Image Courtesy of djcodrin

In his recent USA Today column for small business, Steve Strauss suggests that “maximizing your web presence is key to building your small business.” We couldn’t agree more.  We especially like Steve’s point that “video is probably the top Web 2.0 tool out there right now.” He points out that if you have video on your homepage, upwards of 80% of your visitors will click on it first.

Steve isn’t talking to Fortune 1000 businesses here; instead he’s providing advice to small businesses looking for an edge. So, if you could get a video up on your web page in less than one day, for less than $500 (assuming you already have a decent camera), would you consider it? Of course you would.  Especially if that video – the first thing eight out of every ten visitors will click on – was proven to convert better than text alone.

Still not convinced? Here’s how you might get started.  Let’s say you’re an accountant and this season has been slow. Perhaps more people are doing their own taxes. You take your handy Cisco Flip Camera, place it on your desk (it will stay up, trust us) and you push play (one red button), covering your key points (you spent 30 minutes earlier today creating these).  “Hello, I’m John and I know many of you have put off tax preparation until the last minute….I have some good news…we have people standing by to help…please click on the button to my right if you’d like us to get started on your return within 24 hours and guarantee that it is filed before the IRS deadline.”

To stay with the simple theme, let’s say that because time is running out, you decide to do a simple email campaign. You add your newly created video into your HTML email, select your current mailing list and hit send.  Now, within minutes, you can see that potential tax filers are accessing your video. You’ve created a personal connection and made a clear appeal (I’ll get started within 24 hours) that is driving people to your offer.

The following example is simple, but it underscores how easy and cost-effective video creation can be. As you become more experienced, you’ll likely experiment more, but it’s unlikely you’ll need much more than your honest appeal to customers or clients, your simple, but compelling offer and a means to distribute or promote your campaign.

So go head and give it a try. Use it for new products, upcoming events or special offers.  And be sure to let us know how many new prospects you convert with video.