Video Trumps Text Every Time!

It should come as no suprise to anyone that video is extremely popular. Why? Because many people learn by what they see rather than what they hear.  Video is usually more entertaining and satisfies both senses.    So video is a terrific way for business owners to reach their audience.  The best news is that for a very affordable cost, you can start recording and publishing your own video quickly and easily.

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I encourage clients to use video wherever they can to drive home their message to their audience.  Granted, video tends to work better in a Business to Consumer B2C0 environment rather than Business to Business (B2B), but it is still an extremely powerful medium.  And since YouTube is owned by Google, your SEO (search engine optimization) rankings will be very high since Google heavily indexes its own sites. YouTube is ranked as the #1 video web brand.

Here are my top 5 tips on using YouTube:

1.      Get yourself your own ‘channel’.

By creating an account on YouTube you are setting up your own channel and it’s free!  This allows all your content to be stored in one place and easily accessible.  Make sure you fill out the profile completely which includes adding a picture of yourself. Try and use one that is consistent with your other social media sites.  As always the objective here is to develop a relationship with your audience so invite comments!

Helpful tip: When allowing comments on your videos, select the option that allows you to ‘pre-approve’. This will help you manage the comment stream and keep things on a professional level.

2.     Style To Suit Your Needs

There are different types of videos that you can post:

• Sitting in front of the camera talking to your audience,
• Demonstration style where you actually show your audience how to do something,
• Educational style using powerpoint slides/screen captures to demonstrate your material
• More enhanced videos with a more professional feel which usually requires more experience and a few more sophisticated tools.

Choose the best type to suit the message and experiment with the different styles.  It’s also important to practice, practice, practice in front of the mirror and then with the camera to get comfortable. Get someone to critique it for you so can get some feedback as to how you come across on screen.   Pay particular attention to the lighting, your background, your posture, gestures etc. A smile can go a long way.

Helpful tip: Using a product like the Flip Mino makes it pretty easy to start filming and posting quickly. The nice thing about this camera is that it has the usb plug in already on the camera making it super easy to plug into your computer and begin the upload to YouTube! Make sure you use a tripod because even the best hand will shake under pressure!  If you want to see someone who’s a whiz with video, check out Lou Bortone.

3.      Content

As with the other social media sites, content is king.  Make your videos entertaining and provide value.  YouTube allows videos up to 10 minutes, but honestly not many people will sit through a 10 minute video unless your content is really compelling.  The recommendation is about 3 minutes.  Facebook for example has a limit of 2 minutes, so the idea here is short and sweet.

Helpful tip:  The other key thing to note is that there are only certain filetypes that these sites will accommodate. Make sure you check YouTube or Facebook first to know which filetypes they will accept and film accordingly. You don’t want to have to start with file conversions.   That’s why I am suggesting the Flip Mino. It’s format is acceptable to sites like YouTube.

4. Keywords

Using keywords in YouTube is the same as using keywords on your website or on your blog.  Choosing these keywords carefully will increase your chances of getting found on sites like Google and YouTube.

Helpful tip: If you don’t want to allow your video to be embedded on anyone else’s site, make sure you inhibit the embed option when you upload your video to YouTube.  However, in the spirit of being open, authentic and the possibility of greater viewership, you may want to allow your video to be used by others.  This might even open the door for joint venture partnerships.  Just make sure that you brand your video somehow, either by embedding your url directly onto the video, or by wearing your logo’d material in the video – something that protects you and your video.

5.     Syndication

Once you have produced your video and posted it on YouTube, don’t forget to link to or embed it into your blog, on your facebook page and even your website.  Consider posting it to other video sharing sites like Metacafe or Google video. This further promotes you and your business.

Helpful tip: Last but not least, don’t forget to evaluate your success.  YouTube actually will give you stats on your video, how many times it’s been viewed, commented on, and even how many times it’s been embedded on other sites. In this way, you’ll know which have been your most successful videos!

So those are my top 5.  If you feel daunted by the idea of using video, there’s help out there for you.  Consult your Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant for help.

I’d love to get your feedback. Use the Reply option below and tell me how you use Video in your business!

As a bonus, I offer comment luv here on my blog…By leaving a comment, you will be able to link back to your own site…great for SEO Look forward to hearing from you!

While physically located in Newmarket, Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Who’s Next? Have you Googled Yourself Lately?

I wonder how many businesses out there are paying attention to the change that is going on in terms of brand and reputation management.  With the proliferation of Social Media,  the power to define and control  a brand is now shifting from corporations and institutions to individuals and communities.

Back in 2005, before Social Media became popular, blogger Jeff Jarvis who, among other accreditations, was creator and founding editor of Entertainment Weekly, Sunday editor and associate publisher of the New York Daily News, TV critic for TV Guide and People, purchased a Dell computer which he considered a lemon. When he wasn’t able to get the customer service he was looking for, he proceeded to take Dell down a very lonely path after writing a blog which he entitled “Dell Lies.  Dell Sucks”.  Not an attractive headline.

At the time, Jeff was not able to get Dell’s Executive to respond in the online forum. It was only after their customer satisfaction, market share and share price took a beating that they started paying attention to Social Media. Since that time, Dell has done a complete turnaround and in 2007, they began using Twitter to market its used and refurbished equipment.

Recently, they announced $2M of revenue directly attributable to their @DellOutlet Twitter id and another $1M of revenue from clickthroughs to their Dell.com site.  Jeff now says he blew Dell a big wet kiss.  If you check out their website, you will see a “community” section where they have incorporated a solid SM approach to doing business. Even their employees are now blogging on Dell’s behalf.  Bravo Dell!

This should have been a road map for other organizations to follow!  Fast forward to 2009.

