So, it’s time to make your first video and you have no idea where to start. Your last video memory was the giant VHS recorder your family had when you were a kid, or possibly an 8mm. So the idea of ​​creating, editing, and uploading your own video seems a bit daunting.

Fortunately for you, technology takes most of the guesswork out of video creation these days. YouTube videos don’t have to be complicated, and with more software and hardware available than ever designed to create videos, it should be a piece of cake.

record your video

You can use any number of tools to record videos for YouTube. First of all, there’s a webcam: standard on almost all laptops, and just a few bucks for your desktop. They vary in quality, so try to find one with a recording speed of at least 30 FPS; this will result in a TV-quality video.

If you don’t have a webcam, you can also use a traditional video camera that has digital capabilities. MiniDV and hard drive based cameras work well for this. Even your digital camera probably has video recording capability if you flip the switch from still image to video.

Avoid cell phone video recording unless you have a camera of at least 3 megapixels. Otherwise the quality will be too low.

types of videos

The type of video you want to create will determine what you do next. If you want to record yourself discussing an important niche topic, a webcam may be good enough. However, mobile videos where you move around will generally require you to have some sort of hand.

Right now, my camera of choice is a Flip Mini HD camcorder. They cost less than $200, record in 720p HD video, and can be uploaded directly to YouTube via USB cable. There is nothing simpler than that.

Of course, there’s also PowerPoint, a very useful video creation tool that will let you record audio over the top of slides in a presentation. Microsoft Office has a screen recording tool, but I would recommend Camtasia for this purpose. It will also allow you to record your browser.

Video editing and compiling

When it’s time to edit videos, simple sit-and-talk webinars can be edited with the free video editing software included with the operating system. Windows has a free movie editor, as does Mac OSX. If you are creating something more advanced, Camtasia is once again a great tool.

It allows for simple transitions, watermarks, and text overlays that will allow you to advertise your site throughout the video. If you want even more control, Adobe Premier is high-end movie creation software, although it’s quite expensive for most first-time marketers.

Get it on YouTube

Once you’re done, convert your video to MPEG4 format at 640×480 resolution with MP3 audio. YouTube can convert many formats, but to avoid losing quality in the transition, this will work best.

You can also upload HD quality videos to YouTube now, but make sure you have the bandwidth and space to manage it. Once you have your videos on YouTube, make sure you add the necessary tags and descriptions to your video to make sure it gets the right traffic.

YouTube is a very useful tool that allows users to reach millions of viewers almost instantly. The technology is easy to learn and video recording is less expensive than ever. If you’re a marketer interested in taking the next step, make sure YouTube videos are part of your plan.