Tag: video

Categories
Sales & Marketing

Quiz: Which Social Networking Platform is Right for You? Part 2

Last week, I put together a simple quiz you can take to figure out which social networking platform is the place for you. If you want to see the quiz plus the explanation AROUND the quiz (yes, there is a reason other than the entertainment value — it not only helps you use each social networking platform more successfully, but it also helps you structure your time better, so you get the results you’re looking for), you’ll want to check out part 1 right here: http://bit.ly/1jakn6t

 

Let’s jump right in.

 

If you’re a 3: LinkedIn.

You prefer small intimate cocktail parties or dinner parties where you can engage in deep conversations with a few close friends.

 

You’ve got to hand it to LinkedIn. They were one of the first social networking sites, and unlike a lot of their peers (can you say MySpace?) they’re STILL considered one of THE top social networking sites.

 

In my experience, pretty much every entrepreneur I’ve run into is either in the Facebook camp or LinkedIn camp. They may have accounts set up on both, but they very clearly prefer one over the other (which means the one they don’t prefer usually gets the shaft).

 

And while I haven’t personally experienced it (since I tend to prefer the less button-down nature of Facebook), I know plenty of folks who have gotten leads and clients from LinkedIn. So it too seems to be a hot place to showcase your business. Plus, LinkedIn does do a decent job of sending you blog traffic.

 

In addition, the other thing LinkedIn has going for it is “staying ability.” Who knows if Facebook really will weather the storm of kids thinking it’s “not cool?” But LinkedIn has managed to carve out its own unique category that (at this moment) appears to have some serious staying power.

 

One of the things I want to do this year is learn how to use my LinkedIn account more effectively. And if this is something you too are interested in then stay tuned — I’m planning to interview a LinkedIn expert on PW Unplugged in the near future!

 

 

If you’re a 4: Pinterest.

 

You’re an artist at heart and love hanging out with your other creative friends, drinking coffee or taking art classes at the local community college.

 

Pinterest is really a different sort of animal. On one hand, of all the social networking platforms out there, the posts seem to have the most staying power. (Pins last forever apparently.) But in terms of really engaging people and getting to know them, not as much.

 

I’m still testing and playing around with Pinterest myself because I’ve heard it’s a pretty good place for blog traffic (who knew?). And if you sell an actual product — like jewelry or art — I think Pinterest would be hot. Food would be hot too — like if you are selling a cookbook, pictures of the food would go a long way.  Plus it works well with Facebook — if you go through the trouble of creating a graphic for Facebook, you might as well pin it on Pinterest too.

 

I’m intrigued by the whole blog traffic thing so if I test it and it works, I may very well invite a Pinterest expert to PW Unplugged. Let me know if that intrigues you too!

 

If you’re a 5: YouTube.

 

You’re the life of the party — doesn’t matter how big or small the party is. You love nothing better than being the center of attention as you entertain all your friends.

 

Ahh, even if you never wanted to be a movie star (and you really aren’t the life of the party) incorporating video into your marketing mix is really a smart move. The best part of uploading your videos into YouTube is how versatile it is. People can search directly in YouTube, plus your videos will show up in Google search results AND in your Google+ account. You can also incorporate the YouTube link in your Facebook page, in LinkedIn, on your blog, and probably in whatever the next hot new social networking platform is going to be.

 

YouTube is not much for actual connecting and networking, but as a way to send traffic to your site, there are few things that are as hot as video.

 

The problem with video is it’s not as easy as sending a quick tweet or posting a pic on Facebook. But it’s definitely worth the extra effort. And if you are thinking about using video, I would encourage you to batch your videos in one shoot — set aside a couple hours or an afternoon and blast through as many as you can possibly stand. That way, you only have to get all dolled up once in a while (not to mention all the work hiring a video crew or getting your own studio set up).

 

 

If you’re a 6: Google+.

 

You’re the one having a party as you wait in line for the latest high tech product. You definitely consider yourself one of the early adopters and having a party with other early adopters is definitely the way to go!

 

Google+ is so massive, it’s really hard to get a handle on it. Google Hangouts, the whole +1 thing, profiles, pages, communities, circles, videos…

 

It feels like at the end of the day, G+ wants to have it all. You have the search engine capabilities with the +1 and everything that’s posted in G+ gets indexed in Google. You have videos and Google Hangouts that automatically show up on your profile plus get uploaded into YouTube. You have the communities and the networking, and maybe because G+ IS more complicated than some of the other social networking platforms, the people you DO find on G+ tend to be smart, sophisticated and passionate.

