When I talk with my landscaper friends, most of them are intimidated by getting a website up. They are even more intimidated by using video online! But online video has been one of the easiest ways to pre-sell to potential clients that I've found.

Think about it:

If writing doesn't come easily to you, then it can be hard to make a real connection to people in pamphlets or a traditional website. Video allows you to talk directly to your potential clients and tell them about yourself in a way that feels natural.

Conversely, some folks just don't like to read stuff. If your clients are more comfortable getting to know you through watching you speak, then they'll spend more time on your site than on your competitors'.

Online video allows people to feel like they know you, before you've even spoken on the phone! I find that the first phone call takes a lot less time if people have already been "pre-sold" on working with me, either through referral or my online presence.

The fact is, people decide to hire you because they like and trust you. If you can help them feel comfortable with you before they call, you're that much more likely to land the job.

Provide valuable information using video

You can also give away some great free information using video. You may have seen real estate agents using a similar tactic with pamphlets advising sellers on the "Five Best Ways of Increasing Curb Appeal" or "How to Prepare for a Showing".

Providing free information establishes you as a credible expert in the eyes of potential clients, and makes them wonder: "If this landscape designer can be so helpful in a 3-minute free video, what will they be able to do for me when I am paying for their help?" Sonia Simone has a great article on that here.

The advantage of using video for this free content is that when people watch you speak, there is a much greater connection to you personally than if they just read something you've written. Ever wonder why actors have more fanatical fans than authors?

Watching you speak, potential clients come to feel as though they know you, even though you've never met. Your competitors won't have that advantage.

Don't be intimidated by the cost or technology involved in making videos -- it's super-simple nowadays. I use an older $70 Flip Video recorder, which has software bundled in to allow you to edit your video very quickly.

Then I use YouTube, which is free and easy to use, to upload my videos. YouTube provides an embed code, which you copy and paste into the html code of any website.

Tips for shooting great video

Here are some quick tips for getting great video:

• Make bullet points of what you're going to say, but don't read from a script -- it sounds forced.
• Shoot in a quiet location on a still morning. Sunshine can make you squint and give the camera glare-spots, and wind rushes by the microphone very noisily.
• Remember that online video is usually seen in a small window, so instead of having the camera show your whole body, aim for your head and torso.
• Look directly at the camera so your clients feel you're talking right to them. Use a tripod or a stack of bricks to hold up your recorder.
• Try to shoot your video straight through so you only have to edit out the beginning and end, when you turn on and shut off the camera. You can edit a few videos together or add still photos or text to the video if you want, but that becomes much more involved and can distract from the point of using video, which is to form a personal connection with the viewer.
• Lastly, keep each video short and about one topic - under 3 minutes is best. You can make a new video for each topic you want to cover -- an introduction to you and your business, your landscape design process, etc.

If you get nervous, just breathe deeply, talk slowly, and smile whenever it feels natural. Expect to do many takes to get one video you're happy with. I find it takes at least two tries to get comfortable, then two to three more to say things succinctly.

Once you're comfortable shooting videos, you can experiment with using video to create online FAQ's. Any topic is fair game: the design process, how to care for a new garden (you can see my pruning tutorials here), how to repair a drip irrigation leak or set their timer.

If you hear a question a few times a year, make a quick video to explain in better detail. It will save you time, and make your clients feel as though you're looking out for them every step of the way.

Genevieve Schmidt is an Arcata, CA landscaper and the writer for North Coast Gardening, a site about gardening in the Pacific Northwest. View some of Genevieve's "pruning tutorial" videos here.