Four Key Elements In The Creation Of A Great Video Product

The type of video you decide to create will largely determine the other elements that you use. Keep these four key elements in mind during the planning and production of your video products:

* Target Audience: This is the most important decision you need to make. Who are you trying to reach? You have to think about demographics: age, socioeconomic level, gender, nationality, educational level. It’s no good to jump into the planning process with vague statements like, “I want to create a video product for sale on the Internet that will appeal to everybody, everywhere.” First define your niche market, narrow your target audience, and create your video with a specific type of person in mind. When you set out to create the kind of video product that one specific person will want to buy, you increase the likelihood that a lot of people will want to buy it. Always wrap your language in images that your target audience can relate to.

* Participants: If you decide to shoot a how-to video on an area in which you have expert knowledge, you are the natural choice as host. If you decide to create a do-it-yourself video in an area where you don’t have expert knowledge, you will need to take great care when choosing a host. Once you’ve decided on a subject and a host, you will need to work together on the script. And always remember that video is not just a format-it’s a language. Never say it if you can show it. The viewers will understand much better when they see it being done, so don’t just explain things while the camera focuses on you. The rule of thumb is: Whenever you can present a visual image of something, show it instead of talking about it. Instead of explaining how to do something as you talk into the camera, always show a demonstrator (whether it’s you or another person) carrying out the action as you describe what’s happening. You’ll quickly become an expert in the use of “voice overs”-speaking off camera as the audience sees action taking place. Do-it-yourself, educational, and promotional videos should be full of voice overs.

* Length: The type of video you decide to make will determine the best length. A great promotional video can be done in as little as 3 to 4 minutes, and should rarely be longer than 7 to 8 minutes. A do-it-yourself or educational video will be from 10 to 30 minutes.

* Props: If you’re doing a how-to video, the subject matter will determine what props you’re going to need. Even if you plan to be your own host or demonstrator, make a list of all the props you’ll need. Lay out the shoot before you do it and walk through it several times with your camera operator. This will keep the shoot from turning into chaos-even experienced studio professionals work with a prop list every time they shoot.

August 29, 2008 · Filed Under Video Product Creation

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Focus – The Key To Creating Great Video Products

Lack of focus is the main cause of failure in business. This is true no matter what business you’re in. Focus acts like electricity-you can’t see it directly, but you can see how it affects companies and people when it’s running through them. To be a successful video producer and Internet marketer, you must make yourself an expert in one field or niche-the best way to do that is by sharpening your focus. Before you start to create your next video product, consider these simple tips to put the power of focus to work in your business:

* Focus increases your self-discipline. Focused people are able to distinguish between the jobs that bring them closer to their desired goals and the daily demands that only waste their time. They don’t get overwhelmed by all the urgent but unimportant jobs that demand their attention.

* Focused people know where they want to go. When you have a focus, you have a vision of what you want to achieve. Above all, focused people concentrate on reaching their goals. Focus helps you measure your results and readjust your game plan when necessary.

How to increase your focus
Post reminders for yourself. Hang your favorite motivational signs where you’ll see them when an idea for a video product seems to be going nowhere. Written reminders can help you recover your focus.

Set daily priorities. Be sure you have an action plan for every day. As you become more skilled at video production and as you learn from your mistakes, this will become second nature to you. But you will always need to do this. Always go back to your list of priorities before you jump into a new task.

Complete the video project you’re working on before you start a new one. We all want to create as many revenue streams as possible-this is a basic part of what we do as Internet marketers. But you’ll only make money by getting video products online one at a time. People who lack focus find themselves getting excited about a new idea before they have finished a project. If you have fallen into the habit of leaving projects undone, you suffer from a lack of focus.

Keep an idea book with you. When you’re working on an idea for one video product, it’s not uncommon to get a stream of ideas that could be a starting point for other great video products. Don’t let your next “great idea” cause you to lose your focus. Jot it down and keep working on the first project-stay focused on one project until it’s completed. Don’t start work on another idea until the last project is up and running on the Internet.

Stay focused on your vision. Write the vision for your video product where you can see it every day. Remembering your vision will keep you from drifting. If you get stuck, narrow your options and choose a single point to talk about. If you find yourself throwing out all types of different solutions and ideas at your viewers, you’ll only create chaos.

August 28, 2008 · Filed Under Video Product Creation

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How The Worldwide Web Empowers Producers Of Video Content

The cost of creating video products has come down enormously in the last few years. Internet technologies like video podcasting let you sell downloadable content without the need to produce your own cassettes, CDs, or DVDs, and without the need to maintain an expensive inventory. The Internet has made it possible for anyone with a computer, a few simple tools, and a broadband connection to be a creator and broadcaster of video products.

The best thing about the creation of video products in today’s market is that you don’t need a huge capital investment to get started. You can produce high-quality video products with a consumer-level camcorder. And if the only recording device you own is your new Bluetooth video phone, you can get started with that.

There’s a growing online market for video products
There will always be a healthy online market for instructional and inspirational video products. It’s a mistake to think that individuals cannot compete with big media corporations in the areas of production, distribution, and marketing of video products-the audience for Internet video is growing so fast that there simply isn’t enough material online to satisfy the tremendous demand. The explosion of video sharing sites like YouTube is evidence of how fast the market is growing. In fact, amateur producers of video content already share space on YouTube with professional content from media giants like CBS and BBC.

Many of these large corporations hesitate to put their expensive resources to work on small projects that require highly specialized knowledge. That’s where you come in-if you can identify an area where you are the right person to provide informational content to a niche market, you will find customers for your video product on the Internet.

Add something of value to your customers’ lives
What you need to understand is this: Your profit depends on producing valuable information-not on the overall viewing experience, as is the case with feature-length films and commercial television productions. Your customers won’t care about your packaging if you deliver high-quality content. In fact, delivering video content on the Internet even lets you do away with the packaging completely. This allows you to focus all your energy on creating and marketing the best product possible. Your customers will appreciate the added value in your video products that your increased focus brings.

If your goal is to produce the best video ever made on the subject of cabinet-making or gardening, for instance, you can compete with any studio in the world. People will do almost anything to find meaning and rise above the limits of their ordinary lives. Connect with your viewers on a human level, give them insights for getting more out of a career or a hobby, and they will come back to your Internet site often.

If you choose your topic well and approach it with passion and focus, you can achieve a level of sales that lets you turn video production into the core of your Internet marketing efforts.

August 27, 2008 · Filed Under Video Product Creation