Not anymore. High speed access is now so commonplace, that  video is taking the Internet by storm. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Our love affair with television suggests it. The YouTube phenomenon proves it…

Many people prefer to watch than to read.

Of course, given the nature of the ‘Net, and the way Search Engines process information, text-based material will always be important (that’s not to say you won’t see YouTube videos showing in top 10 keyword searches; frankly, I’ve seen more and more lately).

But how do you leverage video effectively? How do you add it effectively  into your current content mix? And most effectively, how do you actually create videos – especially if you’re not technically  minded and you don’t even have a video camera? (It’s the latter question that I intend to focus on in this article).

These are all questions I’ve been asking myself lately, as I determine how to best create and use video on UltimateFatBurner.com. And while I own a video camera now (although I haven’t yet taken it out of the box), I did not when I tackled my first video.

When it comes to video, you have two options…

1) Use a video camera to record your message, optimize it for the web, and upload it to your web site, and other popular video hosting services like YouTube, Yahoo! Video, Google Video, Vimeo, etc. (If you don’t have a camera there are hundreds of options. Try to select a camera that offers a “one touch upload to YouTube” feature. This will make your life a lot easier – I bought a JVC with this option).

2) Use a series of still photos with an audio track, and combine them together using software (like Camtasia or Windows Movie Maker) into video format. This is the format I used when I made my first video which you can view here. Although it’s a little more work than simply recording yourself in front of a camera, I think it’s probably the best option for a newbie video-creator.

Why?

Well, your background images will provide constantly changing visual stimulation, which can have a lot to do with visitors actually sticking around to watch your video. Speaking in front of a camera may be easier from a technical point of view, but there’s a real knack to communicating effectively via camera, and keeping your visitor glued to the screen. I was pretty sure this wasn’t the way I wanted to go… at least initially.

If you decide to go this route, you’ll need a few things…

1) A microphone: For my first project, I used a cheap mic I purchased at Staples, but I wasn’t really pleased with the sound quality, so I upgraded to a Samson Recording/Podcasting pack.

2) Audio software: I use the free Audacity software, which seems to work well enough for my needs.

3) Software: I managed to snag a copy of Camtasia 3 from  Techsmith – they were offering V3 of the software available for free, with a significant discount to upgrade to the newest version. Alas, this offer no longer seems to be valid, but you can still download a 30-day free trial of the software if you like. As previously mentioned, Windows MovieMaker is also an option; if you’re running Windows, it’s likely already on your computer.

If the idea of purchasing or having to learn the intricacies of a new piece of software is unappealing to you, there are low-tech options. Ganesh and the guys over at Article Video Robot have a option that allows you to convert articles (or any text based information you like) into videos – really, really, easily.

This service has been marketed fairly aggressively lately, so I signed up for the free trial to give it a “go.” I’ll have to say that although I think the service is pretty decent and the customer support is superb (I sent tech support an e-mail and received a response in an hour) I wasn’t able to create the sort of video I had in mind.

Since I already have the necessary software and tools, and have mastered the most intense part of the software learning curve, I’m going to stay the course with Camtasia.  Nonetheless, it costs nothing to sign up for the free trial of the Article Video Robot – go ahead and do so and make your own judgment call (one suggestion; record your own voice over and do not use the computer voices provided by the service… you’ll see what I mean).

Of course, the biggest issue I had when I began my first video project was finding a complete “A-B-C, here’s how to create your own video” tutorial in a step by step format . I have WAY too much to do (and no inclination) to spend ages trying to learn the complexities of a new piece of software. It’s always easier and more cost effective if you can find a tutorial-type document that will walk you through the entire process.

After some digging, I finally found exactly what I needed in Kevin Riley’s Video Creation products (which documents the video creation process using the Camtasia software).

I’ve purchased about 3 of them in total (my first video was created following the process outlined in his books) and I would recommend any of them to anyone looking for a step-by-step, easy to understand documented means to create your first video.

So here’s the process I’d suggest if you would like to try the hands-on video creation process.

1) Download the free trial of Camtasia (I’ll explain why in a minute).

2) Download the free Audacity audio software.

3) Buy a cheap microphone from your local office supply store (Office Place, Staples, etc).

4) Purchase one of Kevin Riley’s video creation products. Kevin uses the Camtasia software in his video creation demonstrations, which is why I suggested you download the software. Use the free trial to create a video or two, and then, once you’re familiar with the process, switch to the free Windows Movie Maker (most video / movie creating software is similar, so you should be able to make the jump from applications fairly seamlessly). Or, you can purchase the full version of Camtasia, if you like.

Whatever you decide, I highly recommend you make an investment into a product that will show you how to create your video properly. There’s a lot more to creating a great video than the technical aspect. Your video will need to be story-boarded, optimized, and properly distributed. Kevin’s products show you how to do all this and more – I’ve actually found them much more helpful than the several books I’ve bought from Amazon on the subject.

I’ll be talking more about leveraging video effectively in the near future.

Good luck!

I must ask myself that at least four times every month – each time I put together and send out UltimateFatBurner.com’s newsletter, and each time I login to my account over at Aweber.com to check out the results of each mailing.

