| Broadcasting your SME online |
| Tuesday, 09 March 2010 07:32 |
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Looking at new ways to get noticed online?
Looking at new ways to get noticed online? Looking at new ways to get noticed online, especially in search engine results, is rightly a key focus area for SMEs. But once you have been found, you then need to convert the visitor to a lead and often the best way to do this is to let them get to know you, your team or your products in an easy and engaging way.One way of achieving both goals is through the use of video or podcasts as part of an integrated digital marketing strategy. An interesting, informative video or audio piece can showcase your products and services, introduce you and your team and boost your search engine rankings. The technology to make both is often cheap and easy to use so SME owners should definitely consider this approach as a cost-effective means of engaging with the consumer. Here are some simple tips on taking your enterprise to the next level by turning yourself into a business broadcaster. 1. Plan Your Video Video is a great way of conveying the personality of your business to your customers. For example, you could film your staff, demonstrate a product or produce a “how-to” guide. Map out what you want to say to your viewers – what is your key message? The best type of video tells a story with a beginning, middle and end and should last from 1-3 minutes. The start should set the scene and spell out what you want to say. You should then focus on your key points in a succinct way before finishing with a call to action. Do you want your viewer to watch another video, look at another product or engage with you further? 2. Match Your Audience Presentation is important so dress accordingly. Don’t wear jeans and T-shirt if your viewers are likely to be suited and booted and don’t adopt the corporate look if they are casual dressers. Also, think about how your audience will interpret what you are saying and how you are saying it. Be friendly, speak clearly and loudly and try to make it relevant. Remember anybody can watch your video so get to the point and avoid jargon. 3. Podcasting A good way to convey your message is a podcast, which is an audio file that can be downloaded by listeners. Equipment is important but you don’t need to spend a fortune. Use a good clip-on microphone that records directly to digital format for a file on your computer so you do not have to do a lot of processing. There is lots of free software that can help you edit it on your PC. A good way of keeping people’s attention is adding music which can be downloaded freely or cheaply from the Internet. However, make sure it is “podsafe” or “royalty-free” – just type the words into Google - so you avoid any copyright issues. Also, think about adding a still image of a product to make a video podcast that can be uploaded on to business social networking sites such as BT Tradespace – www.bttradespace.com - or YouTube. 4. Get The Ambience Right The first thing to think about is the equipment you use. You don’t have to break the bank and something like the Flip Video camcorder that records directly to digital can be perfect. A well-lit shot can make all the difference so if you are shooting indoors make sure that you are in front of a light source, not behind one. Alternatively, you might want to film outside where there is plenty of ambient light during the daytime. Camcorders have inbuilt microphones which are really good in quiet situations when recording audio. However, when you are in a noisy environment use a tie-clip microphone that can eliminate excessive sound and pick up voices clearly. Once again, think about adding suitable music but ensure there are no copyright issues by searching on Google for sites offering free or cheap “podsafe” content. 5. Explore All Avenues Once you have made your video, you need to work out how to exploit its full potential. Remember to use the sites where people are looking for video. TubeMogul – www.tubemogul.com - will automatically distribute your footage to all the major video-sharing sites such as YouTube. It also measures the film’s success by giving you an analysis on how many people are watching, where they are and how long they are viewing it. Also, think about business social commerce platforms such as BT Tradespace that are free to join and have no limit on the number of videos you can upload to show to customers, suppliers and other business people.
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