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Put
Audio & Video on Your Web Site |
by:
Ronni
Rhodes |
PUT AUDIO AND VIDEO ON YOUR WEBSITE
By Ronni Rhodes
As a company that sells streaming media
services for a living, we get questions
everyday about what needs to be done to
make an audio or video presentation that
will stream well over the Internet. Most
of these inquiries come from small businesses
with limited budgets for marketing and advertising.
They are always pleasantly surprised when
we tell them that they can do it themselves!
Let's start with an audio only presentation:
·Write out your script first! Focus on two
to three points that you feel are essential
to explain your products or services. Keep
the script simple. If your site offers a
wide variety of goods or services, you might
consider several different messages with
each one keying in on one or two important
areas.
·Have someone who is not familiar with your
business review the script and your site.
Be sure that they understand your message.
If they don't, rewrite it!
· Practice reading the script until you
feel completely familiar and comfortable
with it. (You can hire professional voice
talent for reasonable rates if you'd prefer
not recording the audio yourself.)
·Use the best quality tape recorder available
to you. A cassette recorder is fine.
·Use a high quality brand name audiotape.
·An external microphone that plugs into
your recorder is preferable to the one that
comes built-in. They are very inexpensive
and produce a better recording.
·Do your recording in a quiet place with
as little background noise as possible.
(That one seems pretty obvious, doesn't
it?)
·Speak naturally! It can help to have a
friend or colleague act as an audience to
give you focus.
·Record your presentation several times.
Select the one that will sound the most
natural and inviting to your site visitors.
·Send the tape to the encoding (streaming)
vendor. They'll take it from there!
A video presentation takes a little more
time and effort, but you really can do it
yourself. Your home video camera will work
just fine! All of the same rules you used
to make your audiotape apply here including
the use of an external microphone. Good
quality videotape is essential. The following
suggestions will help you prepare a video
presentation for your site that should stream
very well:
·Keep the camera steady! Put the camera
on a tripod or brace it against something
solid like a table or a wall. If you must
pan or zoom, do it very slowly. (Too much
motion can cause a "blurry" stream.)
·Simplify your frame. Think about where
everything is going to be. People coming
in and out of the frame can create movement
that may cause confusion.
·Stay focused. A lot of auto-focus cameras
can't focus properly if you are too close
to your subject. Five or six feet away is
a good distance. Don't try to shoot through
a window; the camera will focus on the glass.
·Good lighting is essential. Try to light
your scene from the front. Don't stand in
front of a window; the backlighting will
cause you to be in silhouette. Try shooting
outside if possible.
·Use the fastest record speed. This will
insure the best video quality.
·Record in a quiet place. Hold the mike
close to your mouth to cut down on external
noises.
·RELAX AND ENJOY YOURSELF! It really shows.
Practice until you feel comfortable.
If you have additional questions or concerns,
your streaming vendor should be ready and
able to assist you.
Early adopters of Rich Media techniques,
streaming being one of them, have already
started to reap the rewards of higher click-through
rates and increased conversion rates. If
your message is meaningful and relevant
to your site visitors, your streaming presentation
will add to their enjoyment of visiting
your site and encourage them not only to
buy but also to return and buy again!
About the Author
Ronni Rhodes is the owner of WBC Imaging,
an Internet company that specializes in
web site enhancement utilizing streaming
media technology. With her husband, Don,
a digital media engineer, they work with
companies to incorporate streaming as
part of successful and meaningful sales
and marketing programs.
Please direct all questions and comments
to:
Ronni@wbcimaging.com
520-742-5780
http://www.wbcimaging.com
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