Most people are afraid to use YouTube to promote their business. But you shouldn’t be and here’s why: the most popular videos aren’t professional productions. They’re just a girl or guy, that gets in front of a camera and talks about what he/she knows best. No expensive equipment required.
Here are 12 of my favorite tips for using YouTube to promote your business.
Copy What Works
Don’t reinvent the wheel. Generally, the videos that do well are funny, weird, or useful. Spend an afternoon watching YouTube videos and learn what works. Find out what videos in your market have the most views, high ratings, most comments or most subscribers. What are they doing right?
Put Keywords Everywhere
The best way to help people find your videos is by including your keywords in the title, description, and tags. Use the Google Keyword Tool to find variations of the keyword for additional tags.
Example Keyword: “Plant Tomatoes”
TITLE- How to Plant Tomatoes
DESCRIPTION- http://www.YourSite.com/blog – Do you want to know how to plant tomatoes?
Watch this tutorial NOW!!
TAGS- plant tomatoes, how to plant tomatoes, planting tomatoes, grow your own tomatoes
Related: YouTube (and Facebook) for Your Business
Steal Keywords from Popular Videos
Search for the most popular videos in your market and then copy the tags they have listed. This will increase the likelihood your video will be listed under “suggestions” when someone views that video.
Choose the Best Thumbnail Image
1. Go to My Account > My Videos > Edit
2. Select the thumbnail that will get you the most attention
Customize Your Channel
Before uploading your videos, customize your channel (profile) and make it look nice. Include some info about you and a link to your site.
Add Your URL to the Description
Add the “http://” version of your URL to the beginning of your video description so people can click on your link and visit your site.
Use Multiple Calls to Action
These are my favorite calls to action to use on YouTube:
- Please rate this video.
- Follow me on Twitter.
- Find me on Facebook.
- Subscribe to my videos.
- Visit my blog for more great videos.
- Embed this on your site.
- Please post your comments.
- Send this video to your friends.
- Check out my channel.
YouTube allows you to add overlay text in your videos. Use them for your calls to action.
Soft-Sell
You shouldn’t ask people to buy your stuff after watching your videos. Most people aren’t ready for this. Plan your marketing funnel and you’ll see a much better response. This is a example:
Watch YouTube Video > Go to My Blog to Watch More Videos > Sign Up to Get My Exclusive Videos (You Capture Email Addresses Here) > Try to Sell Them a Low-Ticket Item > Try to Sell a High-Ticket Item to Those Who Bought from You Before
Video Responses
Look for videos related to yours and whenever it’s appropriate post your videos as video responses to them (don’t spam). This will allow you to piggyback a lot of the traffic that these videos get.
Create Playlists
Playlists are a great way to get your videos watched by a lot of people.
Here’s how:
1. Add your video to a new playlist
2. Add great videos on the same topic (from other people)
3. Choose a smart name for the playlist (think about your keywords. i.e. “Dog Training Tips”)
It’s a Social Network!
YouTube isn’t just a video sharing site; it’s a social network. You can add friends, message them, join groups, create your own group and use the bulletin board to interact with the YouTube community.
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Promote Your Videos
Uploading videos to YouTube isn’t enough. You need to promote them. These are some ideas:
- Embed your videos in your blog.
- Email your YouTube link to your friends and contacts.
- Ask people you know to tell their lists and contacts.
- Write an article about your video and post it to article directories and forums.
- Post your video to LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and your other social networks.
- ASK PEOPLE TO SHARE – When posting on social networks including “Please Retweet” or “Share this with your friends” really helps.