 

G+ is another one I’m playing around with more because I think there are some possibilities here, especially for traffic and SEO. I’m not sure about the leads yet — you have to be very careful about promoting yourself on this network, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because getting to know people is the first step to actually having them become your clients. But without being able to openly promote (and really no advertising options like you have on LinkedIn and Facebook — plus Twitter looking like they’re getting into the game too) this definitely falls into a long-term biz building strategy instead of “get clients now” strategy.

 

 

 

 

Categories
Entrepreneurs

4 Hot Ways To Market Yourself in 2014

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As you sit down to plan your 2014 marketing calendar, you may be wondering where you should be focusing your marketing efforts to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Well, let me share with you the (currently) 4 HOT “parties” you most definitely want to dress up in your sexiest little number and be seen at!

(Note — like a lot of “In” things, these parties could definitely change to “not-so-hot” overnight. However, even if that happens, you’ll still be able to reap the benefits now; plus, what you create to take advantage of these platforms could be tweaked and reused for the next new hot party.)

1. Facebook. Unless your business caters to teenagers (who now prefer Twitter) Facebook is the place to be. And Facebook ads are also quite hot right now, so it’s not only about having a presence on Facebook – it’s also about investing in Facebook ads. This could prove to be a very smart business decision.

If this intrigues you, the first thing you need to do is get a Facebook business page up and running. It’s a lot cheaper to send ads to your Facebook business page, and from your business page you send people to your opt in page or website.

But ads aren’t the only way to go. Make sure you’re also on Facebook and engaging with your ideal clients on a personal and professional level.

2. Amazon/Kindle. Kindle is really hot right now. Millions of people are on Kindle every day searching for information, but that’s not even the best part. These are actual BUYERS — they’re not searching for free things. They’re looking to purchase a Kindle book to solve what’s keeping them up at night.

Another fact is people who buy and read books are also more likely to buy higher-priced products and programs. While it’s true if you publish a book, it’s a great deal of work to sell it (especially when you consider the very small profit margins) if you have a strong back end of higher-priced products, programs and services, taking the time to write and promote your book can be a huge win-win for you.

3. iTunes. Long time ago, podcasts were hot. Then they weren’t anymore. But even when the “podcasts are dead” belief was at its highest, I kept running into folks who loved their podcasts and listened to them religiously, so I thought maybe it depended on the market. But now we’re full circle and podcasts are hot again.

Podcasts are hot because iTunes is hot. Supposedly, there are a billion accounts on iTunes that have a credit card attached to them. And the reason iTunes has a whole bunch of accounts is because they give people what they want — the ability to buy one song at a time, the ability to download podcasts so you can listen to them when you’re driving, when you’re exercising, etc.

Even though only a small portion of the population are true auditory learners (15 percent) people love the convenience of audio. You can listen and do other things, and that’s what people love about it.

You can also use iTunes to promote videos and digital content (and who knows, Amazon may follow suit and offer podcasts as well one of these days). Plus, both iTunes and Amazon have programs to help promote your books and podcasts.

4. Video. Video hasn’t lost its sex appeal yet! I think a big part is people feel like they know you faster when they see you on video (and your ideal prospects need to feel like they know, like and trust you before they become your buyers). Listening to you on audio also speeds up the getting to know you vibe (again, another reason to consider podcasts — especially since you don’t have to worry about hair and makeup!)

Video is also versatile — you can use video on Facebook, in blogs, to help people find you on the search engines, on your site, as part of your sales funnel, etc. And if you do a Google Hangout, that turns into a video.

Now, before you decide you need to do ALL of these in 2014 (especially if you don’t have a team to support you) — take a deep breath. The point of this article isn’t to make you spin around in circles or feel guilty you can’t be at all 4 hot parties at once, but instead, it’s to give you choices.

I want you to decide which one — and I do mean ONE — feels the best to you. Which one appeals to you more? Do you love the social networking aspect of Facebook? Getting on a mic and gabbing for an hour? Writing short Kindle books? Getting all gussied up and connecting on camera?

