The 7 Most Powerful YouTube Marketing Tips: YouTube beats Yahoo in search volume.

YouTube now accounts for 25 percent of all Google searches. Their search engine numbers state for a fact that “more searches are done through YouTube than through yahoo.” Studies have also shown that traffic from video sites can convert as high as 30 percent

Online video marketing is one of the most powerful mediums on the planet and at the top of the heap, is the video giant YouTube with over 107 million unique visits each month. On average, viewers watch around 65 videos per month. Currently, there is about 20 hours of video being uploaded every minute and there is a lot of competition. How do you get your message heard in that setting?

In order to be found and then shared (which is really the success formula) you must optimize your videos so that they are found in searches then you must engage yourself in the community. You have to be someone who is well-known and liked. “Wow that was a great video. I am going to send it to all my friends.” The combination of optimization and engaging is really the success formula.

There is one disadvantage to YouTube in that it doesn’t provide the kind of web analytics that you can get for a website. You can get analytics only if you are a branded channel. At the moment, there is YouTube Insight for free and it does provide helpful information but not the full-bodied type that marketers really want; improvements can be made.

There is one excellent case-in-point for the power of marketing with video on YouTube. The producers of Monty Python put a YouTube channel strictly for protective purposes. They wanted to ensure that people were not downloading their content for free.

The idea was that by creating their own channel with high quality content, people wouldn’t be tempted to download bootleg versions. As an after thought, a direct-to-buy-link was added at the bottom of the video. People who enjoyed the video and wanted to acquire the DVD could just click on the button and get directed to Amazon.com; sales went up by 23,000% on the click to buy link.

YouTube is becoming a direct response instrument for certain products, it works well with websites such as Itunes, Amazon and ecommerce stores. One of the most significant trends in search is YouTube; it is the second most popular search engine on the planet with Google being numbers one. There were 3.6 billion searches conducted in July 2009, as a search engine YouTube is not to be ignored it is too big.

YouTube Video Optimizations Tips

Before applying any optimization techniques make sure that the video content is something that a lot of viewers will want to engage in. A lot of marketers just throw their massage out there and hope that a lot of users will watch; that is not enough. What follows are tips to optimize your video for organic discovery, to get better search rankings and to show up more often in the related videos listings.

1. Your creative must be first-rate so that when people watch they a will respond by giving a rating, leaving comments or by sharing your video.

2. The video title, description and tags should be very clear and concise they must describe your video accurately. Use complete sentences whenever possible. Include the date when the video was created and include interesting details which will allow for better indexing.

3. Use tags that are consistent with each other. Some marketers try to attain a large viewer-ship by using keywords that are very popular and are not related at all to each other or to the video. YouTube has measures in place to discourage spamming behavior.

4. Using the embed-this-video option for placing your videos on blogs, websites, Facebooks and the like make it easy for others to share. It will ultimately effect ranking on YouTube and on Google as well. YouTube takes into account video ratings, number of views, and viewer comments as important pieces of data.

5. Another important aspect of the community is being proactive and engaging. When you participate by commenting on other videos you are able to connect with other content that already has a large following.

6. By using annotations, you are able lead the viewer in the direction you want them to. So it’s possible to create a series of videos with annotations which instruct the viewer to jump over to the next video where your message will carry on.

7. It is important that whatever content you upload is not too long. It should be the kind of content that viewers immediately react to. Typically videos that are 2 to 3 minutes in duration perform better those that are 10 minutes long. YouTube uses signals to determine if viewers are enjoying what they are watching and for how long they are watching.

So you have a message that you want to get out to the masses and now you have the formula for success on YouTube. Create videos with great content, optimize, engage, be proactive and have fun. Can you make money on YouTube? Absolutely!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Castillo

Training Videos: 5 out of 6 would rather watch than read…

5 out of 6 would rather watch than read
… that’s what made TV so popular.

Adults would

1. prefer to learn in privacy without peer pressure,

2. they would rather watch than read, and they would

3. prefer not be distracted by the entertainment value of the learning materials.

