| Using YouTube to Create Marketing "Buzz" for Your Business |
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| Written by Ben Clark |
| Tuesday, 12 February 2008 00:00 |
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With the surge in popularity of online video posts, you can get yourself ahead of the competition by using the simple tools provided in YouTube. For those of you who aren't familiar with YouTube, it's a free online video site, where users can join for free, and post their own videos live online. You can visit their site at : http://www.youtube.com to see some examples. Among the hundreds of thousands of "home videos", smart marketers are using the same services to distribute commercial content about themselves and their business and are starting to get a growing crowd of viewers. Unlike the written word, video allows you to put your personality into communicating with your prospective audience. It's like having your own commercial paying at the super Bowl for free. A few tips to consider when posting a video... 1. Make your video engaging. It goes without saying that you want people to watch your video posts. In order for that to occur, you need an engaging topic that draws viewers in. Pick a theme that you are passionate about, and use your unique personal skills to drive the message home with viewers. 2. Always add keyword "tags" to your video. Tags are unique words and phrases that identify your video, it's content, and it's theme. Be as descriptive as possible when selecting your tag words and phrases. 3. Give your audience a specific action. Using online video to market your business, you'll want your viewers to take action after watching the video. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. If you want them to call, tell them your phone number. If you want them to visit your website, give them the address, and if you want them to email you, give them your email address, etc.. It's also a great idea to display the phone number, website address or email address on the video itself. This can be done easily with free software like Windows Movie Maker and others. 4. Give them a reason to take action! We'd all like to think that our winning personality is enough to spark the curiosity of viewers, but it's a risky gamble to take. Give your audience some incentive to take the action you've requested of them. Whether it's sending them a free gift, giving them special access to information, a free quote, or whatever, it's important that THEY WANT to take the next step. 5. Brand yourself and your company in the video. Make sure logos, slogans, icons, and tag lines are prominent in your videos. give the viewers a visual image to resonate with. The long-term familiarity will benefit you in the long run, and make you more memorable that the countless others online. Additionally, don't feel like you have to post your video to all the different video sites on the net. YouTube is by far one of the most popular video sites, and posting to YouTube alone will get you picked up by most all of the search engines and traffic resources. And lastly, don't worry about video quality. If you've had a chance to view the videos on YouTube, you already know that the quality isn't the greatest, no matter what the original quality might have been. Broadcasting video across the Internet requires a great deal of bandwidth, and in the interest of time, YouTube will automatically convert you video into a lower-quality, but quick loading format. Most of the videos I've posted myself have been shot with a basic, consumer-quality DV camera. You can absolutely get away with doing the same. In summary, online video is becoming one of the most popular trends in marketing. However, it's still a young marketing trend. Start now before the rest of your industry catches up, and you'll have a surprising edge on the competition. The biggest obstacle that lays in your path to success is your decision to take action. Ignore the obstacles and focus on the objective. Happy posting! Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites |
