You’ve heard all the stats:

• 179 million Americans watched online videos each month of 2010.

• More than 88 million people watch an online video on a given day.

• Online video is currently 40 percent of consumer Internet traffic.

• YouTube is the No. 2 search engine, right behind Google.

• 75 percent of C-suite executives watch work-related videos weekly.

Though Google+, mobile marketing and QR codes are garnering a great deal of attention, the online video has become a marketing staple and is demonstrating that it can deliver a consistent audience.

Are you putting online videos to work for your organization? If not, I suspect it’s for one of three reasons:

• You hate being on camera.

• You don’t have the budget to shoot enough high-end video.

• You can’t imagine that what you know/do would make an interesting video.

None of those excuses is acceptable. Let’s find solutions and get your first video uploaded.

I hate being on camera.

It’s a rare person who likes the way he or she looks in photos or on video. So people avoid it.

The good news about online video is that there are plenty of options in terms of style and content delivery that do not involve putting you on camera. Remember, the purpose of an online video is to share a tidbit (no longer than 2 or 2 1/2 minutes, and shorter than that is even better) of your knowledge, expertise or product’s usefulness.

The even better news is that no matter how beautiful you are, the talking-head style of video is typically pretty flat. Using other visuals will increase the likelihood of your video being shared with others.

I don’t have the budget to shoot enough high-end video.

There will always be a place for high-end video and animation. They’re both valuable marketing tools and shouldn’t be dismissed. For example, the video that is on your home page and introduces your concept, product or service to your Web visitors deserves to be professionally produced for maximum impact.

But not all online video requires high production values. YouTube has democratized the world of video. In fact, if it’s a little raw, it feels more authentic and personal.

I don’t have anything of interest or value to put on video.

In many cases, good online video is a snack-sized sample of what you do every day. Odds are you have plenty of content already created that could be converted into some valuable videos. Think of the top five questions you get asked by clients. Each one of them (with your corresponding answer) could be a 60- to 90-second video.

Have you put together a presentation lately? Odds are, there are three or four video ideas within that presentation. How could you break it down into segments that could stand alone? Use the PowerPoint slides as your visuals, and you’re halfway home.

How about case studies? Those make excellent videos. Or interview your best clients on how you helped their business. Or do a product demo or some customer testimonials.

Bottom line: no more excuses. With video being such a prevalent and influential tool on the Web, you can’t afford not to be out there. It’s time to fire up the camera.

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached by email at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2011 Drew McLellan