You see, the main reason I publish a newsletter is simple.

Yes, I want to stay in the forefront of my vistors’ mind, ensuring that they don’t forget about UltimateFatBurner.com. I want to encourage return visits, build the site’s brand, and of course, generate some revenue. My newsletter does not feature weekly specials, discount coupons, or “member’s only” discounts. Instead, it’s a concise update of major new updates on the site (which has grown to the size that this sort of update seems appropriate).

It will occasionally feature new and unique content, guest articles, the introduction of  relevant new products and so on (I’ve experimented with creating a newsletter with completely unique content, but did not see any perceptible difference in the way it was received. So I stopped bothering).

Regardless, the newsletter is of pretty decent quality, has a compelling title, and it is published every two weeks like clockwork.

Yet, the response to it is pretty meagre. The open rate generally averages between 19% and 25%, which, as far as I’m concerned, is pretty awful. Less than 1 in 4 people who have proceeded through the double-opt in subscription process actually bothers to even open the newsletter.

Why is that? Obviously, these folks are interested in the content we deliver. So what is it then?

Obviously, the first thing that crops up is that maybe the newsletter needs a revamp. It needs to be more compelling, more inclusive. There needs to be a REAL reason to open and read it.

That’s obvious.

But then, something else crossed my mind…

All the updates on UltimateFatBurner.com and Real-Customer-Comments.com are available via RSS (a simple syndication format) which makes the newsletter slightly – although not entirely – redundant. UltimateFatBurner.com’s newly reformatted subdomains use WordPress as a content management system, so feeds are published automatically.

The two UltimateFatBurner.com domains that remain in plain HTML format (Body Building and Fat Burners) have RSS feeds as well, although I have to create and update the feeds manually (I use the FeedForAll software to do this).

I’ve also written about using newsfeeds, so my visitors know exactly how to make this powerful option available to them.

So the question is…

Are a growing number of my subscribers getting their updates via RSS? Is this the reason why a diminishing number of them seem to be interested in the newsletter?

Possibly.

Problem is, I never thought to use a feed tracking service (like FeedBurner) when I started publishing my feeds on UltimateFatBurner.com, so it’s impossible for me to tell for sure (I didn’t make that mistake with this site; this RSS feed is syndicated through FeedBurner. And I will be switching everything else over soon).

The other issue for me is that even with only 19-25% of subscribers opening the newsletter, that’s still enough to warrant publishing one. Yes, I’m “roped” into publishing a bi-monthly newsletter for the foreseeable future.

However, if you are just getting started, you may want to consider the merits of educating your visitors on the merits of RSS, and skipping the newsletter all together (you ARE planning to publish an RSS feed, right?). Especially if your main purpose for publishing a newsletter is to provide site updates to your visitors. Specialty-focused newsletter containing unique “one-off” content, sales promotions, coupons, or marketing messages will be still worth the effort, methinks.

But I’m not sure I’d publish a newsletter again.

Something to think about.

Sadly, very few of these folks are using their lists to build rapport, or to “give something back” to their customers. So many of the newsletters I read contain absolutely no material of merit. There are a few exceptions, of course, but so many contain nothing but blatant “pitches” for one product or another.

Someone told these folks…

“The money is in the list!”

… and they followed it out to the extreme.

Sure, I am subscribed to many lists as a result of some purchase or another. So yes, that qualifies me as …

• Being receptive to a certain type message.
• Being open to purchasing online.
• Having some disposable income.

However, the folks who e-mail me constantly with marketing messages are missing a couple of things.

First of all, the fact that I bought something from you does not instantly establish your credibility with me. Often a sale is a result of an affiliate’s recommendation. Sure, that affiliate partner does transfer some of the trust s/he has established to the merchant in question, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s not the end of the story. Now YOU need to demonstrate your credibility to me.

Second, how seriously do you think I take your promotions when I receive several every week? I have absolutely no problem with being introduced to great products when I know the promoter presenting them is doing so in a genuine effort to address my needs. But when I’m bombarded with promotions on an almost daily basis, it’s hard to believe this is the case. After all, you haven’t taken any time to get to know me, and you have absolutely no idea what my needs are!

Third, when you promote every product under the sun, your recommendations quickly lose impact. They become meaningless and impotent.

Fourth, I get tired of being regarded as nothing more than a potential meal ticket.

Fifth, and most importantly; if you’re not going to provide me with something of value, I will tire of the aggressive marketing. I will stop reading your newsletter, and eventually, I will unsubscribe.

It’s a simple and fundamental tenet of marketing online…

Give, THEN Take.

Give. In the form of high value, useful information. Which, I might add, further establishes your credibility and builds a bond with your subscriber.

Once you’ve done that, only THEN can you…

Take, by presenting me with high value, relevant, in-context recommendations, for which you earn a commission.

This is how you do it.

It ain’t rocket science.

Want to see how its done? Check out Paul Myers’ (from TalkBiz) newsletter and follow his example.

Seriously.

This is the most important lesson to learn for anyone interested in building and effectively monetizing a mailing list.