The Video Wizard

Just a short little rant I thought I’d share with you for Friday afternoon.

Sometimes when I’m talking to people about video marketing and what we do at Myvids I often hear the feedback, I know someone with a camera who can edit and do all of that. It’s interesting to see how people can sum up your entire service as something so simple and easy. The sad thing is, most of these people are talking about their nephew, their son, their cousin or a friend of a friend.

In some way I can see where they are coming from and understand their perspective, but I feel it is important to explain what “all of that” is and why you should always work with professionals to get a high quality product if you expect a high quality result.

Now there are many different ways you can use video marketing for your business online, and for some situations using the home camcorder or even one of the new flip cameras or other pocket sized HD cameras. Sometimes it is better to do it yourself or ask a friend with a camera to help you out.

It all depends on your outcome.

What do you want to achieve with video marketing?

Increasing conversion rates to turn more eyeballs that look at your website into phonecalls and email enquiries is one of the top priorities for many online marketers looking at video. To get this outcome, it doesn’t come down to the simple act of having a camera and being able to edit. Cameras and editing software are simply tools, just because someone can use them doesn’t mean they are qualified to do anything with them. Especially when it comes to marketing!

Video camera manufacturers want to make their products as simple and easy as possible to use, and editing programs are now so accessible it seems everyone knows someone who can help with this if they can’t do it themselves.

So does this mean you can now trust anyone with a camera to deliver a powerful sales video that will dramatically increase your results online?

Well if you know someone who can use a pen and write, would you trust them to create compelling sales copy to use in your advertising, or would you use a professional copywriter?

If you knew someone that could use Microsoft Paint, would you trust them to design a brochure for you, or would you use an experienced graphic designer?

Of course not! (Well I hope not anyway)

I saw a post on Facebook last week from Rich Evans saying that he found a scalpel, he might take up brain surgery, or something along those lines.

There is a big difference between having the tools and having the skills to use them to their full potential.

So next time you’re thinking about video marketing, don’t make the mistake of asking the closest person to you if they know someone who can use a camera. There is a special process to crafting effective sales videos and if you’re outcome is to increase your conversion rates and boost your sales, I’d leave it to the professionals.

Marketing is the most important skill you need to look at – even professional videographers can deliver amazing productions, but at the end of the day, what kind of results will this get you? I’d much rather have 100 hot qualified leads because the script was written by a marketer than have 100 people call me to say they loved the video.

I know the last paragraph got a bit off topic, but I’m sick of hearing people say they know someone with a camera or they know a professional video company that can help. When you’re serious about using online video for marketing, you want a video marketing company, not a video production company or someone who has the tools for the job.