Let’s face it – I am scared of the camera – well one that takes moving pictures anyways! I don’t really have an issue with photos of me per se, particularly if they are stored on my computer so I can delete at will. But video has always made me nervous.
I’ve tried it a couple of times – and I dislike the sound of my own voice. A lot. Talking the camera is also perilously close to talking to an audience which is alive. And that gives me stage fright.
But the case for audio and video is becoming a bit overwhelming. For example. No prizes for figuring out that both this blog and Pat’s over at SmartPassiveIncome.com go after the same main keyword. There’s not much in it – at the moment he’s #2 and I’m #4 in the SERPs. But I’ve never been able to figure out one little thing – why the hell does he have so much more traffic than I do? According to SEMRush he doesn’t rank for another huge keyword in this niche – so WTF was going on?
Now there are a dozen ways to game social media figures and subscription numbers, but Pat doesn’t do any of them – his subscription numbers are genuine, you can tell by the genuine conversations going on in his comments. Those numbers are real, and impressive.
Then finally I noticed Pat pointing out that- its his podcasts which bring he traffic from iTunes and videos which bring him traffic from all over including YouTube.
At the same time I have Mark from SEOCobra bending my ear, that he doesn’t get why more people aren’t adding Youtube videos to their posts in the system. Mark has a tendency to call late at night, after I’ve had a gin or two, or early in the morning when I haven’t had enough tea (its a time zone thing) – but finally, today, once the coffee kicked in, I went oh duh!
Its because most of us are idiots and don’t haven’t made youtube videos promoting our sites, or demonstrating the products we are flogging.
How stupid is that?
And its across everything – non-fiction indie writers do book trailers.
Wizzley allows you to add videos so you can demonstrate what you are talking about.
If you do it right – you can submit the audio to iTunes – in fact get yourself an iTunes channel – and the video goes on Youtube.
Do You Do Podcasts / Video – What Tools Do You Use?
I’ve used video once to sell something. I used Picasa to string a bunch of photos together to help sell our previous house. It was a lot quicker than learning how to edit video, and I was running out of time after days spent cleaning! It worked pretty well:
I’ve played a little with Jing – which I quite like. I’m perfectly willing to procrastinate over the technology for a while – so what are you guys using – and please, I’m not buying a Mac – it has to work on Windows!
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39 replies on “I See Video In My Future – And Its Very, Very Scary!”
I think you hit the nail on the head. I just assumed on-the-ball marketers were using Youtube. I have had some very real success with some basic Animoto videos so I figured everyone else would be doing it and would jump at the chance of getting their video exposed.
Apparently not…………….
I’ve been thinking a lot about video lately too. I know that it could make a huge difference to traffic and (hopefully) sales but I’m a big chicken and don’t want to get in front of the camera.
Perhaps we need to bite the bullet and just do it.
You first 😉
Perhaps you could go first! Lets face if the US can handle an Australian accent they may be OK with mine LOL!
You can do it! Getting in front of video is really scary at first but with practice it becomes easier. Make a bunch of bad videos at first and upload them anyway. By the time you do your 10th video you’ll be really comfortable.
Good luck 🙂
So if I add some bad video to this blog can I blame you Alex??
Lis, I’m with you. I’ve been toying with the idea. I’ve created several videos and have deleted them all.
I set up my YouTube channel a year or so ago and was recently threatened with having it deleted unless I updated or signed into it or some such minor task. I’m trying to look at this video stuff as a bold new adventure rather than a frightening task.
I’ll be keeping an eye out to see how you do. Actually, I think you’ll do very well. You’ve got such a great personality that seems larger than life. I’m sure it will translate very well on camera. Plus, your voice probably isn’t as bad as you think it is. Don’t be so critical of yourself.
LOL Felicia – but you guys might just see that I talk to fast and have too many ideas in the same sentence!
Lis, we’re dinosaurs, that’s why we haven’t embraced video yet. We’re old skool and spend too much time working over search and not looking at what else is available.
