Cost will depend on how you wish to use the video to market your business.  If, for example, you simply want to use a video on your website, it will not cost anything.  Just the uploading of the video into the website. 

If you want a more professional looking video for your website, there are plenty of companies out there that provide this service for much less than text advertising.  You can have a slick ad or you can have one that is home made.  Sometimes, the home made videos tend to stand out more. 

It will cost you slightly more to have your videos featured on other websites where you advertise.  More than a banner ad or a line ad.  But again, how much is your business worth to you?  If you want to see how effective this media is, test it out. 

If you have a small business and want to advertise for free, there are plenty of places on the internet where you can post your videos.  They will also give you stats on how many people have viewed your video.  On some websites, the videos are rated. 

There are many professional companies that can help you out with video advertising.  They can offer everything from creating the video, uploading onto the proper websites to even using it in e-mails to your clients. 

Many businesses keep a data base of their clients.  If they don’t, they should.  From time to time, they have sales or promotions and wish to contact their clients by e-mail.  E-mail is very inexpensive.  Actually, it is free.  You can either hire a professional to e-mail your clients your advertising video or do it yourself to save even more money.   

 Writers are gaining publicity for themselves by using videos on writing websites.  They upload a video of themselves and talk about their work.  This is an excellent way to get people to read your work, particularly if you are on a site that pays you for page views.  You can do this in an interview format, or simply have someone film you talking about yourself.  This is free. 

You can also promote yourself or your business on YouTube for free.  Or MySpace.  Camcorders have come down significantly in price.  Many are around $100 or even cheaper.  Each year, the price goes down and the quality goes up.  They are easy to use and the contents can be uploaded to your computer with ease. 

Then all you have to do is decide where you want to “advertise.”  If you are advertising a small business, your art, or even a political cause, you can put it on a site that offers free video uploading.  When you compare the cost of video advertising on the internet to an actual commercial on television, you are talking apples and oranges.  Video advertising is much cheaper and even small businesses can afford a professional agency that can take care of this for them. 

How many of you get e-mails from businesses that you have previously done business?  Most of you do, I would suspect.  Even if you clicked on their ad by some mistake, they will contact you via e-mail.  As said previously in this chapter, e-mail is free.  

Now, imagine that you get an advertisement from a business that has a very funny video attached to it?  You will be entertained and not forget about that business.  It may even prompt you to take a look at their sale or new promotion.

I saw one of the most effective and clever uses of advertising on the web recently.  I was taking a look at shower filters.  Instead of just a website, like most of them, that featured shower filters and explained the advantages of having one of these gadgets, this one had a scene from the movie “Psycho.”  Yes, the shower scene. 

The caption was “Remember when the only thing you had to fear about the shower was….”  and then it stopped.  We saw the familiar scene of Janet Leigh in the shower and “Mother” coming through the door with the knife.  It was clever, entertaining and certainly caught my attention.  In fact, this was the company that I decided to purchase the shower filter from.   

 How much did this ad cost them?  A little more than a regular video ad.  The film “Psycho” is not in the public domain so they had to pay synchronization rights to the producer to use this on their website.  But synchronization rights on film, even the internet, are based upon seconds.  They did not have to pay for the rights for the entire film, just a brief portion of the shower scene. 

If you have a clever imagination, you can film your own video that will attract attention to your project in the way that this shower filter company did.  You can purchase synchronization rights from film producers if you want, or you can simply make up your own video.  Also, be aware that many films made prior to 1962 lie within the public domain. 

This means that they are free to use.  Clips can be obtained from all over the internet, or can be downloaded from your television or DVD player.  You must make sure that the film is in the public domain, however.  The way to do this is to check with the United States Copyright Office.  There is also much information about which films lie within the public domain on the internet.   

No, it is not expensive to advertise using video on the internet, particularly if you are advertising on your own website or e-mailing your customers video advertisements.  Just make sure that the advertisements are not too long or it may bore the customer, no matter how entertaining it may be.  You do not want to go more than 30 seconds. 

If you decide to use an internet advertising agency, they can keep track of the amount of customers who view your video and make sure that they are placed in the proper venues. 

The cost is not that much more than banner ads and may be well worth it.  Banner ads are sometimes clicked on by accident, giving false stats.  A video ad, however, can be managed where the person has to click on to the “play” button to view it.