Free Download: 10 YouTube Tips For 2010

Posted on December 29, 2009 by Nikc Miller

A few weeks ago we launched our new mini-ebook Produce, Post, Promote: Ten YouTube Tips For 2010 to our email list (you can get it here). The book has been very well received and was downloaded by people ranging from business owners to bloggers.

Alot of people have already asked me something to this effect:

Why would a video production company want to give away their own pro web-video tips to any ole person that signs up?

To me the answer is simple: I give this advice out to my friends all of the time. After typing up yet another email to one of my buddys about how to properly tag a video, I thought: It’s really time to (finally) write a guide!

The 13-page book contains tips on:

Planning an effective video campaign
Properly tagging videos for maximum exposure
Gaining new audiences with your video
Using your current marketing efforts to gain more views
And More (for real)

I’m always scouring the web for info so I know there’s alot of FREE (!!!zomg!!!) crap out there, so to prove that this little guide has alot of value, here’s Tip 11 (the one that didn’t make it in the book):

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Create A Click-Through Ad To Your Website For (Almost) Free:Alot of people immediately write off the Promoted Videos option that YouTube offers. If you aren’t aware, Promoted Videos works like Google AdWords. You can pick keywords and offer a pay-per-click price for each time someone clicks on your video for those words. If you are not interested in pay-per-click, you may have never experimented with this option. However, YouTube offers a big incentive for using Promoted Videos: A Clickable Call-To-Action Overlay.

This option gives you the power to place your very own ad on your video that clicks through directly to your site. The best part is that if you are not really interested in paying-per-click you can bid ultra-low on a super popular keyword. The result: You pay next-to-nothing because your video gets zero-to-low impressions, and you come out with an effective click-through advertisment for your video.

Check out this example!

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You can get the full-version of Produce, Post, Promote: Ten YouTube Tips For 2010 here. Did I forget to mention that it was free?

Promote Your Video Using Su.pr

Posted on December 7, 2009 by Nikc Miller

If you want to give your web video a kick-start, the first thing to do is to start promoting it. The go-to sources for content promotion are email, Twitter, and Facebook. And while those sources are good you may want to consider launching it into yet another web 2.0 filter: StumbleUpon

Until recently, I was pretty unfamiliar with StumbleUpon. But just a few months ago they released a new link-shortening tool called Su.pr. Su.pr links up to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, shortens your links and promotes your content through these portals. But it also releases your content into StumbleUpon world, upping the chances that your video content will be seen and promoted by random web viewers.

Here’s a brief overview of how simple it is to use Su.pr (I mean, you were gonna shorten that link anyway):

1. Shorten It

Assuming that you already set up your Su.pr account and linked it to your Facebook and Twitter pages, take the link that you want to shorten and place it in the Post box.

Press “Just Shorten”

Voila you have a nice short link!

2. Tweet It

The Post box works just like Twitter, counting down the characters you have remaining. I recommend writing a message that at least describes what your link is about.

Click ‘Post’. Your Tweet and Shortened Link will show up on your linked Twitter and/or Facebook account.

3. Stumble It

Now the fun part: go into your Su.pr stats and add in the info that will increase the odds that people browsing StumbleUpon will actually see your content. Clarity is key here. If you are adding a sports video pertaining to sports history and basketball, you want to make it easy for StumbleUpon’s engine to guide the right people to your content.

Su.pr stats will tell you how many people clicked on your link via your Tweet. The number underneath tells you how many additional clicks your content has gotten just from being posted on StumbleUpon.

4. Try It

If you’re curious to how StumbleUpon presents the content, check out my link:http://su.pr/7zVsbg

With additional techy stats, and an API that allows you to shorten links through your domain, Su.pr is a formidable tool in launching and promoting your viral videos and content across the web.

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If you like this article than check out:

What Can Facebook Do For Your Business? - A primer in setting up a Facebook Fan Page for your business. Gaining fans and providing content by automating your blog feed to the page.

Use The YouTube Beta Channel - A guide in branding your video channel by using new (understated) features in YouTube.

Secrets of New Marketing – A bit of Seth Godin wisdom about the new marketing philosophy of content distribution.