What is the best way to use video to grow your business?  In and interview with Grant Crowell, David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Online Video Marketing and PR makes the case that interview videos are one of the best forms of content for your website.  Scott recommends taking your flip camera with you everywhere and take any opportunity to interview interesting and important people.

Interviews often do make compelling content.  In addition, they are often very easy to get when attending seminars, press events, and trade shows.

If your website or blog could benefit from interview content, here are a couple of tips:

• Prepare your questions in advance.  Open ended questions that get to the ‘meat’ of the subject will make a more compelling video.  Often times you’ll have to scramble to get a few minutes with your subject, so being ready with great questions will insure you come away with something you can post with pride.
• Have a camcorder with a microphone input and invest in a wireless microphone.  This will let you clip the mic to your subject and be sure you pick up their comments clearly.  It is better to have the questions a bit ‘off mic’ than to have the main subject hard to hear.
• Check out the venue to find the best place for conducting the interview.  Consider ambient noise, lighting, background framing.  If you have a good interview position staked out, you can ask your subject to step to that location quickly and get your interview taped knowing the video will be good quality.
• Get a business card from your subject.  This will let you make sure you have the proper spelling of his/her name, company, and job position.  It is important that you identify your subject properly.  There is nothing worse that publishing a video with someone’s name spelled wrong.

So, next time you’re out and about, make sure you have your flip camera and be ready to get a good interview.