When you think about it, there is no great surprise to hear that people are more likely to watch a video than read a few paragraphs of text. Let’s be honest, reading seems a lot harder than watching a video where someone shares with you the same information.

Why aren’t more businesses using video? I confess that I have not done an official study on this, but I am pretty confident of the common reasons. Let us take a look at them and consider how valid are they really!

• Expensive. If you are going to get a professional in every time, then yes, it will prove too expensive to be doing frequently and will be reserved for special occasions. The only way to make it cost effective to use regularly, is to do it yourself.
• You need to use a professional. This issue is tied to the belief that it will be expensive. The interesting thing is that as of today, this need not be the case at all. People’s attitudes have changed as we have seen the proliferation of smart phones. There are times when a slick professionally curated video would be best, such as on the front of your website, but there are other times when the slick video could count against you, or at least not have as much impact. Above all else, content is king. If your video has great content, then the viewers will be forgiving of less than perfect camera work. Creating a video, yourself can be perceived as more authentic! Watching a product in action or getting feedback from a client that you video yourself, is more likely to be perceived as genuine. The professional video can give the feeling of it being all too staged!
• Setup costs are high. That is one of the great things, it doesn’t need to be at all! Most smart phones have cameras that are good enough for the job. Assuming you have a smart phone, then all you need is a tripod, a set of lights and you could add a microphone. For as little as $400 – $500 you could have all the equipment you need. The only other thing then, is some editing software. How much you spend there is up to you, from using free software to spending up to around $400 for a license. Regardless of what options you take, the expenditure will soon pay for itself.
• It’s too technical. For what most small businesses are going to do, actually it’s not! There are times when you might just be holding the camera in your hand, not using  a tripod or lights. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect! Where it can be a bit more challenging is when you have a lot to say in front of the camera. Give yourself a break and don’t try and record it all at once. Use what we call Jump Cuts to record in segments at different focal lengths, taking the pressure off you to remember everything for the one recording and make the recording more interesting all at the same time! Probably the hardest part to learn, is the editing. I would suggest you go with a more basic software option at least in the early stages so you don’t become intimidated. Personally, I use Camtasia which is easy to work out (even without reading any manuals)!
• I don’t have the time. This is the ongoing reason why so many small businesses fail to get ahead! We can all use this excuse if we want. If you deem it to be important and take a honest look at all the things that you do each day that are not important, then you can soon make the time!
• I don’t want to see myself on video. Most people can relate to this, but here is the reality, you get over it, especially if it is for the good of the business. After a while, you don’t actually see it as yourself anymore and cease to be bothered.

Here is the thing, nobody is going to make you use video and most people even if they read this, still won’t. It’s up to you! Let the apathy that besets most take control, or break the shackles and stand out from the crowd. It is up to you!