"Capturing” the Best Moments
for your Business-Video How To's

By Jane Eckert

In the last few months, I’ve discussed the importance of social networking for your business. Networks are changing the way that people communicate, whether they are used for keeping in touch, sharing information, or promoting business.

In my most recent article, I highlighted two agritourism destinations that were utilizing www.Facebook.com as a means of promotion for their farm, ranch or winery.  Now, it’s time to look beyond the social networks to the visual aspects of the Internet also called the “social media.” YouTube.com has exploded the Internet video world for viewing of commercial and home-made videos.  Videos are becoming a popular online marketing tool and, having created some of my own, I can say that it’s not that difficult, and they’re important for all businesses to consider.

Did you know that the average online American spent nearly 189 minutes viewing internet video in May of this year?  That's a 49% increase from 2008!  With more than 6 billion videos viewed per month, Google's YouTube continues to hold the #1 position in terms of video streams.  Since online video viewing continues to increase, maybe it's time to discuss producing one for your business.

Producing a video for your website and to be shown on YouTube can be an easy and inexpensive way to market and promote your agritourism activities—from school tours, to the corn maze, fruit tree pruning, weddings or company picnics etc.  It can be as simple as filming, editing and uploading.  Web sites, such as YouTube, have made viewing and publishing footage more accessible, and new video devices, such as Flip Video, have made capturing the footage more affordable.

You may be asking yourselves, “What are YouTube and Flip Video?”  YouTube is a Web site that allows people to easily upload and share video clips across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email.  Anyone with Internet access can watch videos, and once you register for an account you, too, can upload, share and link your footage with the rest of the world.  Unlike expensive recording devices, Flip Video is a simple, hand-held camcorder that costs approximately $130.  Plugging right into your computer and complete with a built-in editing program, Flip Video can have your video produced in minutes, complete with music!   

Purchasing a camcorder is the simplest way to get the job done, however, if you have a digital camera and an editing program, a series of photos with headline text can be just as effective.  Pairing a slideshow of photos with music can add to the professionalism, while recording a voice over—an off-screen voice serving as a narrative—can help give informational details while the photos are circulating.  

Once you post your video onto YouTube, you can not only link it to your own Web site and other social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, but YouTube viewers are able to share your footage as well.  Anyone who enjoys your footage will surely pass it on to their friends and the cycle continues.

Editing footage is not always easy and not everyone is a natural at capturing the best picture.  After I recorded, edited, and posted a video for Rural Bounty onto our website and YouTube, I came up with my “Top 5 Video Tips” for both farmers and your photographers (mine was my summer intern) who are producing a video for the very first time:

For the Farmers/Actors:

1. Have a script ready – having something to say will put your mind at ease when you can’t find the words; memorize your lines or print off the script onto white paper with large black text so it’s easy to read while you film.
2. Speak slowly – talking too fast doesn’t allow for precise editing and words can often be cut-off between transitions.
3. Pause between thoughts – many editing programs cannot trim video down to the millisecond; take a break and pause after every thought to ensure that your words and transitions will be smooth in the final product.
4. Wear the right colors – stay away from filming in colors such as yellow, red, black, or white, and avoid large patterns and stripes.  Aqua, coral and any shade of blue work well on both men and women and often look the best on camera.
5. Smile and be energetic – if you’re in front of the camera, remember to have enthusiasm about what you’re talking about; otherwise, nobody else will be inclined to listen.

For the Photographers:

1. Keep a steady hand while recording –  remember that people do not like to view shaky video footage; keeping a steady hand will make the video appear more professional.  
2. Move around – its fun to see a variety of scenes within one video; moving around your farm and changing your backdrops will keep the audience more interested and inclined to visit.
3. Stay close – when filming, don’t get too far away from the actor, otherwise their voice won’t become the focus during dialogue - the background noise will become a distraction.  If you have an off-camera microphone, use it.
4. Interview – ask people at your destination why they like coming to your farm, ranch or winery; having real people answer real questions is always nice to see when you’re thinking about visiting a new place.   
5. Have extras ready – if customers are not available to be filmed, it’s a good idea to have a back-up and ask friends or family to help out; this will guarantee that someone will be able to give action footage or even testimonials.

Whether you use a series of photographs, real-life footage, or a mixture of both, Flip Video and www.YouTube.com are a great way to get your company out into the video world!  You may not have as many views as Susan Boyle, but linking your business through more social networking sites, such as YouTube, will help increase your business recognition.  If this all sounds too overwhelming then think about posting your own television commercial on your website and on YouTube. Whether or not you have time to produce a video - NOW is the time to be taking photos or video footage at your farm!   

Check out my Flip Videos on www.YouTube.com by searching Rural Bounty. Plus, I’d also suggest you go to www.cravenfarm.com and look at their wedding rental video made from photographs and to www.uncleschucks.com homepage to view their television commercial. Next month, look for my article about what I learned this summer about hiring college interns, how you can get involved, and how your business can  benefit and also help students find the right kind of experience!

Jane Eckert, a national speaker, author and agritourism expert, is principal of Eckert Agrimarketing (www.eckertagrimarketing.com), a firm that helps farmers sell products directly to consumers and develop their operations into tourist destinations, and CEO of Rural Bounty.com, a consumer based directory of agritourism farms in North America.  Jane can be reached by phone 314-862-6288 or at jane@eckertagrimarketing.com