A column article I wrote for Business Fraser Valley News titled “YouTube Marketing Mini Guide”. The pdf can be downloaded here:
BFV Sept 09 – YouTube marketing mini guide
And full page where the article appeared is here:
Keep in mind this was a while ago, so the info might be a little outdated!
Below is the full text of the article before it was edited for publication:
A mini-guide to YouTube video marketing
YouTube is the place to be when conducting video marketing. Therefore, knowing how to use the site to attract audiences is essential.
Research
‘Feature videos’ will give insight into what’s popular, or being promoted. Use current trends to create a spin-off. Remember to stay relevant to your industry, no matter what video you create.
Statistics and Data
This tab of information underneath YouTube videos is a marketer’s dream-come-true. You can see exactly how viewers got to your video and how many hits it’s had. Track market reactions with this tool.
Video Engine Optimization
YouTube should be used as a ‘teaser’, giving good content, but not enough. To get the rest, viewers should easily be able to click to you. Therefore, always watermark your videos with your URL. This way, if someone else uses your video, viewers will know where to find the source. At the end of the video, give an incentive to visit your site (offer a free course, give a gift, etc.). Draw away from YouTube to focus on you.
Community
YouTube now behaves like a social network. Users can be ‘friends’, subscribe to channels, set up their own channel, leave comments, mark favourites and rate videos. Join the discussion and get involved. Set up a branded channel. Videos conducive to a lot of activity will favour well with YouTube’s rankings. Relevant videos get indexed on Google’s main search engine as well.
Video Responses
Video Responses are exactly that – a video responding to a video. By utilizing video responses, you can ‘steal’ traffic away from competitors and direct them to you. If your response is a quality one, it will not only get more hits, it will also get higher ratings.
Expert Village
Expert Village is now run through eHow.com. Joining this network provides great ‘social proof’ as you teach others the how-to of your trade.
Paid Advertising
Advertising with YouTube and could be well worth the investment; it’s the second largest search engine. Options include Adwords, in-video ads, promotional videos that appear on search queries and homepage features.
Other little things
You can specify a part in your video to be used as the thumbnail. Chose this wisely to attract the most attention.
Label yourself as an expert. When setting up a YouTube account you’ll have different options to describe the kind of user you are. A safe pick is ‘guru’.