Although YouTube is one of the most visited sites on the web and is the clear leader in web-based video sharing, it still has a bit of an image problem with business professionals.  When most people think of YouTube, they think of funny homemade videos or video clips from favorite bands or TV shows.  They don’t always think of YouTube as a solid marketing platform suitable for a variety of businesses.  Some even argue that YouTube isn’t a true social networking site, depending on how strict their definition of the term is.

Properly used, YouTube can be a wildly successful promotional vehicle for savvy marketers who know how to use the web to build their brand and connect with their audience.

YouTube’s popularity is a clear sign that users love the visual impact that today’s broadband access and advancing technology provide.

Founded in February 2005 and purchased by Google in November 2006, YouTube has become a web phenomenon and a household name in only a few years’ time.  in 2008 more than 90 million viewers watched 3.5 billion videos on YouTube, averaging 41.6 videos per viewer.  In just the last 12 months YouTube has experienced tremendous growth that demonstrates the numerous marketing opportunities that this communiation medium can provide.  It has announced partnerships with the BBC, CBS Sports, and Apple; released localized sites in Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK; and premeired its first international film competition, Project Direct, with works from filmmakers around the world.

YouTube was also a major player in influencing the 2008 presidential election with the YouTube You Choose ‘08 channel that enabled candidates to communicate directly with the voters.

YouTube clearly has a lot to offer savvy marketers, even those who don’t work for major corporations.  Steve, for example, is an up-and-coming musician trying to gain some exposure for his new band.  He’s heard that some youTube videos for popular artists and movies have received hundreds of thousands of views in a matter of days.  Steve would be happy with a fraction of this type of exposure.  He signs up for a YouTube account, gets his own channel and posts some of the band’s video clips and tour information.  To generate further buzz, he uses YouTube email and bulletins to spread the word, posts video responses to the videos of related artists and joins relevant YouTube groups.

Jennifer, the author of a new book, would like to use YouTube to promote the book with a book trailer.  With the help of her husband she creates a slick 3 minute video that’s designed to captivate the attention of viewers and encourage them to buy her book.  She posts her video to YouTube, tags it with the most appropriate keywords, and embeds the video on her blog and website.  In an effort to get even broader overage for her book, Jennifer also posts her video on teh other Video-sharing sites such as MSN Video, Google Video, Revver and Daily Motion.

In addition to the exposure it provides, one of the biggest advantages of YouTube marketing is that it’s free.  At no cost, YouTube enables you to:

• Host your videos, including movie trailers, book trailers, TV video clips, music video clips, software demos, presentation clips, political statements, instructional videos, and more.
• Promote your videos to a worldwide audience of millions of potential viewers.
• Create your own branded link. For example, check out Adam Ginsberg You Tube Videos
• Tap the power of social networking by allowing users to comment on and share your videos

Tag your videos with keywords that help your target audience

Even if you don’t have video content to post on YouTube, you can still benefit from its vast audience.  youTube also offers advertising opportunities for companies with an initial budget of at least $25,000 who want to target its demographics.  YouTube advertising options include:

• Display advertising, including skyscraper, leaderboard, large rectangle, and small rectangle banners.
• Custom brand channels
• Contests that encourage involvement and interactivity.

As of May, 2009, YouTube users were 54 percent male and 46 percent female.  Age ranges were spread rather evenly across all ages.  Note: twenty-one percent of YouTube visitors are over the age of 55.

YouTube can be serious business, and when you add to it the SEO benefits of posting videos online, you understand why the savvy marketer is using online video on YouTube in 2009 and beyond!

UPDATE: At a recent Search Engine Strategies conference an SEO guru talked of the value of video for improving one’s natural search ranking, and how engaging customers will be crucial in causing users to interact with your website.  Here’s what he said:

“…In the case of video, we believe that as one of the more important engagement objects, google has actually started to build it into the algorithm.  To us, that means if your website has engagement objects on it, video or mp3… it is going to be received y the algorithm better and your site will actually have an opportunity to rank better.

Now today, we haven’t seen it much as an incidence of ranking, mostly because not everyone is doing it… I don’t think we’ve yet seen even the tip of the iceberg.

In a year, if you don’t have video, if you don’t have engagement objects on your website, you are just not going to rank.  It will make you last among equals if you don’t have it.”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If the opposite of pro is con, is congress the opposite of progress?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How is it possible to have a civil war?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How do you draw a blank?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If it’s zero degress ouside today and it’s supposed to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold is it going to be?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “If light travels faster than sound, is that why people appear bright until they speak?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Is there another word for synonym?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How would we know if a word were misspelled in the dictionary?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How do you tell when you are out of invisible ink?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Shouldn’t there be a shorter word for monosyllabic?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “How come you press hard on the remote when you know the battery is dead?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Why si the word abbreviated so long?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “What was the best thing before sliced bread?”

Adam Ginsberg Ponders:  “Why do we wait until a pig is dead to cure it?”

Do you have a question for Adam Ginsberg?  Ask Him Here!

