As video content becomes more popular online, you might find that you want to embed a video in an email. This is a natural-sounding way to share videos: instead of navigating to another site, your recipient simply presses a play button and can view the video. It’s connected to YouTube or Vimeo or another video sharing site, and every marketer rejoices.

I've spent some time educating you regarding the risks of using the radio as your Message On Hold program, streaming internet radio like Pandora in your store or facility, and including popular music in your online ads. And in general, I just warn you that it's illegal and can end up costing you big bucks if (when) you get caught. Music licensing has many layers and variations, and can get pretty complicated. But if you know what to look for, it doesn't have to be.

One of the easiest ways to start making videos about your company is to convert your PowerPoint presentations into videos. If you're already familiar with PowerPoint, it can be an easy way to start your video project. Because it's easy to start the presentation and screen capture it from a computer, putting together the presentation removes a lot of video production work. Here are some tips for optimizing your PowerPoint for video conversion:

Music is an undeniably powerful way to change the environment in your venue. By using overhead music in your store, you have an opportunity to boost sales by engaging your customers. Audio is powerful because it can't be ignored - while customers can overlook imagery, they can't prevent themselves from hearing what's going on around them. You can close your eyes, but you can't turn off your ears.

Have you ever wondered why movies and TV shows look so different from videos you shoot yourself? Back in the day the reason would be that they were shot on 2 totally different formats. While your personal videos were shot on VHS video tapes, movies and your favorite TV programs were shot on film. Film holds a much wider range on the color spectrum than video. It can also be altered and tinkered with in the developing process.

Recently I attended a conference that had the usual fare of keynote speakers, break-out sessions, lectures and PowerPoint presentations. One of the presenters, in addition to providing a live, spoken commentary for his PowerPoint visuals, included a pre-recorded narrative (also in his voice) that accompanied each slide. The experience caused me to question - Why do people record their own narrations?

Your IVR system is like the front door of your business - It's the first thing people see and the first impression callers get. It's also a crucial part of your customer communication. When coupled with well-written voice prompts, the IVR system helps callers navigate your phone system and reach an agent efficiently.

When you're creating a video production for your business, there are two main areas of focus: Visuals and Audio. The visuals come naturally to most. You might feature on-screen talent, show charts and statistics, or share photos. The audio is often a bit trickier to get right. Background music for videos is very important, but so is the voice that's being used to describe or explain the content. Too often, online marketing videos rely only on music and visuals; the spoken word is neglected or completely omitted, which means marketing departments have completely missed an opportunity to efficiently and effectively share quality content with online viewers. 

When Holdcom started using Prezi about a year ago, we were very excited about the site's ability to incorporate audio into online presentations. But then, we tried to do it. And we were very, very disappointed. After all, we know that a good presentation becomes great when you add professional voices and licensed, royalty-free music. 

If you have a business, you have customers. If you have customers, they have questions. No matter what you sell, do, or offer, someone will need to ask you something about it. And when the time comes, you and your staff will have to provide them with an appropriate answer. Just as there are many ways for today's consumer to ask questions (email, telephone, social media, in person), there are also many ways for questions to be answered. One way businesses are answering client's questions today is with video. Whether it's a longer production or a short clip, video allows you to answer questions in concise, yet elaborate, ways. Here are some ways to improve your customer service strategies with videos: