Using YouTube 101 - for Business

YOUTUBE IS AN ONLINE VIDEO PHENOMENON AND A CHEAP AND ACCESSIBLE TOOL TO PROMOTE YOURSELF AND YOUR BUSINESS ONLINE.

Online video advertising and marketing is experiencing rapid growth with the popularity of YouTube.

Take your business marketing to the next level with online video advertisement and your own channel. YouTube is an interactive worldwide community, there are numerous ways to use the platform to inform people, get them to participate and broaden awareness of your business.

Television commercials have largely been beyond the reach and affordability for small businesses, NGO's and business, a YouTube channel can offer you a new and inexpensive marketing medium.

Setting up your YouTube channel is far from complicated, as your channel is automatically generated for you when you sign up for a new YouTube account. To set up a basic channel follow these steps:

1. Sign into your YouTube account and click the Account link (at the top right hand corner of the page).

2. Click the large blue My Account link in the top left hand corner of the screen.

3. From the My Account drop-down menu, select the My Channel option.

4. In the left hand navigation section, click Channel Info.

5. Add the information you'd like to appear on your channel

6. Don't forget to click the 'Update Channel' button to save your changes!

7. You can then click the 'View your public channel' hyperlink (in the top right hand corner of the page) to see the edits you have made on your channel.

You can now customise your channel to push your business branding, product advertisement and offer support features. Go to Channel design to choose a colour scheme to match your logo. Go to Branding options to add banners, icons and URL's linking users to your business website or other relevant businesses. Choose your top video, the top video on your channel automatically plays each time someone visits your page.

Update this regularly to keep it fresh, or keep your most important video there as an introduction. Use a video to push your company's brand, just the way you would with traditional television advertising. You can also take a more direct approach and use a video to promote individual products. Keep your videos informative, educational or entertaining. Include a lot of close up shots of the product and a link back to your own website where further product information is available.

A YouTube channel can be used for more than just the business to consumer relationship, it can be utilised as a tool in streamlining business to employee relationships for product training, employee communications and recruiting new talent. A YouTube channel can offer your business both value and opportunity as one of the lowest cost marketing tools you can find.

LinkedIN - the power of connection and social media influence

Your web site may be sitting there waiting for visitors to come along but not so for LinkedIN because it has 55 million users who regularly visit representing 150 industries around the world, LinkedIn is a fast-growing professional networking site that allows members to create business contacts, search for jobs, and find potential clients. Individuals have the ability to create their own professional profile that can be viewed by others in their network, and also view the profiles of their own contacts.. The best thing is that you don’t even have to pay to reach these 55 million people. You just need to figure out a way to attract their attention.

The paradox with online networking is that it is difficult to put into practice the usual nine influencing tactics of; reasoning, inspiring, inquiring, make them feel good, strike a deal, swapping favours, using silent allies, authority and force. There are three reasons why this is the case.

Firstly, most people joining LinkedIN are focused on themselves and use a discussion or comment as a disguise to leave their ‘online’ business card. Secondly, most people tend to fallback on reasoning to get their point across and a discussion then ends up as a verbal arm-wrestling contest. Thirdly, they underestimate the time, effort, and skill required to engage in a fluid and dynamic conversation.

To get benefits from online business networking, you need to invest time and energy to build your reputation. It is your reputation that influences and attracts people. People want insight instead of Inmails. The more insights you share, the more people will see you as an expert. The more valuable you become in your network, the more people will be attracted to you and so your reputation grows. Over time, people starts to look to you to make connections with other people. In short, you become more than your CV, you become an invaluable asset in your network. In benefiting others, you become the benefit of online business networking.