Online video is booming, and savvy small business owners are moving aggressively to tap video as a way to increase website traffic, position products and services, communicate with customers and prospects, market via social media, and more. But hiring a video company to produce videos takes time and money. And most video editing software is complicated.

Instant Video Presenter, just introduced, is a new kind of video software that lets you create quick, simple and affordable business videos — literally in minutes.  This is the kind of affordable, hands-on tech that can help more small businesses start to realize the marketing potential of online video.  Instant Video Presenter lists for $259, and all you need is a web cam, someone to talk into it (like you, maybe) and a “green screen” to hang behind you (included).  Cool stuff for small biz…here’s how it works: 

This user-friendly software is meant to help you produce TV newsroom style videos fast and cheap, in a unique way. Don’t think of it as a video editing application. It’s more like a “video capture” app that requires no post-production, compression or editing. When you are done recording the video in front of a standard web cam, the file is instantly ready to deploy — by email, Internet upload or burned to a CD.  This short demo shows how it works.

The green screen is the key. It’s the same device local TV stations use to show the weather person in front of a weather map, for example. That giant map isn’t really behind them; what’s behind them is a green screen. So how does that help you?  Even if you have zero experience with video, it lets you capture a presenter interacting with PowerPoint presentations, websites, pictures or software applications.  On-screen wizards and tools help you fine tune a professional-looking video in record time.