Why haven't you used video on your website?

One of the benefits of being amongst the video creative people at Saucy Horse is that the creativity is shared around. I'll be the first to put my hands up and admit I am not what you'd call "visually creative". My colours are black and grey and when I want to go really off my head and mix it up I'll throw some cream into the mix. My skill-set is Social Media and blogging; I feel comfortable with words.  Your skill-set may be thought of as Sales, or Networking, or Finance, or Ideas, or anything that you wouldn't class as suitable for making a video.  So, I thought I would address what would be the biggest barrier to why people who may have thought like me wouldn't put video on their website.

I don't know how to do it.

There are two options here.

• Call in the professionals. Tell them what you want and they will work with you and share ideas around. They will work to your budget and timescales and you will have an amazing video for your site.
• Do it yourself.  Come back! Don't be scared. Once I decided to blog about this subject I took the plunge and made a video myself. I used Windows Live Movie Maker to make a simple three minute video using both pictures in a slide-show format and small clips of video that I edited in the programme.  I put a soundtrack on it, and (hold on until I get the brass instrument out of its case so that I can blow my own trumpet) I am delighted with it! (It has a pop song as a soundtrack so unfortunately I can't put it up here. This could be good; you are saved the indignity of watching me try to manoeuvre a cabin cruiser through a lock at Romney and performing the boating equivalent of "car stuffing it up the side")

Through trial and error I learnt some things.

• Theme. Have an idea of your theme and shoot round it.  Collect photos to use in a slide-show in your video.
• Shoot loads of material. Even if you think it has no use at the time, it will. Once it is set to a soundtrack and context you will have a great video. What, on camera, looked like a very normal shot of other boats passing us on the river looks almost atmospheric when paired with other shots and a soundtrack.
• Soundtrack - Check out royalty free music sites, or pay per use sites.
• Voice over and speech to camera - Make sure that you have an external microphone so you don't pick up any extraneous noises. Practice your voiceover.

Another barrier may be

I don't know what to do with it.

Share it around!  YouTube, Facebook, your blog, your website, tumblr, twitvid.  Everywhere you upload it, post a link to your site so that people can find you.

As a video newbie I was delighted with my results and I'm sure you will be too. Have a try, then when you see the results both of your video and the improvement in your SEO you'll hopefully use more and more video. I'm already planning my next one, inspired by the team here!