to toggle between on camera and screen sharing, then zoom.us is the perfect solution. Zoom offers video conferencing and online meetings, but more important, video recording. (Free for up to 40 minutes; Pro Plans start at $14.99/month). You can host up to 50 participants on the free plan, but the real “hack” here is to use it as a video recording tool. Record yourself or your screen (even with no participants), and you’ve got a fast and easy video!
3. Go Live – Facebook Live, Periscope and now, Instagram all give you the ability to broadcast live with just your smartphone. With just a couple of taps on your phone, this may be the quickest and easiest way to create a video. And because platforms like Facebook Live are designed to be recorded “in the moment” and on the fly, there’s no need nor expectation for fancy editing or post production. Just hit record and go!
4. Montage Mania – Having a bad hair day or don’t want to appear on camera? Then simply pull together a few photos and create a quick photo/video montage. Low and no cost tools like stupeflix.com animoto.com and Adobe Spark for the iPad (https://spark.adobe.com/) make it super simple to upload images or graphics and add words and music to create a great video. These services even provide stock photos, themes and free music to go along with your montage.
5. Vmail is the new Email – Video email is far more engaging and effective than traditional email, because you get to connect directly with your viewer in a much more personal way. Email is perfect for direct outreach or follow up after a meeting or event, and it’s as simple as talking into your webcam or smartphone. MailVu.com and eyejot.com both offer free versions, while services like bombbomb.com start at $39.99 per month if you need lots of bells and whistles.
6. PowerPoint to Video – Whether you’re using PowerPoint on a PC, or Screenflow on a Mac, you can narrate and record your slide presentation and save it as a video. This is a great way to repurpose your existing assets if you have any PowerPoint presentations, and it’s also the ideal way to conduct webinars.
Cranking out great video doesn’t have to be a chore. Use any of these time-saving video hacks and watch your video productivity soar!
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