Which holds your attention longer: a full page ad in a magazine on the coffee table, or a video on your phone, TV or other device? I’m betting it’s the video. And you’re not alone. Just watch people around you for a day and see how immersive and pervasive video is today.

It used to be you “had” to have an ad in the Yellow Pages (or an equivalent directory) to be taken seriously as a business. Then it moved to “must have” a website. Now, everybody’s got a website — from your competitors to the kid down the block selling lemonade on the corner! You need to stand out.

If you are trying to break through the clutter of websites and texts, Tweets and other electronic communications, video is a great way to do it. If it’s done right.

I don’t have time for this!

I can hear you thinking that. You don’t have time or money to build a mini-studio, get the right equipment, shoot video, edit it properly, or hire someone else to do it for you. But it’s easier than you think. Thanks to the fact that this is the Internet generation, others have not only figured out the tricks, they’ve made videos about that and posted them for you to access for free on YouTube.

So let’s take a trip down YouTube lane and experience a crash course in putting video on your website as economically and sensibly as possible.

Video Making 101

“How to make a YouTube Video for Beginners START to FINISH” is a 2-hour step-by-step instruction video that will help you get over the fear of even considering making a video. Why do you want to make a YouTube video? Why not just put it on your website (somehow)? The main reason is space. Just a 2 minute video can take up 10 megabytes of space on your web host’s server. Too many of those will get you into trouble — or raise your monthly hosting bill.

“Embed YouTube Videos on YOUR Website — How to UPLOAD to YouTube and ADD Video to Your Site” gives specifics on how to create an account, and how to upload your videos, then link to them from your site.

Once you’ve determined that you are, in fact, going to include video on your website, the next question is, “What should be in the videos?”

Content is king

“How to make Videos for Business: Content Strategy” is a good discussion of both the fears of beginning videographers, and the types of videos that can actually move your company forward in your customers’ minds.

You’ll probably want to do an introductory video of your company. Please, do it well. As one guy says, some are so generic you could probably take the company name off it and substitute another company name, and it would work just as well. Here are some tips:

How to Create a Company Introduction Video.

Surely you get tired of saying the same things over and over again to your employees. How about a nice training video on something like health and safety, company policies, etc., so you are sure everyone gets the same message?

How to Make a Training Video in 2021 will give you the skills you need — and you can do it all with your phone.,

What else do I need to know?

Some people get fancy equipment to shoot Internet videos. If you are going into shooting them as a sideline, that’s fine. But if you just want to add video to your website, use what you have at hand.

“Shoot QUALITY Videos with a Webcam!” teaches you how to use that little camera that keeps falling off the top of your monitor to make good videos. OK, you may have to upgrade your webcam, but that’s a win-win for anybody you Zoom with these days.

“How to Make YouTube Videos on Your Phone (Beginners Tutorial)” puts that amazing piece of technology you regularly sit on, drop and otherwise treat terribly to good use in the cause of videos for your business website.

And, of course, once you’ve shot all that video, you need to edit into a nice, tight package that conveys the information you wish to share and still entertains and keeps the viewer’s attention.

“Total Beginner’s Guide to Video Editing” will help you do that.

Ready to get going?

Just as with any communication tool you use in your business, do some planning before you start shooting footage. Watch the videos. Take courage from what the presenters show you. Check out some of your competitors or other companies you are familiar with and see what their videos look like.

And then dive in. What’s the worse that can happen? You discover you need more advice, or perhaps help from a friend, to make it happen. And since when is that a bad thing?

Jazz up your website with great information in a format that today’s web-surfers are looking for. Dozens of generous, personable, intelligent people have paved the way for you and left video footprints for you to follow. Go for it!