PS - These were all gathered together by my amazing 12 year daughter who was creating her uniquely written camp newsletter. So, while I do ponder these thoughts, I certainly can’t take credit for making them - nor assembling them all into one place. It’s great to have awesome kids!

Use Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer to make money on eBay!

In today’s difficult economic times - and when it’s more competitive than ever to sell on eBay - you must lower your costs to maximize your profits if you are going to succeed.  eBay fees are stedily increasing so it’ more important than ever to use 3rd party eBay listing tools to increase your bottom live.  With Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer, you have have incredible software that is a solution, a way to create quality listings quickly and easily without draining your budget.

To be successful you must adapt and change.  You also need to do things differently then way other people might be selling on eBay.  And by automating your business you will take it to the next level which will further set you apart from other people who sell on the world’s #1 auction site.

Scheduling

Scheduling allows you to list items in advance to go live when you want them to—which can help you maximize end-of-auction bidding and spread out your listings. eBay will charge you 10 cents per listing for this convenience—and when you multiply that by several listings, the cost quickly adds up. But Template Optimizer users pay no additional fee to schedule listings. So why pay for something you can get for free? You could use the money you save to invest in new inventory.

Image hosting

Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer image hosting can save you even more per listing—and help increase your profit potential. When it comes time to list new goods, you’ll want to reassure buyers that what they see is what they’ll get and Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer image hosting tools can help you do this. eBay will let you post one image for free, but each additional photo will cost 15 cents. To get Supersizing, you have to pay 75 cents per listing. with a maximum of 12 pictures per listing.  You don’t have to worry about these fees with Template Optimizer—or about counting images. Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer listing tools support up unlimited Supersized images per listing at no additional charge.

Professionally-designed templates

Another tool to gain customers’ trust—and save you money—is professional listing templates. Template Optimizer has hundreds of these customizable skins that will make your listings pop and add a professional touch. While eBay does offer these, they are hard to customize and come at an additional cost.  As well, they are not attractive. Template Optimizer offers hundreds of templates, so you’ll be sure to find the perfect design to suit your business. And again, you don’t pay any additional fees.

Take your online business to the next level

As you can see, Adam Ginsberg’s Template Optimizer not only makes it easier to list on eBay, it also saves you money. Are you ready to take your business to the nextl level? Be sure to check out Template Optimizer today!

Community sells. Members discuss shared interests – hobbies, travel, politics, medical conditions, favorite foods, you name it. They create their own buzz and ‘user-generated’ content about their favorite products and services. They recommend things to one another – everything from the cars they drive and the restaurants they frequent to the places they travel for vacation. Think about it: Are you more likely to purchase something based on the recommendation of a salesperson or a family member or friend?

You belong to communities already – your family and friends, your neighborhood, perhaps a school or church or a professional organization. All of these communities can help you research popular products and services and spread the word about what you do and the products and services you sell.

You can tap the full potential of these communities, extend them, access different communities, and even create new communities online via social media sites, including two of the most popular: Facebook and Twitter.

Getting Connected on Facebook

Facebook was created for college students to keep in touch but has expanded to serve a variety of communities – from extended families to alumni groups, fan clubs, advocacy organizations, and everything in between.

After you join Facebook (membership is free) and create a personal profile, you can then invite people to become your “friends.” Other members can invite you to become their friends or request to be your friend, but both members must consent. Only friends have access to one another’s profiles and other content they choose to share. As soon as you have a few friends, you can communicate with them in the following ways:

• Post a message on your “wall” for all your friends to see. Messages can include text, photos, links, video clips, or birthday wish lists.
• Join or create a “group” and share content with members of that group. Groups may include thousands of members.
• Email friends for more private discussions.

Tip: If you must sell, soft-sell. Facebook is a social site, not a sales site. Posting a short message about a product or service you like (and perhaps have for sale) is acceptable, as long as you don’t abuse the privilege. If you wouldn’t do it at a family or class reunion, don’t do it on Facebook.

Facebook is good for:

• Getting a better feel for popular trends
• Identifying potential opportunities
• Promoting items for sale (soft-sell only)
• Letting friends know about your website or blog
• Notifying your friends of a new post on your blog
• Connecting with people who share your interests

Facebook is not good for:

• Hard-sell advertising
• Sales pitches

Keeping in Touch with Twitter

On Twitter, the question of the day, every day, 24 hours a day is this: What are you doing? And on Twitter, millions of members are constantly in the process of updating that question and reading other people’s answers.

Each Twitter update is considered a “tweet” and is limited to 140 characters. Members can post messages using an Internet-enabled computer or via cell phone or a third-party application. Messages tend to be simple and direct, and conversations move along quickly.

You can also send private, “direct” messages when you don’t want to share with the entire Twitter community. For example, if a person has a public question about a business, and you did not want to share your answer with the whole world, you can reply directly so that it would be seen only by that individual.

Spotting Popular Topics and Trends

Tweets are archived, and you can search them at www.search.twitter.com. This is a great way to identify popular topics, market trends, and individuals who are most actively involved in various topics of interest.

Attracting Your Own Following

When people find someone interesting on Twitter, they “follow” the individual. Typically, your “followers” can see all the tweets you create instantly – if they are either at their computer or they have their cell phones or third-party Web applications set to receive your messages. If not, your messages get buried by newer tweets.

