6 YouTube Marketing Tips

YouTube is the biggest social media site. It's bigger than Facebook or Twitter." YouTube is still a great place to launch or grow a brand.

Here are some tips from entrepreneurs, plus some from Lane Shackleton, product manager for YouTube.

1. Don't expect your video to go viral
Are you ready to become the next Orabrush? Maybe it's time to reset your expectations. 48 hours of video are loaded to YouTube every minute, so you're probably better off playing Powerball than waiting for your clip to take off.

Anyone who thinks they're going to have a video go crazy on YouTube is dreaming. Raw numbers aren't as important as reaching the right customers, so don't freak if you're nowhere near a million views.

2. Buy some ads
Since your video's probably not going to go viral on its own (or at all), you should consider buying some ads on YouTube. Fortunately, rates are pretty good compared to AdWords. Search ads on YouTube are going for 50 cents per click vs. $1.50 per click on AdWords. So you don't have to sink a fortune into it. You can do pretty well today buying "promoted videos," the ads that pop up when you do a YouTube search. However, no matter what you spend on ads, make sure the content is relevant to the search term. Google will base the ad's position on that relevance.

3. Use comments, hot spots and A/B testing as your focus group
If you hire an agency to run a TV spot, they're likely going to want to subject the ad to focus group testing. But if you're a small DIY advertiser, your best approximation of a focus group—aside from your wife and her Rotary Club friends—are the comments below your video. Many will be insipid and/or obscene, but some just may have some insight.

Beyond that, YouTube has some other tools to help you gauge how your video is being received. Chief among these is Hot Spots, a technology that lets you see when people are tuning in and out of your video.

Another option is A/B testing. Big ad firms do this, as well, but you can do it on a smaller scale by running two different versions of your clip as an unlisted video backed by search ads and then watching to see which one gets the better response. Then, you choose the winner.

Finally, there's Google Analytics, which will at least tell you how much referral traffic you're getting from YouTube. Shackleton says on average, people who come to your site from YouTube spend more time there than if they came from somewhere else.

4. Watch a lot of YouTube
If you're serious about using YouTube as a marketing platform, then do your research. Forget about watching TV ads, and spend a few hours discovering what's hot on YouTube. The goal is to begin to "recognize good ideas."

5. Track that ROI 
If you're spending money on YouTube ads, you will likely want to know what you have to show for it. The fact that people have clicked through your ads is great, but the novelty will wear off quickly if they're not actually buying anything.

Now here's the surprising part: Despite the fact that Google owns YouTube and marketing on YouTube is, by definition, 21st century digital and cutting edge, you still have to rely on a fairly improvisational, analog form of ROI tracking.

6. Find your niche
If you followed step 4 and watched copious amounts of YouTube programming, you should be getting a sense of what will and won't fly on YouTube. Guess what? No one wants to watch an ad unless it's really, really good. But rather than try to crack the code on a spectacular ad, either position yourself as an expert in your particular field or attach your brand to a particular lifestyle. Pick an interesting part of your brand and focus on it.

But what if you sell something really boring, like plumbing supplies? Chances are this is interesting to someone, perhaps someone who has to fix their toilet in a hurry. Get inside their head and make a video directed to their likely concerns. Whatever you do, don't think like a traditional advertiser.
The key is creating stuff that helps people, that people connect to, and allows them to explore. It's not about advertising. - OpenForum

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How to Sell Merchandise on YouTube - NEW Merch Store

YouTube has long been a friend to independent musicians and bands trying to build an audience, and now it can help them raise money through merchandising, as well. The video sharing site has announced a new feature called the Merch Store, which lets YouTube partners sell merchandise to their fans. They can list song downloads, clothing, tickets, a meeting with the band, and more.

YouTube isn’t selling the goods directly. Instead, it partnered with sites like Topspin (for clothing and other merchandise), Apple and Amazon (for song downloads), and Songkick (for concerts).
Artists who want to take part will need to become YouTube partners first. YouTube wrote on its blog that becoming a partner is now easier than before.
The page you’ll need is called Content Identification Application, and the purpose is to prove to YouTube that you own the copyright for the material you’re uploading. Once that’s cleared, you’ll be able to serve ads on your videos and sell merchandise.
If you don’t get access to the Merch Store immediately, don’t despair: YouTube is rolling out access to the store gradually over the coming weeks. Prepare your posters and t-shirts, and eventually you’ll get a chance.
By the way, if you’re in the New York City area, YouTube is hosting a panel discussion with artists who have advanced their careers using the site. Go to the Mercury Lounge October 20 at noon ET to listen in.

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VMakers - 888.712.8211,  info@VMakers.com

Video Marketing From The "Hollywood" Pros.
The team behind your favorite TV shows and movies, including: Ellen, Seinfeld, $#*! My Dad Says, How I Met Your Mother, The Disney Channel and more. 
 

How to Use Zoom, Moving Camera, & Moving Zoom:

Check out the video!

Magnification vs. Movement
Moving camera shots, such as a dolly or tracking shot, physically advance or change the position of the camera. A zoom lens, however, makes the subject larger or smaller within the frame simply by shifting the lens elements inside to change focal lengths. This magnifies the view of the subject while the camera itself remains stationary.

How do I tell the difference?
In a zoom shot, as the subject gets bigger within the frame, the spacial relationship between the subject and the objects or people around the subject will not change. This is the first technique used by the crew in the video above. It looks artificial because there is no shift in perspective.
However, when there is a movement of the camera, the relative position of everything within the frame changes constantly. The crew tried this method second, and were more pleased with the results. This method replicates closely our expectations of movement. For this reason, most motion pictures favor a tracking shot over zoom.

But that doesn’t mean that zooms and dollies can’t coexist together.
In cinematic situations of suspense or fear, a zoom paired with strategic camera movement can create a dramatic effect. The subject in the foreground stays a consistent size within the frame, but the background grows bigger and bigger. The unnaturalness of a shot like this is a powerful mood enhancing tool. The Vimeo crew tried this method last and liked it best for their video.
While the growing background is perfect for expressing a negative emotion, the trick can be reversed, creating a background which recedes. This shrinking background is perfect for positive moments of realization or clarity.

What’s the trick?
In order to get the background to grow, a zoom lens is used to shift between a short focal length and a long focal length. The problem is that the foreground also grows. So, to offset this, the camera must move as it zooms to compensate for the magnification, keeping the foreground subject at a stable size within the shot.

Get your custom videos created by the Hollywood Pros, contact us today:
VMakers - 888.712.8211,  info@VMakers.com

Video Marketing From The "Hollywood" Pros.
The team behind your favorite TV shows and movies, including: Ellen, Seinfeld, $#*! My Dad Says, How I Met Your Mother, The Disney Channel and more.