As told by Bob Baker, www.TheBuzzFactor.com

In case you didn’t know, online video consumption is huge. According to Nielsen, more than 10 billion videos were streamed in the U.S. alone during the month of June 2011. That should come as no surprise, since video is a more engaging way for consumers to enjoy entertainment and information. This is especially true for emerging musicians, who are trying to cut through the clutter and reach new fans. No doubt about it: You should be using video to promote yourself online.

Of course, you can create and post music videos — from slick productions to low-tech live performances — on YouTube and other video sites. You can also post video clips of your recording sessions, life on the road, or fan reactions at live shows.

But there’s another way to use video that most musicians don’t even consider. I’m talking about creating video clips that are specifically used on your website as welcome messages, greetings, and calls to action.

Here are some examples:

• Home page welcome. When fans come to your website for the first time, wouldn’t it be nice if you give them the option of watching a special video message from you: “Hi. Thanks so much for visiting my website. Here you’ll find…”

• Email sign-up page greeting. Hopefully, you realize the importance of building a mailing list of fans (hint: it’s the most powerful marketing asset you can have) and that you should create incentives for fans to sign up. Add some extra muscle to those efforts with a short video clip on your mailing list sign-up page. You might say, “I have so many exciting projects coming up, and I don’t want you to miss out on all the free music downloads I’ll be giving away. So please take a moment right now to fill in your name and email address in the form below…”

• Sales page explanation. When fans click to your music sales page, give them more than a list of your albums and where they can buy them. Place a video at the top that explains the different options and helps them choose the best collection of songs for their needs.

• Live event teaser promotion. You might not be able to do this for every show, but for the really important gigs, wouldn’t it be great to post a video of you saying, “We’re really looking forward to our next show at the XYZ Club. We will debut two brand new songs that night and will draw the names of three lucky fans to come up and join us onstage for the last song. We hope to see you there on Friday, October 14.”

For a good example of this video concept in action, check out how musician Jana Stanfield uses video on her site to connect with meeting planners here.

This article is adapted from Bob Baker’s new book, “Guerrilla Music Marketing Online: 129 Free & Low-Cost Strategies to Promote & Sell Your Music on the Internet.” For more information, visit:http://www.bob-baker.com/buzz/online-music-promotion.html

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