There are so many ways to promote your bed and breakfast using videos. Tripadvisor has a section where you can upload them. Many of the paid directories also have video sections. Don't discount your section on youtube. We have the rainforestinn channel and some of our videos there have thousands of downloads (they were made by friends who have cameras). But to make a video you need know-how, technical lighting and gaffer tools, sound equipment, video editing software, Camera tripods and a camera. Since we don't have a video camera we didn't even have to worry about all the other knowledge and equipment we also didn't have.
Last month we started managing a new vacation rental in El Yunque. It's a large estate home on the same hill (five acres over) as our bed and breakfast. A video walk through of "Villa Hermosa" would have been an excellent promotion tool. But we don't have a video camera. After a couple of days feeling morose and depressed about the inability to make a video I did some searching on the internet and found out about Animoto. This is an internet based service that makes high production value motion graphics synchronized to every beat of your music. Animoto's service is hard it describe.
In about ten minutes you can make a video from your photographs (either upload them or use ones you already have on flickr). Their web based software synchronizes the pictures to the music which you select. There is a video on their website which explains the service (more better as we say here in the Caribbean). They also have lots of music to choose from on their website but I recommend you go to the podsafe music network to find some better music which matches your video exactly. You can buy music there (very cheaply) and legally use it in your podcasts (both video and sound) as long as it is not a commercial production and as long as you give the artist credit. There are also other sources for the music of independent artists that you can use. It takes some time to find a song that will be perfect for your video but it's fun.
Obviously you can't use anything owned by a major music label or they will come to your house, fine you $25,000 dollars and take away your computer. I imagine (when it happens) that you're descended on by men in black suits driving cargo vans and all just because you wanted to use "Thriller" as the background in your inn's video. Seriously though, the amount of independent music available is incredible and so much of it is such amazing high quality stuff.
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