The top prediction for 2010 from Nielson Wire, an Internet source for market research and trend analysis, is that businesses will embrace online video (social videos).

What’s more powerful, an article or a short video of the same content?

High engagement makes video an irresistible choice for online marketing. The user experience is rich, the call to action powerful. Momentum is already building as half of the American population has clicked on an online video.

Will a video help on my home page?

Absolutely, expect up to 80% of your visitors to click on it. But wait; if you optimize the video for search engines, the SEO video will drastically increase your chance of being on first-page rankings.

Where do I start?

I recommend a flip camcorder, which costs around $100 – 150. They are easy to use and have a USB port that goes directly into your computer for uploading your content.

From there, edit down with software (there are lots of quality inexpensive ones and some come with the computer such as iMovie for Macs) to 3 minutes or less (based on research, a video should be no longer then 2-3 minutes for a home page).

If you’re careful with your recording, you might not even need to edit. From there post it to your favorite social video site such as YouTube or Vimeo. And finally embed the code to your personal site.  This way, you are spreading the word about your video through multiple channels, and the power of embedding lets anyone add your video to their blog or website.

Today, video is a compelling choice for engaging content that can be brought to life in a matter of minutes.