If you are not using YouTube and videos to help build a customer base, then you are missing out on a lot of customers. Some people like to read instructions and some people hate it with a vengeance. The latter are the people you need to target with videos.

How many times have you seen somebody try to assemble something using written instructions that come with the product? How many times have you seen the anger and frustration that goes with it? Maybe it was you.

A lot of people get frustrated with the written word; they need to watch and hear step-by-step instructions instead of just read them. If you can make a video for one of your products and give people an easy-to-follow visual demonstration, you will get a lot more customers and establish a great reputation for being the go-to person in that niche.

Here is a step-by-step formula for creating instructional videos. Some of these steps may seem very obvious, but leave one out and the videos might not turn out to be as good as they could actually be.

Video Creation Step # 1: Brainstorm A Unique Idea.

The beginning of anything is always an idea. No matter what kind of niche you are in, you can create some kind of instructional video to demonstrate how to get something done, fix a problem or try something new.

Thousands of potentially new customers go to YouTube and many other video sites every day. They want to buy a product, but they simply do not understand how to use it. Some people need to be shown what the product does and how it works before they will even consider buying it. These are the people you're going to target.

You should do some research and find out what people in your niche need help with. In many cases, it can be something very simple that you have never thought of.

An example of this might be a dog-training site that you own. If you send out an e-mail to your customers and ask them what problems they are having with dog training, a lot of them might answer that they simply do not have the time. At this point you can consider making a video called " How to find the time to train your dog". Very simple and basic, however something that can lead to a lot of sales. How many of your customers are not buying the newest and greatest dog training book simply because they do not know how to find the time to train their dog?

Video Creation Step # 2: Write It Out.

You need to write out what you are going to video before doing it. This needs to be in a list form with a lot of bulleted notes.

You do not want to write something out and read it because people will know that you are reading from notes. Most people can't stand it if they think you are just reading off of paper.

Write down a step-by-step guide of what you want to cover in your video and then make sub-points in bulleted form. This will help you stay on track without giving you notes to read.

Video Creation Step # 3: Rehearse And Tape.

You need to start rehearsing before you start taping and the best way to do this is in front of the mirror. Some people find it very hard to do this, but it is the only way to see how you are actually going to appear on camera.

Everything you say and do will be noticed by your audience. Every facial expression needs to be watched during your rehearsal and corrected if necessary. One small scowl out of place will turn your customers off.

Many times you may not even realize that you do such a thing. This is why it is important to practice in front of a mirror until you feel you've got it right. When you feel you've got it right, then on to the taping.

Video Creation Step # 4: Edit Or Redo.

Don't expect that the taping will be done in just one sitting. You are bound to make mistakes the first couple of times you start taping. You may mispronounce words, start laughing or just forget everything you're about to say. This is natural and normal.

You may have to do some editing on the tape to cut things out and you may have to redo the taping a few times until you feel it is right. Take the time to make a good video and your audience will appreciate it.

Video Creation Step # 5: Send It Out.

When it is ready, send it up to video-sharing sites like YouTube, Metacafe, Revver, AOL, Google videos, Yahoo videos, etc. Use video submission software like Tubemogul to submit the video simultaneously to a variety of video-sharing sites, but make sure you read the terms of each site first before using any software. (Some of them prohibit the use of any mass submission software.)

Exposure to these video sites means traffic (lots of it if you do it right), and traffic means sales and income. If you need some help with this, you can outsource the work very easily to a freelancer.

Once you see how it easy it is to actually get your instructional videos up and running, you will be determined to do more. Don't ignore this vital promotional tool simply because you have not done it before. You know that you are leaving customers on the table if you don't present videos and keep up with the marketing times.