Get All Access for $5/mo

Boost Your Company's Image With Video It's easier than ever to create and share, so get rolling.

By Ramon Ray

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Because video production and hosting are easier than ever, more business owners are creating their own videos as marketing tools.

Hosting on YouTube, Blip.tv or other video hosting sites makes video sharing easy, and cameras like the Flip that easily transfer video to computers make the entire video production process easier.

Creating basic videos with captions, backgrounds or other professional enhancements is not necessarily a must, but if you want to be taken seriously by your customers (or prospects), it's important that your video looks as good as possible.

Your video doesn't have to be professionally produced, but in the same way that you wouldn't create your own business cards from index cards, you should consider improving the overall quality of your videos.

To do this, you could use the free video editing programs that are built into most operating systems. But if you want to take video editing to an entirely different level, you might want to consider a video editing tool that lets you select a background, making your video look much better.

Video Presenter, for example comes with a "green screen" that you lets you customize the background you want for your video, very similar to your local weather forecaster. You can add whatever background you want.

At the much higher--and more complicated--end, Adobe Premiere lets you do a full range of professional video editing. The product is more expensive ($800) and complicated for the average computer user, but in the hands of someone who takes the time to learn it, it's one of the best video editing programs on the market.

Ramon Ray is Entrepreneur.com's " Tech Basics" columnist and editor of Smallbiztechnology.com. He's the author of Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses and serves on the board of directors and the technologycommittee for the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce.

Ramon Ray is editor of SmallBizTechnology.com and author of Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Side Hustle He Started in His College Apartment Turned Into a $70,000-a-Month Income Stream — Then Earned Nearly $2 Million Last Year

Kyle Morrand and his college roommates loved playing retro video games — and the pastime would help launch his career.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.

Growing a Business

How to Determine The Ideal Length of Your Marketing Emails Your Customers Will Actually Read

Wondering how long your marketing emails should be? Here's what consumers say — so you can send them exactly what they like.

Business News

New Southwest Airlines Major Investor Wants to Force Out CEO, Slams Company's 'Stubborn Unwillingness to Evolve'

Elliot Investment Management announced a $1.9 billion stake in the Dallas-based Southwest Airlines on Monday and is urging shareholders to vote for new leadership.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.