The Kindle / indie author thing is about the most radical move away from search that I think I’ve ever done, but because I like to write, it was an obvious next move. The closest I ever got to producing my own videos was using those cute, cussing mechanical voices of the Xtranornal characters to take the piss out of Internet Marketing. And how time consuming (=wasting) was that?
Maybe its time for this old brontosaurus to join the 20th century and make some flicks. Yeah I know its the 21st… but one century at a time please… it makes my head hurt LOL!
“You are old, father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head
Do you think, at your age, it is right? http://www.poetry-online.org/carroll_you_are_old_father_william.htm
LMAO!!!
I think I’ll kick some things down stairs too. I’m still not making videos, though 🙂
Oh dear, that is most certainly I path I will not follow you! At the most I can imagine to do screen capture video of something or a slideshow like presentation, but me myself in a video??? Don’t think so. BTW I had a look at the ‘other’ passive income blog and I really think yours looks more like written by a real person instead of a internet guru. I am sure a lot of people find his blog useful, but there was nothing really that enticed me to hang around and explore and interact like I do here. Might be my age and bad hearing, but please, if you ever go down the video route, please provide also transcripts for those of us that are ‘acoustically challenged’ 😉 The one thing I don’t understand is your ‘stage fright’, I mean you perform regularly in front of an audience when doing ballroom dance, don’t you? So just imagine you are dancing for your video audience 😉
Interesting point about Pat’s blog – I do think there is a group of us who don’t like “too professional”, no risk of that around here, if there is video – it will be amateur – I guarantee it!
I don’t talk when I dance! And its not really me, its the made up, groomed version of me! That’s the other thing I’d have to do some form of transcript, Google can’t understand audio after all!
Just as an inspiration Lis, Allyn’s old videos and transcripts were great, ok, sometimes the language got a bit out of hand, but that might be just me 😉 I think they are still available at Vidmeo / Viddler / whatever, you might want to have a look at them, they were human!
Oh gawd SY – Allyn’s video skills scare the bleeding hell out of me! Yeah I am going to use his old backlink videos in the near future. Have you seen his cooking stuff – it makes me hungry just watching it!
No, I haven’t, can you give us a link, I need ‘food inspirations’ 😉 SY
Here you go http://www.youtube.com/user/SmashMouthonTV
Thank you! Really yummy, now I am hungry and off to the kitchen! SY
As a viewer and reader, I have to say that videos and podcasts have led me to some amazing sites. It’s a whole lot easier to find interesting sites when more resources are utilized and a whole lot easier to get the word out. It took me a whole year before I was able to stumble upon your site right here. I found it through someones blog because I found that I could find more interesting and useful sites through blogs that happen to promote or give them some “blog lovin.'” Nonetheless, I think adding a bit of technology does wonders for traffic from the perspective of a reader and viewer.
Yeah that’s pretty much is what got me thinking about it again Tammy!
Hi Lis,
My graphic skills are scary..just ask SY! However, I bought a program about a year ago from Mark Thompson called Video Creation Mastery. It shows you truly step by step how to create video montage (slideshow), animoto, powerpoint, stuff…really every kind of video you can think of. It was a one time fee, $40.00. Here is the link with my affiliate link …http://d9652go24gjofg3ht-tg1f4f9r.hop.clickbank.net/
I went from creating zero videos to at last count 60 videos. So..it works 🙂
LOL Lynn – which comment is this #10 – and finally someone who has actually done it! You are a star in a field of wimps Lynn- I’ll check it out!
Lol, fishing apprentice at least you know now how to resize an image (inside joke, sorry, guys and gals). Serious Lynn, I am proud of you! SY
Another chicken here when it comes to videos. I’m in my late 20’s but I sound like I am about 14 years old. In fact just last week when I answered the phone, the person asked to speak to my mother! Plus I don’t think people want to see me yelling at my 3 little rugrats and once the baby is sleeping at night and little noise (like me talking to a camera) would wake him up… okay enough excuses.