Whichever one it is, start with that one. THEN you can move to mastering the others. The only exception is videos (and maybe Facebook ads), where you may want to use videos to support any of the other 3 platforms (but this isn’t about you mastering video, it’s about you using a few videos to support what you’re doing first.)

Categories
Online Business

Leverage your time and visibility with Online Video

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“I see you everywhere!” Yup, I get that a lot! Colleagues and clients tell me all the time that I seem to be “everywhere.” They see me on YouTube, Facebook, on blogs and on Twitter. I am definitely visible! But my online visibility is no accident. My visibility strategy is simple: I leverage the power of video to increase my exposure – and you can, too!
Online video is the perfect tool to maximize your web presence because it’s highly visible and viral. You can create one video and have it spread from YouTube to Facebook to your own website and beyond. It’s the ultimate leverage resource, because you create it once and use it in many different ways, and in many different places.
Best of all, creating a video to enhance your visibility is quick, easy and inexpensive. Armed with only a webcam or an affordable Flip Video camera, you can shoot a simple video message and upload it to YouTube in minutes. All you need is a (high-speed) Internet connection and a free account on YouTube.com.
Once your video is posted on YouTube, you can send it to Facebook and MySpace with one click! Other free video hosting sites like Blip.tv give you easy sharing and cross-posting functions to add your video to your own website, or to social sites such as Digg and StumbleUpon. To really leverage your time and energy, use another free service, TubeMogul.com, to blast your video out to over a dozen sites with one click! You get the idea: One video to many sites means leverage and visibility across the web!
Keep in mind that even just posting your video to Facebook is going to give you video some mileage. As others comment on your video on Facebook, the video then appears on their Facebook page in addition to your own. That’s the “viral” in viral video!
And let’s not leave Twitter out of the video party… While you can’t post the video itself on Twitter, you can certainly promote the link to your video on Twitter. Better yet, there are several free services, such as Tweetube and Twiddeo, that will notify Twitter for you whenever you put your video on their sites.
Finally, if you want the ultimate, maxed-out, super-charged version of video visibility, be sure to get in touch with me about a free trial of Veeple.com. Veeple is the video hosting platform that I use to make my videos clickable (with live links) and interactive. Veeple’s new deal with TubeMogul means you can even blast your video from Veeple.com to a boatload of popular video sites. It’s one-stop shopping for massive video visibility! You can find more info on Veeple here: http://tinyurl.com/ltdjgv.
If you’d like more information or a quick crash course on video visibility, please feel free to visit my “Video Traffic Blast” website. There you can find out more about my step-by-step viral video process. Be sure to get your video online now! Start sharing your video on the web and soon, you too can be seen “everywhere!”
LouBortonePhoto.jpgLou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.

Categories
Online Business

Five Quick Tips For Way Better Video

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With the proliferation of video sites and social media sites like Facebook and MySpace, more and more of us are making web videos – and that’s a good thing. However, an amateur or poorly produced video will not put you or your business in the best light. Fortunately, there are a few little things you can do that will make a BIG difference! If you follow this simple advice, your videos – and your business – will look much more professional online.
1. Watch your background!
Now, I realize you may not be able to use all the special effects that I do on my “LouTube” Videos (http://tinyurl.com/6lslh7) but you’ve still got to consider your environment! Where is your camera? What’s behind you in the background? Nobody wants to see your dirty laundry or your velvet Elvis painting in the background! Just use a plain or professional-looking background.
As another alternative, do what my friend Travis Greenlee does, and shoot your video outdoors. Most of Travis’ videos come from outside his home in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado!
2. Light it up!
Very simple: You’ve got to have more light in front of you than behind you. Otherwise, you’ll look dark and shadowy – which is fine if you’re doing a horror video, but not for your average videoblog! Too much light coming from behind you will trash your video. Even regular household lighting or a lamp placed in front of you should be adequate.
3. Are YOU ready for your close-up?
Before you hit record, how do YOU look? Just because you can work at home in your pajamas doesn’t mean we want to see them! Nancy Marmalejo at VivaVisibility.com does a beautiful job with her backgrounds and her overall presentation. She looks like a pro, because she is a pro.
4. Keep it simple!
More often than not, a webcam is more than adequate to shoot your video. I just use the iSight that’s built into my Mac. However, you could also invest in a neat, little $150 dollar Flip Cam. If you really want to take it up a notch, get a Sanyo Xacti camera like video pro Sherman Hu uses.
5. Be interesting!
Try to offer some interesting or unique content! To keep your viewer’s attention, you have to deliver some value. Keep your videos short and compelling… Remember, we’ve all got IDD – Internet Deficit Disorder!
That’s really all there is to it! Follow these five simple steps, and your online videos will be a lot more “watchable!” And remember, search engines love video, so keep on making better videos!
For more free tips and tricks, please feel free to visit my website anytime at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com.

