There is magic in videos. And if done right, can be very engaging, entertaining and informative. Not to mention it can and is an effective medium to call to action.

You might wonder why politicians like to make friends with Hollywood, or how brands become famous, or even how charitable causes get people to donate. They all use videos to tell their stories, move hearts and minds, and drive people to do something.

I am a cry baby myself. I get teary eyed easily. Videos just move me. The good ones I mean.

And to be truthful with you, I would rather watch a movie than read a novel. Saves me a lot of my precious time. Children need not follow me on this one. I am well aware that books provide more insight, thrill and intensity in their narrative. But so are movies! Again if done so well.

So what am I trying to say here? I believe that business owners should use the art of the humanities to sell. There is nothing more compelling than for example showing your audience that you feel what they feel, that you understand their worries, their cares and their needs, that you are there to help, to assist or to offer a solution or improve their situation. That like them you are human after all.

In short to humanize your video and to connect with your viewers so that they don’t seem like another one of those traditional adverts whose only aim is sales, sales, sales. Sales follow if they see that what you are selling is good. In essence I mean.

So what kind of video will you produce? Facing the camera comes to my mind first. Try to be charming even if you’re not by nature. But don’t try too hard that it appears fake. Just be yourself. Sincere and truthful. Relaxed.

Connect right away by showing who you are, what you do, what your business tries to solve or fill a gap. You have a business so you must have a product or a service that can solve the mysteries of the 21st century. If you know what I mean.

A demo is awesome. Showing your workplace is excellent. Introducing your team is nice.

Try not to be preachy, or too pushy, or too dramatic, or worse corny. Be polite. Use humour. Be informative. Show benefits.

People will take action if they see that there is value in what you are offering. But don’t forget to include a call to action. Because after all business is business and if you are not making any sales, what good is business?

Lastly, encourage your viewers to be part of your endeavours (I mean business here), by encouraging them to ask questions, to comment or to suggest. If you engage them and you value their contributions, they will become your most loyal clients. And there’s nothing better than a recurring sale.

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You are better off putting your face on camera than just showing text and images or a powerpoint presentation. It is a trust issue. If you put your face on video for all the world to see, you can’t disguise that, you can’t fake who you are.

If you’re using a powerpoint presentation, who knows who you really are. You can claim to be anything or anyone. If two people had talked to each other first before they do business, they will more likely come to a deal.

Nervous about facing the camera? Everyone goes through the same process. And the only way to beat that is to keep doing videos consistently. It does not going to take very long, probably about half a dozen videos until you will naturally get comfortable on camera. Keep doing until you get better and be “a natural on camera”.

How high tech do you need to go in terms of equipment? Technology is so good now that you can create videos from your mobile phone that are as good as an expensive camera. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money on equipment.

It’s not the arrow but the archer. It is not necessarily the equipment that you utilize but the experience that you gain doing it. You can go ahead and start with any basic equipment. It does not matter.

The important thing is that having your face on video is probably going to convert better than just doing a screen capture video. So don’t get hang up on the equipment. Start within your financial plan. As you begin earning more money, you can go ahead and invest on more high-priced equipment, which can make your work a lot faster.

When it comes to video quality versus audio quality. Audio quality is actually more important. More people watch longer horrible video but with great audio, than great video but with horrible audio.

Is lighting important? Light is like food and water to a camera. HD cameras need even more light. The good news is that all cameras handle natural daylight really good. The real test is when you’re indoor or on lower lighting, the lower end cameras are going to struggle, the higher end cameras are actually going to perform better.

DSLR cameras provide acuity and feel. That means the background is hazy behind you but you’re on focus, which how our eyeballs naturally see things. People notice this difference.

So what do you utilize your videos for? The obvious ones are selling things, educating, for tutorials or creating information products. You can also use it for thank you upon purchase, reactivation of a cold list, or a feedback request, invitations to events, video testimonials. You can also use videos to reply questions and providing tips.

How come a certain video will not play on some mobile devices? It is because not all mobile devices are alike. Each phone might have different video capabilities. Unfortunately there is not a single format that is going to play on every possible mobile device.

Most video editing softwares are a little behind when it comes to formatting videos that is playable on the web. This is where YouTube excels. That’s what YouTube does. It converts your video in probably 20 different formats and makes sure that it is playable on all devices.

All videos should be formatted to mp4. The reason is that they’re going to be playable on all range of devices – desktops, laptops, tablets and mobile devices.

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