In this month’s SkillBites Author Teleseminar presentation, Dr. Marc Kossman (www.theVideoDoctor.com) shared his wisdom on producing videos.  Videos are a great way to get your message out to the world.  Once you have created a video, you can take the audio and make it into a podcast, and have the audio transcribed to create a book, article or several blog posts.  Longer videos can be chopped into several 1 ½  to 2 minute segments, and with Google favoring videos these days, that leads to better search engine optimization.

Dr. Marc recommends an interview style.  Particularly for those of us who may be uncomfortable promoting ourselves, the interview style is easy and well-accepted. We can focus on the interviewer, and not on the camera.

To produce a video doesn’t require any fancy equipment.  Smart phones now come with high resolution cameras, so the video quality is good.  You can purchase an inexpensive gadget that will allow you to attach your smart phone on a tripod.  A key issue for the audience is the audio quality.  If the audio isn’t good, it doesn’t matter how good the picture is.  Fortunately, a good microphone isn’t costly.  You can purchase a lavaliere on Amazon for about $28.  Dr. Marc suggests getting one that plugs into the video camera or smart phone.  You may also want to invest in some lighting to make the picture look better.

Taking the video is the first step.  Cleaning it up is where a lot of amateur videographers fall flat.  It is time consuming to put in the transitions and sub titles.  That’s where people like him come in.  If you don’t know how to do that or don’t want to take the time to do it, you can outsource the work to others.  Some video marketers charge by the minute of finished product, others by the length of the video they are editing.  Dr. Marc advised that he uses a consulting model.  His clients pay a monthly fee, which includes his helping them determine the target audience, develop the script, identify keywords, identify the call to action, produce and edit the video, create several smaller videos and get the videos uploaded to the client’s website, YouTube and other online video sites.

For a limited time, Dr. Marc is offering a free consultation to anyone interested in learning more about video marketing.  He can be reached at DrMarc@TheVideoMarketingDoctor.com or 866-530-5518 x101.