The book
The Video Effect, the book
I wrote The Video Effect in 2014 for small businesses, bloggers and anyone who'd been told "you need to do video" and didn't know where to start. It's short, practical, published by Rethink Press, and written in my own words in 2014, long before ChatGPT.
The Video Effect: Market Your Business With Effective Online Video
| Subtitle | Market Your Business With Effective Online Video |
|---|---|
| Author | Nigel Camp |
| Publisher | Rethink Press |
| Published | 2014 |
| Pages | 122 |
| ISBN | 9781781330982 |
Available from Amazon UK and Booktopia, or order it from any bookshop with ISBN 9781781330982.
What it's about
“Video is redefining how businesses communicate with the wider world and all previous notions of advertising and promotion are being swept away by the potential to reach a global market via video. This is ‘The Video Effect’.”
The book explains why a business should make full use of video, how to create quality content and which pitfalls to avoid, with practical advice on production techniques, equipment, storyboarding and sharing your videos. It's written for small businesses that want to make their own video, or brief someone else to make it well.
What's inside
Nine chapters that take you from why video works to getting it in front of people.
- The Video Effect
Why video works for business, the seven most effective videos for a business, and whether to outsource - Video is social media ‘bread and butter’
Promoting your video on social media, and what to do when it turns nasty - Equipment for the job
Cameras, the alternatives, and choosing editing software - Video is your Google goldmine
Video SEO and getting it right - Share and get it out there
Embedding, video-sharing sites and running your own channel - Websites and videos go together like eggs and bacon
How websites are viewed, and where video belongs on yours - Avoid talking to an invisible audience
Communication, feedback and video testimonials - How to deliver video with impact
Standing out, and knowing your audience and market - Film your way to the top
Common mistakes, editing tips, attention span, basic shots, storyboards, scripts and a video checklist
From chapter 1
“When the first commercial video camcorders came out relying on analogue recording onto videotape, the process of both editing and distributing content was far more complicated and expensive than it is today. Now, readily available equipment at affordable prices and a growing number of video production companies has radically changed the effect that video can have on a business.”
What has changed since 2014, and what hasn't
When I wrote the book, the headline numbers came from Cisco's 2012 forecast. By 2016, 1.2 million minutes of video would cross the internet every second, and 1.5 billion people would be watching video online, up from 792 million in 2011. Most small businesses were still deciding whether video was worth it at all. That argument is over.
The equipment chapter has aged most, because the phone in your pocket now does the job of the camcorders and webcams I compared. Video SEO and the sharing sites have moved on too. What hasn't changed is the core of the book. Plan before you film, know who you're talking to, keep it short enough to hold attention, and make something worth sharing.
| Book chapter | The up-to-date guide on this site |
|---|---|
| 1. The Video Effect | Video production basics |
| 3. Equipment for the job | Budget phone filmmaking rig · Phone editing apps |
| 4. Video is your Google goldmine and 5. Share and get it out there | Editing, exporting and getting found |
| 8. How to deliver video with impact | Visual storytelling |
| 9. Film your way to the top | How long a video should be · Filming an interview on your phone |
What readers said
“Nigel gives excellent practical advice for any business looking to produce online video that's professional, watchable and shareable.”
“The Video Effect is packed full of creative and inspiring ideas about how video can transform your marketing and promotion strategies.”
“Nigel has truly encapsulated the fundamentals of video production. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to build brand awareness through the medium of video!”
In 2014, ET Speaks From Home reviewed the book. They described it as easy to read and free of unnecessary jargon, and recommended it to vlog newcomers, small businesses and amateur video makers (read the review).
Learn it hands-on
The workshops teach the book's ideas with today's kit, on your own phone.