Video is also extremely helpful in cases where the trainees have low reading motivation. We convert your manuals, standard operating procedures, powerpoint slides to video format with animations, narration, music, etc.

Training Videos have been around for decades.

At some stage, we’ve all been made to watch one with a poorly written script, bad acting, overly dramatised narration and of course, bad music (and hair, you can’t forget the hair). And if you’re like me, you probably had lots of fun laughing at them and not learning.

But forget any bad experience you’ve had with a 70’s style training video. Educational videos really do work and they have come a long way.

The reason they have lasted such a long time is that they can quickly and effortlessly get across important training messages. Complex information can easily be understood.

Other benefits include faster staff training, a more productive and efficient workforce and reduced training consultant fees.

Best of all, educational videos will always deliver a consistent message and never have a bad (hair!) day. Important messages can be watched over and over again.

Tailor made productions are an indispensable training tool for companies with a large workforce that have important processes and procedures that need to be undertaken safely and correctly. New inductees can easily be trained to your specific company needs.

So if bad music and poor narration doesn’t work, what does?

1. Keep your Script Simple, Stupid

To get your training video going, it all starts with a KYSSS. Better wise known as Keep your Script Simple, Stupid.

Too often companies will write their own script based on their big (boring) training manuals. This is great if you want people to refresh themselves with a nap during their training session. Not great if you want to grab their attention and teach them something.

The beauty with video is that both pictures and sound tell your story. So you don’t need lots of talking to explain things, as you can show people what you mean.

After all, research has found that people remember about 80% of what they see, not what they hear.

Our advice is to spend a lot of time getting your script right, as it really does drive the quality of the production. Use lots of short sentences and avoid overly technical jargon.

If you can, get the video production house to write the script for you. Often getting a trained script writer to write your script means that it will be written in simple English that is not overly technical (ie: not a yawn creator).

2. Leave your Director Dreams at Home, Buddy

Often we’ve been called in to re-do a training video that was made in-house. An aspiring staff member with (dodgy) dreams of Hollywood believes they can have a crack at the company training video.

By the end of it, their pesky dreams are no longer. Long hours of frustrating editing has seen to that (which is a relief to their manager).

Despite their Scorsese intentions, the end result is often an out of focus, badly narrated production with jarring music. Usually pretty reminiscent of training videos of old or like something your mum would make.

As a training tool, it has little impact because people are too busy trying to work out what the camera is trying to focus on or trying to hear what the narrator is actually saying (which is usually them talking while filming).

Our recommendation is to use a professional video production house with lots of training video experience.

When choosing a video production company, take a look at their videos to make sure that the script is sensible, the narration is clear, the camera work is smooth and at the same quality as what you’d expect on television.

Stay away from production houses with no training video experience or who themselves aspire to be film directors (which seems to be about 95% of them). Too often, they have no business acumen and forget to focus on how to get messages across and improve learner message retention.

3. Reiterate, reiterate, reiterate

Using titles to reiterate your important training messages is incredibly effective. They need to be used generously in a production, as they really do increase your message retention rates.

4. Change what’s on screen……now

Expert training video producers have lots of tricks up their sleeves to grab audience attention and concentration.

One of them is changing what’s on screen every few seconds. The change doesn’t have to be dramatic. It can be as simple as a close up shot, a new title, or even a shot from a different angle.

By constantly changing the on-screen vision, people are more likely to keep watching with interest.

Another important point is to avoid getting your video done through your training consultant. In our experience, they tend to look at the size of their commission cheque (particularly sales trainers) and do not care about the end result. Most training consultants have no video experience which means they do not know the best way to present information in a video format.

Remember, if you need to get a training video produced, focus on the quality of the script and ensure that you choose a video production house that wants to improve learner message retention rather than just provide pretty pictures on the television. And for good measure, take a look at their hair!

Marie-Claire Ross is a Producer at Digicast Productions. A video production house that specialises in corporate training and marketing videos. You can check her out (and her hair) at http://www.digicast.com.au or phone (03) 9696-4400.

