You have no doubt heard the expression “publish or perish” used in academia. The phrase came from the idea that professors absolutely must create and publish content in order to keep their jobs and reputations intact.
The very same publish or perish mandate can now be used for entrepreneurs working to maintain their edge and keep their businesses alive in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
However, in the digital age, “publish” does not necessarily mean books or print content.
Today, you must publish and upload video to ensure that you don’t perish! Video content is the future, and those who don’t adapt and begin to publish video will most likely perish.
It wasn’t all that long ago that small businesses realized they would not be taken seriously without having at least a basic website. To run a successful business, you simply had to have an online presence.
The same is now true of having an online video presence. Websites without video are now thought of as out of touch, less professional and, even worse, less relevant.
Having video on your website is no longer a nice to have, it’s a must have! Without video, you run the risk of not being taken seriously as a business. And your competitors who are using video may leave you in the dust.
Here are three key guidelines for publishing video online:
1. Start with a strategy
With video marketing, as with any kind of marketing, you need to start with a plan. Determine your professional goals and build video publishing into your overall business strategy. Your video strategy objectives may be to establish a “beachhead” on YouTube to increase your visibility and credibility, or it could be as simple as ensuring that you’re posting video blog posts so that your content is more engaging and relevant.
Video can be integrated into just about any marketing activity. Are you doing email marketing? Make it more personal and powerful with video email. Two services that make video email simple are www.MailVu.com and www.BombBomb.com.
2. Look for your video “sweet spot”
As you develop your video marketing strategy, decide where you can get the most ROI from your videos. A video on your sales page or product launch page can be far more powerful and persuasive than a static text page, and using video can dramatically accelerate the sales process.
Determine how video can have a positive financial impact on your business, whether that means creating video products like recorded webinars, or using video direct outreach to establish a stronger connection to your clients and prospects.
3. Tame the tech
It’s no accident that we’re practically done with this article and we haven’t mentioned technology until now. The tech stuff comes after the strategy and after the planning. Don’t stress out about what camera to use or whether the lighting is just right. It’s more about the content, and less about the quality.
Your message is far more important than whether you shot your video with your webcam versus your iPhone. Find a repeatable process that works for you, and keep it as simple and streamlined as possible.
Always remember that content is king, and in order to remain relevant to your customers, at least part of that content should be video. Start publishing videos as soon as you can and avoid being “perishable”!
