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Promoting With Web Audio, Video, and Photos

If it’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then adding visuals to your communication efforts is in itself a huge productivity boost. Human beings respond to images, movement, and sound. One way to make your efforts to grow your business and extend your network more productive and effective is to incorporate sight, sound, and motion into your online presence.

The Magic Of Your Voice

We make a lot of judgments about people from nonverbal cues; in fact, scientists tell us that the vast majority of our first impressions of people we meet are made from their facial expression, tone of voice, posture, and other indicators that have nothing to do with the words they actually speak.

From birth onward, sound is one of our most crucial cues to read the world around us. Our interpersonal relationships also hinge on our ability to correctly interpret the tone of voice used to address us. First as children and then throughout life, we find comfort in soothing voices. Tone of voice also conveys authority, friendliness, knowledge, and inclusiveness. With all that going for it, why not add your voice to your Website, social media, e-newsletter, and other online resources, especially when Web audio is simple and easy?

Start with a program such as AudioAcrobat or InstantTeleseminar. These programs make it very easy to record your voice using a regular phone call. You can record a greeting for your Webpage, a holiday message for your newsletter, a short tip for your social media pages, or a reading from something you’ve recently written; it’s up to you.

AudioAcrobat enables you to share your audio in several different formats. If you want to provide audio with a three-button player bar, AudioAcrobat (and similar programs) will provide you the HTML code to drop into your site. Or, if you’d prefer to just share a link that will play when clicked (best for newsletters), the program will generate that, too. Have an audience that prefers to download and listen later? You can also easily create a download link for your audio so that your audience can save your audio and play it whenever it’s convenient.

Audio can make your online sites more welcoming, because it helps to provide more clues about you and your personality. As your audience comes to recognize your voice, they begin to feel like they know you personally. If you’re staying in touch with people who have met you in person, your voice should be both familiar and a reminder of a pleasant prior meeting.

You can take Web audio further and extend your contacts by creating podcasts or Internet radio shows. A podcast is a recorded audio series that can be streamed via the Internet or downloaded onto a disk or MP3 player. Podcasts exist for just about every industry, area of expertise, hobby, or interest. Some podcasts are as short as five minutes long (such as the wildly popular GrammarGirl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/) or as long as an hour or more. How long you make your podcast depends on your audience’s attention span, the amount of time you can commit on a regular basis, and the type of information you want to share.

For example, if you sell gourmet kitchen notions, you might create a podcast about cooking with local, fresh, seasonal herbs. Or, if you’re a dog trainer, create a podcast on overcoming common pet misbehavior. Podcasts range from offering new episodes daily to providing something every week or just a couple of times a month. The important thing is to pick a schedule and stick to it. You can also archive your past episodes so people can find the ones they missed. AudioAcrobat makes it easy to upload your podcasts to iTunes so you can share them with the world.

“Internet radio” really refers to Web audio programs broadcast online and often grouped together on sites such as BlogTalkRadio or DivaToolBox. Internet radio shows usually air live and are then recorded and provided later as podcasts. Some Internet radio shows have very small audiences, but others number their audiences and downloads in the tens of thousands or even millions. It’s a commitment to create a live regular show, but it also positions you to reach out to noted experts in your industry and other people who can become valuable professional contacts. And it provides ongoing expert visibility for you and your company. Some shows gather a large enough audience that they create revenue through online ad sales and sponsorships. Most shows are produced as a labor of love or as a marketing outreach, where the reward is the show itself and the connections and visibility it creates.

Sight and Motion Make an Impact

Web video and photos can do a lot to make visitors to your online sites feel as if they’ve met you. Video clips of your speaking engagements, photos from business events, carefully selected personal/casual pictures, and short video tips can all bring your e-mail newsletters, blogs, home pages, and social media sites to life. When visitors get a chance to see you in action, it increases their comfort level with you because you are no longer a stranger. Hearing and seeing you can reinforce your professional credibility with people who haven’t had the chance to meet you in person. And you may be surprised to find that creating your own videos can be fun.

Recording Web video is easy. Many new laptops have a video recording feature built in, and may also include simple video editing software (if not, it’s inexpensive for your basic needs). Or, you can use the video capability on your smartphone or digital camera for short clips. For a longer video (for example, a speaking presentation), you can use a digital video camera.

Short clips are easy to upload to YouTube, which makes sharing simple. Upload your video (keep it under nine minutes—one to three minutes is best) and fill out the keywords to make it searchable. Be sure you include a compelling description so people will know the benefit of watching it, and make sure to include your Web address near the beginning of your description, so people who just scan the description can find you online. For best results, create videos on a regular schedule, such as once a week or at least once a month to keep people interested. YouTube also gives you the ability to create your own “channel,” so that people who like your videos can subscribe and never miss a new post.

You can also upload your videos to AudioAcrobat, which formats them for easy sharing: as a play-now link, as a download link, or in the three-button format. Through AudioAcrobat, you can also share your videos to iTunes or add them to your podcast as bonus material.

TalkFusion is another way to share your Web video in an e-mail newsletter format designed to optimize shared video. TalkFusion makes it easy to create video blogs, video autoresponders, and even live video broadcasting and conferencing. It also provides templates to help you deliver and showcase your videos to your best advantage.

With all the buzz about video, don’t overlook the power of still photos. Everyone enjoys browsing through someone else’s photos, and you can share photos to increase your connectedness to your audience. For best results, share an assortment of professional and “business casual” photos. Professional photos might include pictures of you taken at conferences, trade shows, and seminars that you attend or where you are a speaker. Or, ask your customers to send you photos to post showing them using your product. Take photos of your staff at work, of you at your trade show booth, or of you with clients. (Get permission before uploading photos of other people.)

“Business casual” photos are ones that provide a glimpse of your life beyond work. Think of the kinds of topics you discuss when you make small talk at a networking program: sporting events you’ve attended, recent vacations, hobbies, family milestones. It’s fine to toss in some of these types of photos, because it humanizes you and helps people feel as if they’re getting to know the person behind the business. Obviously, you only want to post photos that will enhance, and not sabotage, your professional reputation, so avoid pictures in which everyone is holding a cocktail or looking disheveled. Whether or not you post pictures of family (children, spouse, pets) is a personal decision, and depends on your particular comfort level and concept of privacy and security. I’m more okay with posting photos of adult children than of small children, just for safety’s sake. But you may find tremendous response from your audience on pictures of a new grandchild, photos from a recent family wedding, and so on. You’ll have to make that call for yourself.

Flickr is a well-known photo sharing site, but be aware it does not like overtly commercial photos, such as logos and product shots. Picasa is a Google site, so it can make integrating with your other Google accounts very easy. Photobucket is another popular site, as is Facebook. Always be sure to read and abide by the terms of service so your photos don’t get you bounced from the system. Be sure to tag your photos so that they’re searchable (which gives you an SEO boost), and so that they help increase visibility for you and your business. Many photo and video sharing sites have grown into offering social media–style sharing, online forums, and other features.

Photos are a powerful way to connect. You never know when a photo you’ve shared online may spark a conversation with a client or prospect that leads to new business!