Smart Business
Internet Marketing Ezine
Steve Beard, Publisher

Special Issue

Internet Video - New Technology Makes it Easy

Adobe's Flash technology is free to download and some estimates say that its found on over 97% of all computers.  High speed internet access - DSL, Cable, Satellite, and all their commercial brothers have now reached over 60% of homes and businesses in the US.  Add in video on cell phones, PDA's and assorted other handhelds and you have a prescription for a rabid market for internet video.

Another technology factor is the ease with which both Windows XP based computers and Apple computers handle digital video in all its forms.  The plug and play between video cameras, computers, and software has never been easier.

Finally, all this connectivity has been build in to cameras, computers, and even basic video editing software at virtually no cost to the user.  Video capture and editing tasks that required thousands of dollars of equipment and software just a few years ago can now be done with $80 - $150 running on a standard PC.
 

Internet Video - How It Will Change the Internet

Watching TV has trained generators of viewers for internet video.  We're attracted to the big screen and we'd rather watch than listen or read.  We're already adapted to commercials, infomercials, sitcoms, news, etc.  Virtually everyone has a VCR and a wide variety of entertainment and educational videos.  Watching a video on a computer screen is a natural thing for most of us.  We're much more apt to watch a well done internet infomercial than we are to read a long, boring web page.

News services and some businesses have been early adopters of video.  Remember the BMW mini movies directed by big name Hollywood types.  Those took a few minutes to download but were a great marketing tool.  The current generation using Flash just loads up and runs in a few seconds.   Now we have Internet TV showing reruns of old broadcast TV shows along with a very broad spectrum of internet video.

Many technology forecasters believe that Internet TV will replace cable and broadcast TV as the media of choice for most viewers.  Most believe that the adoption of internet technology is accelerating worldwide.  

Early adopters of internet video will gain a long term advantage over competitors.  Just as popular TV shows make tough competition for new shows - topical web sites that use video to explain, instruct, entertain, or build goodwill with customers will be well ahead of competitors who wait.  

There will come a time in the very near future when prospects and customers will simply surf on when they don't find video on a site.  We're not there yet but its coming.

Its often said that the Internet has leveled the playing field for small businesses versus the large corporation.  As noted above, internet video is exceptionally inexpensive for the do-your-self crowd and well within reason for those that choose to hire a video professional.  The article below describes how you can quickly add video to your web site.
 

9 Quick & Easy Steps to Produce a Top Quality Internet Video

9 Quick and Easy Steps to Produce a Top Quality Internet Video

By Steve Beard
Copyright Steve Beard – All Rights Reserved

Big business and smart internet marketers are rushing to create online videos, infomercials, product demos, and a lot more.  The battle for internet consumer eyeballs is sizzling now that the majority of US consumers have broadband connections and FLV video plug-ins.

The good news is that you can produce quality internet video inexpensively in just a few quick steps.  You probably already have the camera and most of the software you’ll need.

Here are the key steps you need to follow to produce an internet video that represents you or your product in the very best light.

Plan Your Video.   You’ll save lots of time if you plan your video project in advance.   Since you’ll be recording both video and audio you’ll want to consider such things as location, lighting, background noise, presenters dress (simple is better), needed props, cameras, microphones, special software, or computer support.  Putting your plan on paper will crystallize your project and shorten the time to posting it online.

Write a Script - Then Rehearse.  Very few people can just walk in front of a camera and ad lib a smooth presentation – even a short one.  Those that can get paid big bucks – the rest of us write out a script to make sure we hit the key points and then we rehearse a number of times to smooth out the rough edges.   Let your personality come through. Using small words and short phrases will make retakes and editing easier.

Ready – Action – Review - Retake.  First, expect to do a number of takes and retakes.  Your first take or two is to adjust your camera, check the sound level, and look at the background and lighting.  This will give you or your “On Screen Talent” a chance to rehearse in front of the camera.  Even the Hollywood Pro’s do this to achieve their best work.

No need to yell “CUT” if you have a screw-up – just pause - with the camera rolling, regroup, and start again right before the point that the screw-up occurred.  You’ll edit out that bad footage later.

Capture Your Video to Your Computer for Editing.   Capturing simply means copying your video to your computer for editing and later uploading to your site.  Depending on your digital camera and computer combination you may be able to record (capture) your live video footage directly into your video editing software as you’re shooting.   That’s the best approach for your first video or two – because you can quickly replay the scene on your computers large screen.

Most XP computers with Windows Movie Maker allow you to capture live video from a digital camera with a fire wire connection.  Some Logitech webcams do this using a USB connection.

Editing your footage is the key step to producing a quality video.  This is where you put together your best video footage to create a finished video product.  While editing you can add video from other sources, your web site or company logo, make transitions between clips, add background music or other audio, and create intro and exit text.  The key editing point for streaming video on the internet is to keep everything short and sweet.

Convert or Encode Your Video to FLV Format.   FLV format is the most common way to show video on the Internet.  Since most video editing software saves files in the .avi or .wmv format you’ll need a converter or encoder to change it to the FLV format.

Playing Your Internet Video.  The FLV video player is what your viewers will see at your web site.  You’ll need player generating software to plug your FLV encoded video into a player of your choice.  Player software pricing can range from free to expensive. 

Quality players will provide flexible buffering of the streaming video to compensate for poor internet conditions.  They will also let you add clickable clinks or redirection urls so you can automatically direct your viewer to the next step in your marketing process.

Upload Your Video To Your Site.  Your player software generates an HTML file that you or your webmaster can copy into any web page or any over media that will support FLV such as eBooks, CD’s, DVD’s, etc.  If your video is headed to a web site then you upload your page and related FLV file to your site as normal and your video will be ready for its first viewer.

Test and Review.   The first viewer should be you – checking out load times with various internet connection speeds, making sure your urls work, and that the page content around your video player supports its message.  Make changes as necessary to provide the best viewing experience.

You can learn much more about creating top quality video for the internet by using the link below to signup for Steve’s Free 9 Steps Internet Video Training Mini Course!
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Steve Beard is a 22 year computer industry veteran, internet technical expert, webmaster, and the co-owner of an award winning video production company producing TV commercials and company videos.  Click below to get Steve’s Free 9 Step Video Training Program plus a list of recommended equipment, video capture and editing software, and player generating software.
Free 9 Step Internet Video Training Course
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Copyright Steve Beard 2006 All Rights Reserved
 

Steve Recommends

Are You Ready to Put Video ON Your Site?

If so - the best way is by using Flash!

To use Flash You'll need a Streaming Video Player and a Flash encoder to convert your video to the right format. 

The one I use is WebMaster Media Maker and its all packaged with great bonus material and the Flash encoder you need.

WebMaster Media Maker

About Steve

Internet entrepreneur Steve Beard has been online since 1997 and is the creator and webmaster of over 15 niche websites marketing a wide variety of products and services.  He a veteran of over 23 years as a computer IT consultant and entrepreneur and the author of the Internet Security Tool Kit and the paperback Mind - Body- Action.

2006 marks the first year, Steve is working full time in internet marketing with many new projects underway.  Subscribers to Smart Business will be see these projects roll out in real time - so stay tuned.

Steve@21biz.com

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