Where Is Your … Video Tour? Help People Navigate Your Website (or Something Else) With Video Tours!
by Bart Smith
Where is it and why do you need one? Well, let’s first start with WHAT is a video tour?
Simply, a video tour is a virtual tour of your website, for example, that walks people around showing them where to find things (on your website), how to navigate it to get to certain key areas you think visitors or members might want/need to know about, etc.
A video tour might also be a video filming you live somewhere out and about, perhaps walking through a home, or a construction site, a building, show room, … you name it.
Video tours are really just show ‘n’ tell tours of whatever it is you want to introduce people to, whether that be somewhere online or offline.
What types of video tours can you create?
All kinds. The ones I make, for example, include home page video tours of a sales letter, membership area video tours, help and support section video tours, … to name a few.
What’s the difference between a video tour, video trailer and a video tutorial?
Simply, here are the steps:
A video tour shows you around something. Video tours usually last between 1 and 10 minutes in length and no more.
A video trailer is an introduction or explanation of something, usually with you in it (or not) and of an object or something someone is going to purchase, such as a book, online course, etc. Video trailers usually range in length from 1-3 minutes and no more.
A video tutorial is a how-to video that shows someone how to do something. Video tutorials can range in length from 1 minute to 30 minutes or more.
How do you make a video tour?
Simply, here are the steps:
Decide what you want your tour to be about, such as, a tour of your home page, the Member’s Area of your website, etc.
Write a quick script and/or an introduction and some talking points to remind yourself what you’ll say in your video tour. “Welcome to MySite.com. I’m going to show you around so you know what’s where and can find what you’re looking for quickly. C’mon, let’s get started. First, the home page is where you’ll find … etc.”
If you’re going to record your screen movements, such as moving your mouse around on your website, you’ll need screen capture software (I use Movavi). For example, you can use Screencast-o-matic.com or Loom.com, which are among the least expensive screen capture software programs out there.
Rehearse it a couple times and redo it a few times until it’s perfect and to your liking.
Edit your video by putting a nice intro/outro in it, along with text call-outs and maybe some music (optional) playing lightly in the background.
Publish your video to an MP4 video (format) for uploading to the many popular video sharing websites. If your MP4 file is HUGE, you can shrink it with Handbrake.
Watch your video tour for any mistakes; correct any mistakes you find and republish your video in MP4 format.
Upload it to your website and/or YouTube, as well as any social media accounts you want your video tour to be seen on.
Embed the Vimeo or YouTube video embed code into your website where you want it to go and VOILA!
YOU’VE NOW GOT A VIDEO TOUR ON YOUR WEBSITE showing people around.
There you have it! That’s how you go about making a video tour!
What is an example of a video tour?
On BartSmih.com, you’ll find video tours I made to showcase different sections of this website. There’s nothing big about them, except the fact that they do the job! They introduce people to who I am, what they’re in store for on x-page, etc. Video tours and video trailers are intended to give a warm welcome to a certain page, product, service, or whatever it is you want to say.
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