subject: The Marketing Power of YouTube [print this page] Author: Jonathan Taylor Author: Jonathan Taylor
Everyday, millions of people jump on YouTube to find videos on just about everything you could possibly imagine. Many of these are not all that professional. In fact, most are done by people purely for entertainment purposes. I recently came across a video which features some very talented kids playing Bluegrass like you've never heard. It is incredible. At the time I am writing this article, they have well over 395,000 views! What's even more amazing is that they have no website, no contact info, no nothing. I'm thinking, "What a Waste!" What's my point? Very simple - you, as an entrepreneur, need to be tapping into the potential of marketing your business online through YouTube or other video sites. Let me give you another example. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a leak in my attic during a heavy downpour. I could tell where the leak was coming from - the main ridge vent. My curiosity was sparked, so I jumped on the web, went to YouTube and looked up "leaky ridge vents". My search produced a number of videos done by one professional roofer, who gave a series of video tips of what to look for when inspecting your roof. I spent over 30 minutes just watching these videos because they were so informative. At the end of his video, the roofer's website address would appear letting people know where they can find him if they need a free estimate. This one simple strategy on his part separated him from so many other competitors. He did something remarkably different. From these videos, you got the feeling that this person was a real expert; not some fly-by-night operation. As an entrepreneur, you could immediately start producing helpful videos for potential customers. Even if your business is not online, you can still benefit greatly. A weekly email to your customers that provides them with a video "tip of the week" can go a long way to building credibility and trust with your customers. The great news is that it doesn't have to be expensive to produce. If you don't have a video camera already, you can get one fairly inexpensively. The new Flip cameras are great for producing YouTube videos, and they're easy to use. You can use a simple and free video editing program like Windows Movie Maker to add a caption of your website address into the video at the end. YouTube allows you to even create your own channel, which allows subscribers to sign up for updates on your latest videos. Video marketing is a great way to promote your business, and provide a great service to your customers. They will remember you for it.About the Author:
Jonathan Taylor is president of Strategic Marketing Practices in Knoxville, TN.
You can get his Free report, "The Referral Card Sales System- 5 Referral Secrets that Will Bring You an Endless Amount of New Referrals in Any Economy" at http://www.JonathanTaylorBlog.com
