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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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.

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NEW Google AdWords For Video

YouTube will launch Google AdWords for video in beta on Wednesday. The tool aims to simplify online video ad campaigns and allow advertisers to use a dynamic, auction-based platform to place and manage ads on YouTube and the Google Display Network.

The platform, built on top of AdWords technology, uses the same pipeline to serve ads. It's the same product, but presents video first. In the platform, advertisers will have an option to create one campaign from a selection of video assets and pay only for a video views, rather than impressions using a series of four TrueView video ads.

With the launch, YouTube rebranded Promoted Videos to TrueView in-search and TrueView in-display. Aside from in-search and in-display, YouTube also added in-slate and in-stream.
It turns out that in-stream video ads boost brand recall. eMarketer points to a study by Break Media that finds viewers not only remember seeing in-stream ads, but also recall the subject. Forty-seven percent said they remembered the brand or product advertised after viewing a pre-, mid- or post-roll video ad.

Lane Shackleton, product manager, YouTube, said the new formats simplify the ad-buying process. In the display format, advertisers will have an option to run click-to-play ads. The in-stream option does not require advertisers to pay for the ad unless the viewer watches more than 30 seconds before skipping through.

A dashboard in the Google AdWords for video platform allows advertisers to set budgets, as well as monitor impressions, views, average cost per views, total costs, and Web site clicks. Advertisers enter a headline, description and thumbnails, display URLs, destinations and more. A preview window gives advertisers a view into where and how the video will run.

Advertisers can now define a target group, set bid amounts for each of the four formats, and search and set target suggestions by keywords. For example, the targets include topics like Art & Entertainment; Audiences, males from 18-24; and Interests, hiking & Camping. The targeting capability uses logged-in user data provided by the users in YouTube accounts and some inference data. Advertisers also can target by content, such as Spanish-speaking content or sports.

A call-to-action overlay makes an offer to viewers, shares more information about businesses and drives traffic to Web sites. The overlay appears as a display ad over the TrueView in-search and in-display videos that play on YouTube.

Similar to an analytics platform for paid-search ads on google.com, Google AdWords for video offers reporting capabilities such as monitoring length of time for views. Advertisers can see who views the videos, how long they watch and what other actions they take. For advertisers, it aims to improve the campaign's performance.

Some use information on view-through rate for campaign-split testing, where they can test multiple ads to determine the one that resonates best with their audience.
-Laurie Sullivan, MediaPost

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Our peeps are working on the new Whitney Sitcom!

Watch the premiere on NBC tonight!

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Video Viewers Use Tablets, Not Smartphones

When it comes to viewing premium video, consumers have more options than ever, from TVs to PCs, tablets and game consoles. How are people dealing with all these choices? A new PwC study finds that while traditional TV is still king, consumers are more receptive to new video platforms than they were a year ago, especially tablets.

But the willingness to embrace alternative screens does not appear to extend to mobile phones, whose small screens and slower network connections limit their appeal for watching TV shows and movies. The large screen of the home TV remains the favored way to watch video, with two-thirds of those surveyed indicating interest in tuning in the TV set.

Still, more than half (58%) said they spend more time now viewing movies and TV shows online than they did a year ago. "This was further validated in qualitative discussions, where consumers confirmed that they spend more time using their Internet-connected devices, especially iPads," stated the PwC report.

The study emphasized that people considered tablets a "wholly different mobile viewing experience" compared to smartphones, given screen size. Less than one-quarter (23%) had an interest in watching premium video on smartphones. PwC said the lack of enthusiasm for mobile video is consistent with research it has done over the last 18 months.

The PwC findings were based on a survey of 312 U.S. adults ages 18 to 59 conducted in spring 2011.
-Mark Walsh, MediaPost 

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Social video builds awareness for luxury brands.

Luxury brands that are looking to implement social video into their marketing campaigns need to keep the creative engaging and provide a reason for the content to be shared.

Luxury brands can increase awareness and attention and drive people in-store or to branded Web sites through online video.  However, this content needs to be shared and highlighted by influential people for the video to be found by consumers.

For luxury brands, video is an amazing way to build an emotional connection. With traditional online banners, it is difficult to build a proper connection.

For luxury brands building a relationship with consumers, it is necessary to engage and make consumers be loyal to certain brands.

The four A’s
There are four major goals that luxury brands can aim to accomplish through social video.
1. Spread brand awareness, which can be accomplished by having the video on as many platforms worldwide as possible.
2. Advocacy, which is created when consumers endorse the brand by liking them on Facebook, following them on Twitter or sharing the video through blogs and email.
3. Get attention. To do so, they need to increase the amount of time consumers spend with a their video.
4. A call-to-action, such as getting consumers in-store or ordering from a branded Web site.
However, a brand should not attempt to do all four things in one video.
The video gets too confusing for the viewer and nothing is achieved.

Sharing is caring
After choosing a goal for the video, a brand needs to ensure that the video content is distributed to its target audience.
Many people think that if they just create good content they can just post it on YouTube, but that won’t work because there is too much content on YouTube.
Luxury brands already using social media video:
- Audi is upping its social media presence and building the hype surrounding its latest limited-edition model through a week-long video series that it released via Facebook and Twitter handles (see story).
-,Jimmy Choo launched its Catherine handbag line with a behind-the-scenes documentary released on its Facebook page and branded blog (see story).
- Chanel released a video on its Facebook page for its pre-Fall/Winter 2011 campaign that highlighted the campaign’s androgynous theme (see story).
There are a few ways brands can ensure that the video content gets distributed.
First and foremost is to make the content creative and engaging.
Online video should not be a longer version of a brand’s television ad since that it will be too advertorial and not engaging enough to be shared among a viewer’s network.
A brand should be aiming to hit social triggers that will make people inclined to spread the content among their networks.
Some of the biggest triggers are things that are dubbed as funny or cute.
A great way besides Facebook and Twitter for brands to spread video content is to have it picked up by an influential blogger that creates a discussion around the video content.

Overall, keeping things simple and engaging is what brands need to keep in mind when designing videos.
And, when combined with social media, the value is unequivocal.
Video consumption is rocketing and Internet users are increasingly looking to video to inform, educate and entertain.
Social media makes it easier than ever before for brands to target niche audiences such as high net worth individuals and to do so at speed and scale, with very little media wastage.
-Kayla Hutzler, Luxury Daily, New York

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