How to Create 58M impressions … 123,000 visitors …

Why pay a publicist outrageous fees to get you a tiny insignificant article in a newspaper or magazine rag when you can literally become an industry niche sensation overnight using a carefully constructed video and a handful of long-tail industry-specific keywords? We don’t just do videos, we help you get that video viewed by thousands of qualified prospects. Using little-known, inexpensive techniques we can bring over 100,000 visitors to your sites for less …

—

Why pay a publicist outrageous fees to get you a tiny insignificant article in a newspaper or magazine rag when you can literally become an industry niche sensation overnight using a carefully constructed video and a handful of long tail industry specific keywords? Traditional publicists have become that 1972 bowling ally loitering, disco dancing reject while a new breed of publicists have stepped in and transformed the industry from paper, to cyberspace in only a few short years.

Why traditional publicists have been adjusting that pathetic comb over hairstyle, young and aggressive publicists have been creating publicity techniques that deliver results in 24 to 48 hours as opposed to 6 to 8 weeks and as far as results, there is no comparison. Online marketing and publicity techniques such as creative video submission, if done properly can transform the direction of a failing company to “THE” industry powerhouse almost instantly by loading the video with solid, well thought out descriptions and targeted long tail keyword tags. A publicist who understand the concept of pure video publicity can tailor a campaign that can outperform any traditional publicity technique ever devised by the good ole’ boy networks who overcharge and under deliver for their clients.

Video marketing can stretch past the tiny geographic proximity of a city, across state lines and into international territory. Publicists that specialize in video marketing and other online methods used in strategic combination with one another, will have the client dominating every aspect of their industry niche. Targeted video marketing by the Web 2.0 type publicists translates into instant client results that build stronger client relations and can transform the future of any company in any industry.

James Scott, CEO of Princeton Corporate Solutions ( http://www.princetoncorporatesolutions.com ) specialize in corporate and political publicity strategies as well as assisting corporations of all sizes raise corporate awareness via online media. James uses Princeton Corporate Solution’s vast arsenal of contacts and proprietary methods to promote companies preparing for PPM and IPO offering due diligence by investors and lending institutions. Whether you are looking for massive, results oriented publicity or a corporate consultant to help you get your company ready to get to the next level with a Private Placement Memorandum James is here to help starting with a free consultation. call 267-233-0183

Laser focused company videos

In a complex multilayered corporate sale, your marketing support materials need to address different buyer concerns in each stage of the selling cycle: Demonstration of company capabilities, Differentiation and unique supplier status, Needs assessment procedure, Resolution of concerns, and Post-sale cognitive dissonance. Each stage has vastly different decision parameters. Your videos need to focus on objections precisely.

—

The Death of Traditional Selling

Far too many people waste time pursuing leads that refuse to pick up the phone or return calls. In your initial interactions, the prospect seemed ‘hot’ for your services. You did your song and dance. You sent literature. Now, nothing. The prospect has turned cold to all attempts to further the selling process.

Why? Because they suffer from an ailment more common than the common cold; salespressuritis. A sickening fear of being sold.

There is a simple cure for this fatal ailment. Avoid selling in the first place. I don’t mean to steer clear of all contact. I mean toss out the gimmicky, 1980s talk-your-head-off, push-for-a-close techniques the ‘gurus’ of the past preached.

In corporate sales, gimmicky sales pitches DON’T WORK. If anyone buys they buy in spite of the gimmicks, not because of them. Gimmicky sales pitches don’t work in big ticket sales situations either. There are two reasons why they never have worked and never will.

Today’s market is far too sophisticated. They’ve “seen it all” with respect to alternate choice closes, Ben Franklin close, and all the other stupid techniques that insult a buyer’s intelligence.

Second, fast-talking, outsmart-your-listener, old school techniques don’t work if you’re selling anything over a few hundred bucks. And lets face it, there’s not an industry alive that will pay sales reps to make sales under $100 (except maybe MLM). So chances are what you’re selling qualifies as a big ticket item.

The key to sales success in today’s corporate and big ticket markets is to talk less and listen more.