Earlier this spring, Domino’s Pizza were blind-sided when a couple of its employees uploaded a video to YouTube, portraying them breaking every health rule possible while involved in food preparation.  With no one from their organization paying any attention to reputation management online, it took a consumer to bring it to their attention.  There is now a lawsuit pending.   Not surprisingly, I am now seeing Domino’s ads everywhere professing their high customer sat ratings in 2009.

I can only imagine how expensive this recovery effort is to say nothing of the cost of the lawsuit compared to the cost of  some reputation management software and a little awareness. To their credit, Dominos’ President addressed the incident by publishing its own YouTube video shortly thereafter.

It’s time for businesses to sit up and take notice.  Keeping track of what’s being said about your organization online is becoming increasingly important.  And it’s not just big business that needs to pay attention.  Small business owners are just as much if not more vulnerable to having their reputation sullied from a dissatisfied consumer.   Social Media is word of mouth marketing, and bad press can really hurt you.

It’s time to jump on the bandwagon people!  And, if you’re unsure how to track your own or your company’s reputation online, there is help out there.  While you are at it, it’s probably time to take a look at an overall Social Media strategy for your business.  As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, I can help you from strategy and action planning to profile building and on-going maintenance and support.  It’s much easier to create a positive flow of communication at the outset than to back pedal and recover from a media disaster.

So, do you know what’s being said about you?  Go ahead Google yourself…regularly.

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

It’s Really Not Easy Being Green 

Not enough eyes were rivoted on Britain this week as the Prince of  Wales launched his new campaign to save the Rainforests.  While his support of the environment is certainly not new, what is new is that he embraced social media to get his message across.    Notice how he signs off at the end of the video. Charles, Prince of Wales, very informal – so unlike his usual demeanor but very appropriate for this media landscape.  Social Media has certainly made an impact.

The video is both entertaining and educational.  So why are there so few views? Why is no one jumping on proliferating this link as they did for Susan Boyle just weeks ago.  Surely everyone knows by now that the rainforests are the lungs of the plant. This is critical situation and Social Networking is the ideal way to spread the message. Everyone needs to do their part!

We have the power to send this message around the world and make a difference. Virtual Assistants do their part in reducing the carbon footprint by supporting multiple clients from their homes therefore allowing business owners to cut down on the need for additional computers, electricity, automobile emissions, etc.

Please join me in continuing to spread the word and keep this issue at the forefront to help save the planet for our future generations.  Click here for more information on this campaign.

Your comments are always welcomed! Let me know what you think.

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, as a VA, she is virtually yours anywhere….

Seeing The Forest From The Trees

Are you:

•  Struggling with Social Media and where it fits into your overall marketing strategy?
• Unsure of which Social Media applications to invest in?
• Or, do you find yourself wanting to jump on the bandwagon just because everyone else is?
• Have you lost track of the big picture?

It is so easy to get caught up in the flurry of activity lately surrounding Social Media.  Everyone is talking about it.  Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters have jumped on board in the last week,  YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are hopping with the new celebrity of Susan Boyle from Britain’s Got Talent and it seems everywhere you turn, someone is talking about the “new” marketing landscape.

But before you jump on the bandwagon, I think it’s important to have a good grip on the big picture when it comes to your business.  Be an eagle!  If your audience is hanging out in the Social Media environment, make sure that you know exactly where they are so that your efforts are effective.  Don’t jump in and participate just because everyone else is.   Get help if you are unsure.

As a Social Media Specialist Virtual Assistant, there are lots of ways that I can help you decipher where you should be spending your time and effort and whether you should be there at all.   There are still situations that are more conducive to more traditional forms of direct marketing and if they work for you and your business, stay the course.  A balanced approach is key.  Social Media is a wonderful way to instantly reach a targeted group, develop relationships and build your business, but only if your audience is reachable in this environment.

If they aren’t, there’s no point in trying to ram a square peg into a round hole.   

Over time, you may find that your business changes and there is a need to incorporate Social Media into your overall strategy.   That’s great!  And if you do decide to enter this new world, understand that it takes time and active participation to perform well in this environment.  The purpose of Social Media is to engage your market. And when you are ready, I’ll be there to help you.

Love to know what you think!

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours anywhere….

The Power of Social Media

In the space of just one week, 47 year old Susan Boyle 0f West Lothian, Scotland has taken YouTube by storm. The latest count is over 33 million views since her stunning performance on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this week.  She is already a front-runner and favorite to win the competition and they haven’t even gotten through the audition stage yet.  Move over Paul Potts!

Already there are several fan sites up and running with clips of interviews she has given the local news agencies since her meteoric rise to fame. I had to smile to myself watching one of the clips. The interviewer was so bad it was comical. With the speed that this story has hit the world scene, the small town local reporters have no doubt been caught off guard and will likely find that they have to brush up on their skills in a hurry.

I must admit I have probably watched this video about 100 times. I can’t seem to get enough of the reaction of the audience, the judges, particularly Simon Cowell and the hosts of the show to say nothing of her stunning rendition of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.  The clear lesson: Never, ever judge a book by its cover.

But I am curious…what is it about this woman that has people flocking to YouTube?   Is it that we truly want to see the underdog triumph or is it that social media applications like Twitter and YouTube have made her story instantly accessible and we now have the opportunity to share in the experience and contribute to her success and notoriety by proliferating the links?  Would we have known about her or been this enthusiastic if these applications didn’t exist…?  Social Media has allowed us to shed light in every corner of the world and to actively participate in stories as spirit-lifting as this one and I think the answer is a lovely combination of the two.

Whatever the case, as Oprah Winfrey said: It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from. The ability to triumph begins with you. Always.

May Susan Boyle be a shining example of that! You Go Girl ! And we clearly want to help you get there!

What do you think?

While physically located in Newmarket Ontario where Joanne lives with her family, she is virtually yours anywhere….