Video is not a fad. It’s fast becoming an important mechansim for message delivery in the corporate world. Why? Video effectivley conveys information and emotion in a single package. And whether we like to admit it or not, there is typically a certain amount of emotion involved in purchasing decisions.Public relations has shifted away from its traditional laser focus on the media with the rise of the Internet and new media options. Opportunities to bring PR into marketing campaigns abound. Plus, most experts now agree that PR is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your company. At the recent Cisco Partner Velocity event I spent a good deal of time in the skills clinic speaking to partners about using video within their marketing mix. One element we did not discuss directly at Velocity is the use of video as part of your PR efforts. Thought I’d address this now.How can video bolster your PR efforts? Video, and images for that matter, can get you better attention from search engines when they are thoughtfully and purposefully aligned with your PR efforts. You still have to make your story interesting, relevant and newsworthy. Adding video to a poorly written release riddled with gobbledyguck and hyperbole isn’t going to do you any good. Assuming you have an interesting, relevant and newsworthy press release, here are some quick pointers on how to integrate video into your PR effort and possibly increase your exposure. • Make sure your video reinforces the core message of your press release. You’re video needs to be clearly related to the release. Incongruent content reduces the overall impact.• Your video must be easy to share. In a Web 2.0 world anything you create in support of your company must be easy for your customers, prospects and other interested parties to passy on to their own networks.• The video must be compelling. Even amateurs can create high-quality, highly engaging videos. Anything less won’t be passed along. Your “supporters” won’t pass along anything that could put their own reputation at risk.• Don’t forget keywords. Add a keyword to the video title when you upload it to the Web. Write a short paragrpah describing what’s in the video. This adds significantly more search engine content. Keywords are the trick.PR is one of the most effective and affordable ways to promote your company or build your brand This is especially true with online press release services that are available. Adding video can extend the reach of your PR efforts. Do you already have video assets that you can leverage as part of your PR efforts? If not, what can you do to change that? Look at the Velocity Skills Clinic content for some ideas. If you need assistance with crafting a compelling press release, review the 60 Minute Guide to Writing Your First Online Press Release from PRWeb.