By looking at a Twitter user’s profile, you can see all the people they follow and all of their followers.

You can tag your account with up to three terms that describe your interests. To tag your account and find others who share your interests, visit www.wefollow.com.

Tip: One way to grow your list of followers is to put a Twitter badge on your website. Twitter supplies the code, so you can install it yourself. The badge shows visitors your latest messages and lets them see you are involved and current. It also gives them a way to follow you in the future.

Many Twitter users feel it’s polite to follow anyone who follows them. Some automate the process by using a free service such as TweetLater (www.tweetlater.com). If you follow a large number of people, a large percentage of them will auto-follow you, increasing your list of followers.

Recognizing Tweeter’s Marketing Limitations

Marketers have yet to figure out a way to successfully monetize Twitter. Some say if you have a huge list of followers, you can tweet about your business and drive sales. While there are some success stories, they are the exception. Consider using Twitter more for eavesdropping on discussions to find out what’s hot and what’s not.

Twitter is good for:

• Spotting trends
• Connecting with trendsetters and keeping up with their latest activities
• Notifying people of a new item for sale or post on your blog
• Getting quick answers to questions through informal polls
• Maintaining contact with people in your field of interest

Twitter is not good for:

• Driving substantial sales although it can be used to drive traffic which in turn can become huge sales
• Replacing a website or blog
• Developing loyal customers and solid business relationships
• Creating lasting content that people will read in the future

Learn more about twitter here:  http://adamginsbergblog.com/category/twitter/

Supplements, Not Replacements

Both Facebook and Twitter should be considered helpful tools to supplement your current business. Neither of them can replace your website or blog. They can however, increase awareness, drive traffic to your website or blog, and establish you as a credible source of information in a particular subject area (if what you’re sharing is credible).

Facebook and Twitter are free and relatively easy to use. Take some time to sign up, create your profile, and get connected. In time, you too will gather many friends and followers and have a community in place to clue you in on what’s popular and do some of your sales and marketing for you.

Find Adam Ginsberg on Facebook Here: http://facebook.com/adamginsberg.com

Follow Adam Ginsberg on Twitter Here: http://twitter.com/adamginsberg

I get the privilege of traveling around the world teaching people how to make money on eBay and the Internet. I have met some amazing people from all walks of life that have achieved incredible success - many of whom had never sold anything online before we had met.

In the economic climate we live in, it’s more important than ever to take control of your own financial future - and there’s no better way to do this than by having an online business.

Does everyone make millions? No.  Is it easy? No. Do people blame others for their failures? Yes. One of my favorite quotes is:

“It’s never the bus, it’s the bus driver”.

Whether someone learns from me or some other “guru” online - and there’s plenty of them these days - all we can do is provide you with the insights, strategies, techniques, tools and systems for success.  But if you want to make money on eBay - or you want to make online…or you simply want to make money, you must put in the effort.

And, effort is only one part of the equation. You must have the right attitude, you can’t give up and you have to take responsibility for your own actions.

Listen up and pay attention - NOT everyone is going to be successful because not everyone is willing to do what it takes. Period. There isn’t anyone that can’t make a change in their life if they are provided with the right direction AND they have the desire and will power to move forward even when it’s not going their way.

Heck, I get my share of emails that say “I tried your program and it hasn’t worked for me yet”. And, I can understand the frustration that occurs when starting a new venture - particularly for someone who is learning something for the very first time. Even though the process might be simple - the effort it requires to sometimes make it happen isn’t always easy.

On the flip side, it’s incredibly rewarding when I hear from students that are truly getting what they want in their life - and what they deserve - as a result of an experience we’ve had together.  Recently I was in Sydney Australia where I was approached by Richard - a student who attended one of my 3 day workshops about three years ago.

At that time, Richard had 15 eBay feedback and was struggling financially. Today, Richard has more than 1500 feedback and is selling $100,000+ a month on eBay.

Aha, I’m sure the skeptics are saying!$100,000+ a month is sales - I wonder how much profit he’s making? Let’s say this - Richard is doing very, very, very well financially.

Note to self - why is it that it’s those skeptics that are not successful and always blame others for their failures…

Here’s a comment I just received on my facebook profile - you can read it yourself here: http://facebook.com/adamginsberg

Thanks Adam!

Adam… I read your book. Started ebay two months ago and I have 66 positive feedbacks and 100%. I am working on getting a steady supply of inventory which is tough. Selling and buying on ebay is easy (hard work - YES) but you have all the tools you need… THANKS again for a great book… it’s helped me. I have attained my first goal … Next is to become a Power Seller!

Matt Threlfall

And here’s a great email I recently received:

Hi Adam, Just wanted to let you know that We have over 3,500 POSITIVE FEED BACK, in 26 months from first attending your EBAY CLASS!

Thanks,

Gary Swaney

Sometimes students will ask me why I do what I do.  Well, there are many reasons, but one reason is that it’s incredibly rewarding to see people change their lives in such positive ways.

If you have your own success story, I’d love to hear it - just post it on this page!