I’m with Tracey, once I see a video up here of you I may just put one up on my site:)
Agree video marketing can be daunting and can be poorly done. I started experimenting with free video editing software ‘Movie Maker’ which I found user friendly. I think you hit the nail on the head Lis when you say that most people want real. Watching some SEO YouTube videos is positively painful for me!! I’d imagine it would all come back to the same principle for you ie producing quality content and being credible or ‘real’. I am attracted to the unpretentious and although I prefer to read, can always find some great instructional videos when it comes to mastering technical tasks. Agree with hospitalera’s comment re: alternative formats with regard to audio transcripts (particularly for google), although video SEO is attracting more interest.
I recorded one video of making recipe and it was so bad, I have given up on idea of adding link through youtube. My hubpage is dud end for backlinking now 🙁 I have to find other ways. There has be easier way for shy and lazy marketer to make money right? 🙂 LOL
He updates his blog every second day.
His post is always longer. means more long tails
He has 100s of comments on each post. means more long tails
he has tons of email subscriber. more traffic.
Also, he is moving towards pro-blogger style.
I recently came across this site http://www.readspeaker.com/ that claims to convert your text into audio automatically. Haven’t tried it out yet, but perhaps it could be an alternative for ‘video shy’ people? SY
Hi Lis,
Well, you have nothing to fear.
With Powerpoint 2010 (and Windows Live Movie Maker) , it is very easy to publish videos. I prepared one today, and it was much simpler to do than before when wassing only WLMM. Here it is : http://tinyurl.com/6r5t88t
I guess with all your travel pictures, you could publish dozens of videos without having to “suffer” in front of a camera. LOL
Hum,
… when I was using only WLMM … phew
is that a hp probook laptop I see in your photo? I lost mine 🙂
Lis, I’m a relatively long-time blog reader, and I’ve recently gone down the “Fraser” path of creating a big authoritative site – but I’m terrified of the big G.
I will definitely be getting into video soon, almost certainly doing powerpoint slideshows captured using camtasia and then me talking about the slides. I’m very shy of showing my face so this seems like a workaround.
Most folks are talking about trying to get traffic from beyond Google. This has to be a priority for me but I’m a bit lost as to how to do this. Video is one step in that direction, I guess.
Do you or any of your readers have any suggestions about what else I can do to get non-Google traffic?
Also, how do you do that cool box that slides in from the bottom right suggesting I read another post of yours? I’d love to do that!
Hello Lis! Don’t be afraid to do a video.. It’s normal to be nervous because it’s your first time to do it. But once you gain enough self confidence, I’m sure this would be a big hit for you. Remember that, you need this to gain more traffic. good luck!
Hey Liz….great post, don’t be scared!!! Video can be un nerving and we all hate the sound of our own voices. Being an accomplished public speaker and Toastmaster member, I still feel like an idiot alone in my house talking….weird, but I think we are all like that. I would certainly suggest joining a toastmaster club if there are any near you, it’s a great way to learn to speak better with instant evaluation from peers. Also I use Avangate’s team of software…very cheap and very good, they have a range of audio, video and image software and it’s all yours for one low price. I also use Adobe Communicator 3 which is great for green screening and if I want to use a teleprompter. You Tube has been a great traffic generator and am up to over 81,000 views on my vids to date.
Have fun with it, like anything else your first few vids might suck till you get your grove then you will be great!
You are # 2 now right under Wikipedia and above Smart Passive Income. You did it without a video. I’m older than you, but when I grow up I want to be just like you.
Nope you are seeing personalised results – try scroogle.org – I’m #4 – have been for a while 🙂
Hi Lis,
On Google.ca, you’re # 2 for “passive income”.
I’m not any big time marketer, but YouTube has been very good to me over than last decade and it just gets better as it continues to corner the market on traffic. I added a new video that shows how to enhance you voice quality with a free tool (Audacity) and apply it to slide shows created with another free tool (Open Office) so anyone can get on YouTube with a minimum of fear and trepidation.
Thanks much Lis. Inspiring. I really appreciate the many commenters’ Learning a lot, even though I have been doing simple DIY video’s for a few years, for real estate sales. I have a lot of fun with intro’s, but still pretty schlocky. (Search for ‘Piedmont Ranch’ on youtube, or check my channel at myparentshome)