For those of you thinking about or currently running a local portal, if you are not using video’s then you might be missing the boat, or at least another revenue stream.

Lately the LBB forum has been filled with post about creating video’s. ElkinsLive and TimPhelan both have made superb posts about tools and ‘how to’s’ in regards to creating video’s for your clients.

Don also has created a Video Group on the new social network site.

All of this is great info and if used properly can really add a great revenue stream to your portal or existing business…But you have to actually do it.

I think one of the best features of the yellowpages site is the companies that have video’s next to their business info. Don’t get me wrong, I hate the yp’s, and find that most of the info is outdated and they are just out there porking the business owner, but they are dead on with the video deal.

The great part about adding video to your portal is that it allows the customer to really get a good feel for the business. This is most important for NEW or potnetially new customers. Walking into a new business or a business you have never been to for the first time is a little uncomfortable, so a video can help alleviate that issue. It also helps to get some face time possibly for the owners or staff so that new customers will feel as if they already ‘know’ them before they even walk in the door.

The video method is extremely useful for businesses that really rely on ‘face time’. Real Estate agents and car salesman have been using their photo’s on business cards for decades for a reason…familiarity.  Video amplifies that power x10 and really can boost your clients business.

As shown in the forum, a video does not have to look as if it was directed and produced by George Lucas. Sometimes simple slideshow’s and a voiceover work just fine. A basic camcorder and some free software can make a mighty fine video that most owners will love.

Then you take the fact that you can host these video’s on a multitude of sites such as YouTube, Viddler, Ning, etc only helps to increase visibilty and traffic to your customer.

When it comes to portals, the possibilites are endless, and the platforms can be used in a multitude of ways. There are programs such as:

PHPFox, PHPmydirectory, ning, Joomla, PHPmotion, and blogs such as Wordpress.

All of the above can be modified to work well as portals, and all have video capabilities.

I think one of the most attractive reasons to begin working on adding video’s to your resume is the income you can generate for your business! Take a look through the forum and see what some members are charging for even the simplest video! Again, it does not take a movie director to produce a client’s video. Just some imagination and a few free tools!

Tagged with: •

Filed under: Portals-Directories

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!