Here’s proof. In 1992 I came across a small case of sales training booklets that would change my selling career forever. The case was labeled, Xerox’s Professional Selling Skills System III. The promises of the system seemed somewhat outrageous. And the sales model was unlike any sales system I had ever seen before then. But I reserved judgment and like Mikey… I tried it… I read every page of the system. I worked through the sample case studies and scenarios. I had no clue if my efforts would pay off or not.

The results? My sales more than doubled. In fact, finally finding a selling “system” instead of winging the sales process made me the top salesperson in under 30 days at that company where I had previously been struggling just to keep my job. People with more experience than I had years on this planet were selling less than me.

Pretty impressive stuff considering the month before I received a written warning of dismissal if my sales didn’t turn around. And here, all of a sudden, I became number one on the totem pole. Sweet!!

However, I DON’T recommend using the Xerox Selling System today.

The Xerox sales model is a tedious process to use. Yes, it’s more effective than “winging it”. But the problems the system brings are many.

The process is easily fouled if you forget one or more techniques or miss hearing your “cue” for what to say next. And worse, the Xerox selling model often causes objections where none existed before.

How? By encouraging you to attempt to force replies from your listener, by requiring you to follow a bunch of predetermined hoops to get your listener to jump through (which they probably don’t want to do) and by encouraging you to move them towards a close. People aren’t stupid. They will notice your efforts to ‘close’ them even if your closing process is merely parroting back to them what they liked about your offer, then doing some lame alternate choice close. You just destroyed your credibility and created unnecessary resistance.

That’s why I decided to look for something that’s just as effective but less mentally taxing — for me and for the client. What I found isn’t a single selling system. It’s a combination of two. Reverse Selling by Ari Galper (available at www.unlockthegame.com) and SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham (available through Amazon.com).

The SPIN Selling model is easier to use than Xerox model because there are only four elements to focus on: situation, problem, implication, needs. This simplifies the needs-based selling model.

To give an idea how simple it is, I use Microsoft One Note to separate each of the S.P.I.N. elements into four individual tabs. Basically each tab contains one or more questions to help me understand the client’s interests and needs, and whether or not there’s a match for what they want and what I do. This is NOT a collection of those lame sales closing gimmicks.

SPIN Selling confirmed what I had discovered on my own… listening and asking sincere questions is far more effective than using lame brained canned sales pitches. Trying to push people to do stuff they don’t want to do is just plain stupid. It doesn’t work in professional selling environments and it’s mentally draining on you and the person you’re speaking with.

As effective and simple as SPIN Selling is, it’s isn’t strong enough on its own for today’s sophisticated market either. Just like the Xerox model, the SPIN Selling method has holes too. Reverse Selling plugs those holes.

The underlying focus of Spin Selling is similar to that of the Xerox model: closing. “Sharpening Your Skills” (chapter 12 of SPIN Selling Fieldbook) with the aim of preparing a bunch of features and benefits in advance and then ‘vomiting’ that noise onto a client is a disaster for consultative selling. That type of selling is the main cause of unnecessary skepticism and objections in a sales call. Don’t do it.

Reverse Selling forces your attention away from closing and back where it belongs… determining if you and the client are a true match for each other or not. And if not you simply say so and thank them for their time. The focus is NOT closing. It’s helping people. That’s what’s missing from the SPIN Selling and the Xerox model.

That’s why I recommend using Spin Selling for its structure: situation, problem, implication, needs. But for what to say or ask during a sales call, I merge the Reverse Selling “no sales pitch” approach into those four elements.

I recommend you do it too. You’ll eliminate all selling pressure from you and the person you’re speaking with when you focus on their needs, instead of yours. And instead of reflecting an ‘always be closing’ mentality, your sincere concern and willingness to help will shine through.

And you’ll develop a selling structure that presents you as a concerned and competent professional. But best of all, by tossing out the archaic old school sales pitches you make it easy, even a joy for others to pick up the phone and talk with you.

Andre Bell is an author and marketing advisor. He runs an informational website that provides technology marketing tips and recommendations for Solution Providers, Computer Consultants, and Small VARs. Visit his official site at http://www.AndreBell.com for his free nine-step technology marketing guide.