In today’s fast-paced world, video is ubiquitous. From cell phones to still cameras, virtually any electronic device has the capability to capture video. Length, quality and special features vary across devices, but they all produce video. And with the surging popularity of public video-sharing websites such as YouTube, virtually any newsworthy event can be e-blasted to the entire world in a matter of minutes – or even faster. From the simplest and silliest to the best-produced and most sophisticated, videos capture even the most finicky attention span. It seems people are so fascinated by this newly accessible and personalizable technology that they’ll watch almost any kind of video. Just think about all of the video links you’ve received in emails over the past month. This is the message we need to heed in business – Videos Get Attention!

Let’s start with the basics. Every business should have a website. Period. Today, a website is the equivalent of a business card. Would you ever consider not having business cards? Of course not. Now that we’ve established this marketing mantra, let’s talk about the value of having video on your website. The importance of video is obvious in these examples of its uses on a business website:

• Promotional Video – the perfect vehicle for telling everyone about your latest and greatest product or service
• Training Video - more compelling than a training manual
• Client/customer Testimonials – enhance your credibility with real-life compliments from the folks who know what you do
• Product Demonstration - join the infomercial bandwagon
• Before-After Video - a perfect way to show dramatic results
• Message from Business owner/President - words on paper lack the clout and personality of an owner’s first-person video
• Website Introduction Video – with millions of websites, it’s a challenge to grab and keep a visitor’s attention unless you make a great first impression with a great video story

As you can see, there are many ways videos bring a website to life with your unique stamp to distinguish you from your competition. With the ease of creating video today, you can quickly and inexpensively express your message using motion, color, audio, graphics, images and people – which would otherwise take pages to convey. The more personality your website has, the more likely visitors are to stick around and read about your products and services. Think of video on your website as the equivalent of going to a party wearing a great shirt or dress that makes a statement. Naturally, people are drawn to personality- driven websites the same way they’re drawn to personality-plus people.

If you’d like to know the next steps for creating a video “personality” for your website, email me so we can discuss various options.  Call me at 209.931.9700, or send an e-mail to info@demellovideo.com.

Remember when watching a video was as easy as popping a tape into the VCR – and it actually played? Yes, back in “the day”, video choices were limited and life was so much simpler. Today, watching a video involves an array of complex choices that require you to know about various formats and the media players on which you plan to view them.

If you’re looking to purchase a camcorder, you first need to consider the media format choices. All formats provide digital video, some in “high-def” – but that’s an article for another newsletter.

So, the four most common video formats are:

1. MiniDV (Tape)
2. MiniDVD (Disc)
3. Built In Hard Drive
4. Flash Memory Camcorder (Card)

Here’s a brief overview of the benefits / drawbacks to each format:

MiniDV (Tape): -Tape Cassette

• -Standard length 63 minutes
• -Shelf life of 10-15 years
• -Inexpensive
• -If tape breaks, can be spliced

MiniDVD:

• -3″ DVD Disc
• -Inexpensive
• -Standard capacity of 30 minutes
• -Need to finalize in camera to play in DVD player
• -May not be compatible with all DVD players
• -Succeptable to disc failures

Built In Hard Drive:

• -No need for tapes, discs or media cards
• -Need to transfer video to comnputer
• -Limited capacity on camera
• -Computer may not be compatible for video

Flash Memory Camcorder (Card):

• -Works same way as memory cards for still cameras
• -No need for tapes or discs
• -Some cards depending on capacity can be pricey
• -Need to transfer video to computer
• -Computer may not be compatible for video

When it comes time to decide, you just need to figure out which format best suits your needs at the time. There is no right or wrong. However, in my opinion, there is no substitute for tape.