The Power of Good Videos in Marketing

Photographs just can’t transport you to a place the way a video can.
Now, don’t get me wrong.  I love still photos and often prefer looking at them over video.  But there’s no denying the power of a good video when it comes to sales.
52% of customers in an online survey said they feel more secure making a purchase when they can watch a video.
And this is why videos are so important to hotels and resorts…  They want more sales.  And more importantly, they want the right kind of sales.  They don’t want to risk a bad online review from a customer they didn’t mean to attract (sports fans in town for the big game vs. businessmen with  6 a.m. flights).
Thing is, a lot of these places think that creating videos is hard.  Some of them even try it and then dismiss it because the video they create doesn’t look good.
But that’s where you come in.
The skills you’ve been learning about good composition in a photograph are the same skills you’ll use when creating a video.  Only here’s the easier part – unlike photography, video clients don’t yet know enough about video to be too critical of your skills.
They see their video and know it’s bad.  But they don’t know why.
Well, I’m going to fill you in right now on why most videos look so bad. Here are the top two mistakes made by amateur videographers:

1. 1) They don’t use a tripod
2. 2) They don’t use a microphone

When you’re creating a still photograph, you can get away with holding the camera in your hand to take a picture.  But when you’re shooting a video, a tripod is a must.  Camera shake is much more obvious in a video because the screen is jumpy.
And you’ve got to use a microphone if you’re filming something with sound – traffic, steak sizzling on the grill, people laughing in a café.  You need the fuzzy kind with a wind shield.
Hotel owners and tourism professionals trying to do this on their own won’t think to plug in a microphone (or use a tripod) and they’ll end up with a bunch of rustling noises and a shaky video.
But YOU… you can do this!!
In fact, take a look again at Abby’s video, here.  Now that I’ve told you these things, watch her video and notice the shake.
Did you notice it before?  Probably not.  And that’s my point.  Abby created a great video that documented her trip and inspired me to 1) buy it and 2) book a flight to Belize and Guatemala.
Video buyers want that.  And they’re willing to pay for it if you can make yours a bit more professional.
If you can do what Abby did and also train yourself to do these simple things – like use a tripod and a microphone along with some other equally-easy techniques – you’ll have it made.  You can create a great travel video and a saleable one at the same time.  Even a trained eye will see that you’re a pro.
If you like to travel and your camera has a video feature (or you have a smartphone or iPad with a video feature), you have everything you need to get started.  You can create videos you can either sell for cash or barter for complimentary resort packages and hotel stays.
How much cash?  How about $200-$5,000 per video?
Not bad, right?
I said all this in the free video I sent you yesterday on where I think this market is headed.  If you missed it, check it out here (and notice that all the video clips used a tripod).
I hope you’ll give video a try. And when you do, please shoot me a note about your success or comment on our site, here. I’d love to hear from you.
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[Editor’s Note: Learn more about how you can turn your pictures into cash in our free online newsletter The Right Way to Travel.  Sign up here today and we’ll send you a new report, Selling Photos for Cash: A Quick-Start Guide, completely FREE.]