LouBortonePhoto.jpgLou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.

Categories
Branding

Putting the YOU in YouTube

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With the advent of broadband Internet access and the proliferation of free video hosting sites like YouTube, Blip.tv, Revver and Veoh.com, today anyone with a camcorder and an Internet connection can produce a video and share it with the world. Producing video for the Web can be a powerful marketing tool for your business. Some benefits include:
1. Free or low-cost publicity and exposure for your company
2. Instant access to a worldwide audience on the Web, 24/7
3. The ability to use your video hosting site’s HTML code to add the video to your own Web site
Here’s a step-by-step guide for getting started:
1. Produce a short video
“Short” is the key word here, for several reasons: First, online viewers have a much shorter attention span when watching video on the Web. Second, longer videos mean larger file sizes. Most free video hosting sites have a 100MB limit; some even less.
Additional resources: For great, do-it-yourself, online video tools, visit Serious Magic and look at their inexpensive “Vlog It” software. Videomaker magazine also features tips for creating online video.
2. Output your video for online viewing
Once you’ve got your video, it still needs to be encoded and compressed to make it “Internet-friendly.” Video files can be enormous, but compression software shrinks the video file size so it plays more smoothly on the Web. Remember to save or export your file to an online-compatible size, which is 320 X 240 resolution; and compress it so it’s under 20MB, if possible. Be sure to save your video file in a format that most video sites accept, such as a Quicktime movie (.mov), a Windows movie (.wmv) or Flash (.flv) file.
Additional resources: QuickTime Pro (for Windows or Mac) is ideal for compressing your video and transferring it to whatever file format you prefer (Windows, Flash, MPEG). The software is about $30 (US) and is worth its weight in gold when it comes to converting files for online video.
3. Upload to several free video hosting sites
Now comes the fun part – You get to upload your video and share it with the world! Most of the popular video sites have relatively easy upload instructions: First, you’ll have to create an account for each site. The video hosting sites usually have a two or three step process that allows you to browse for your video file on your computer; add a title and description; and then click “upload” to post your video file. Most sites will also give you options for adding a thumbnail photo, selecting your genre or category or, in some cases, signing up for revenue sharing. (Don’t expect the money to start pouring in unless you’ve got a wildly popular “viral” video!)
Additional resources: Go beyond the obvious sites like YouTube and Yahoo, and upload your video to some of the newer, more feature-rich sites such as Veoh, Revver, VideoEgg and Stickam. Visit the individual sites for easy upload instructions.
4. Promote and share your new “online TV channel”
After you’ve uploaded your video, these free video hosting sites provide the option of “sharing” your video by giving you a link/URL that you can e-mail to your contacts. Most sites also include a great feature that allows you to copy the HTML code and “embed” the video into your own website or blog. Simply cut and paste the code provided into your own site. Finally, use RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to offer “subscriptions” to your online videos.
Additional resources: I find the most “user-friendly” sites to be Blip.tv and VideoEgg. Sites like these and Brightcove.com tend to be geared toward businesses and a bit more professional. Popular (and free) RSS feed providers include Feedburner and Mefeedia.
Finally, keep in mind these special considerations for web video:
• Since your screen is typically much smaller on the web, avoid wide shots with a lot of people in them. It just doesn’t translate well on the Internet.
• Avoid pans and zooms. Rapid movement is harder to watch on a smaller screen.
• Keep it simple. Don’t go crazy with a lot of titles and graphics. They may be too small to be effective.
• Keep it short – Less is more on the “short-attention-span” Internet!

LouBortonePhoto.jpgLou Bortone is an award-winning writer and video producer with over 20 years experience in marketing, branding and promotion. As an online video expert, Lou helps entrepreneurs create video for the web at www.TheOnlineVideoGuy.com. In addition, Lou works as a freelance writer and professional ghostwriter, with a ghostwriting site at www.GhostwriteForYou.com and a blog at www.GhostwriteGuru.com.