Video Marketing

In previous blogs, we’ve talked about ways to use Social Media to interact directly with potential clients. I’ve shared how Facebook Advertising can get your message in front of potential customers for very little cost ; and how a Facebook Business page can grow your business – but today I’d like to talk about some ‘alternative’ uses for social media. Many of these examples are platforms (such as YouTube) that can be used for more traditional social media marketing uses — but I’ll also introduce you to several unique platforms that allow you to collaborate with business partners and work more efficiently.

Social Media Tools for Collaboration

Social media creates great possibilities for real-time collaboration. You are likely already familiar with Google Docs – which allow you to share documents with your colleagues for instant revision, editing, and general collaboration. You may not be aware of other tools that allow you to collaborate via wikis. You’ve probably heard the term “wiki” before in reference to “wikipedia.”  Imagine a private “wikipedia” of information on your clients, services, ideas, etc… pretty neat, eh?

A wiki can be part of your internal site, but that requires you work with your website developer or IT guy. This may be a solution for you , but you might want to experiment with external wikis first to see if they are a good fit for your collaborative needs.  Online, hosted wiki sites allow you to create and edit multiple wikis on so-called “wiki-farms.” These external wikis, like an internal wiki platform, can be as private as you like.

Why is this helpful for small business?

Wikis allow you to centralize and grow information related to a specific topic. Say you have a new business idea – you can create a wiki and allow your partner to edit it. On the other hand, perhaps you’d like to create a wiki about your competition. You can share information and knowledge within the wiki – and attach links and files as well. Wikis can either be public or private (even if they exist on a wiki-farm) so you can keep some information close-to-your-chest and share other types of information with potential clients, customers, or partners.

Example sites include Wikispaces & Wikia

Social Media Allows You to Manage Your Clients and Your Time

Several social sites have sprung up to allow you to manage your clients. A new one that is garnering a lot of attention is BookFresh. Bookfresh allows you to manage your client appointments online – and to access that information via a smart phone when you’re away from your computer. More than just a calendar, BookFresh allows your clients to actually schedule appoints (and be reminded of them,) online.

Another time management tool is Remember the Milk, a site which allows you to not only create tasks online for yourself – but to share them with other people on your team.

Why is this helpful for small business?

The interactive nature of these tools makes them superior to say, a calendar application on your iphone. In addition, these products are either free (Remember the Milk) or low-cost alternatives to expensive software solutions.

Example Sites: BookFresh, Remember the Milk, Ta-Da List

Social Media Can Help You Train Employees & Clients

Media sharing sites can be great for marketing – but they can also be a great way to share training information or to make a pitch to your client. This can be done either in video form (and then post to a video sharing site)— or you can use powerpoint to create a slideshow (and then upload it online for viewing and embedding.)

Why is this helpful for small business?

Product demonstration or detailed instructions can often best be conveyed via video or a Powerpoint with animation or additional text. While these products can certainly be emailed – posting them online creates ease of access and it creates opportunities for comments, feedback, and even SEO.

Example sites: YouTube is the preeminent video sharing site. Videos from YouTube can also easily be embedded in websites and blogs and shared on other social media platforms. Slideshare is a great platform that allows you to upload Powerpoints and other documents – and as an added bonus, it is integrated well with Facebook via a special application.

Simple social media solutions can help your business become more effective and efficient. For more information on how to utilize social media to help your business grow, contact a Houston social media marketing company today.

Questions about this or other social media marketing topics? Use the comment section below, email me at jenn@directory.com , or go all SMM on me and contact me @SMMjenn on Twitter ; and I’ll do my best to address your question in an upcoming blog. You can also consult Directory One today at 713.465.0051

Read More:

Social Media Marketing: Follow the Money

Social Media Marketing: It Starts at Home

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You’ve probably heard that you have to have a presence on Facebook and Twitter. You’ve probably also heard a success story or two about some lucky business and the YouTube video that put them on the map.  But is social media some sort of magic tonic that will instantly help your business get more customers? Is it really as simple as just “being there” when it comes to social networks?

The short answer is no. The longer answer is that social media marketing in Houston is just like traditional internet marketing in Houston – it must be done smartly to have an impact. So what is “smart” when it comes to your social media strategy?  I’ve marinated on this question for a couple of days now, and I’ve come up with three suggestions for a savvy (and successful) social media campaign.

Social Media Marketing Rule #1: Know Your Strategy

It’s easy to get carried away by the excitement of all that social media marketing can mean for your business. It’s also easy to view other people’s success stories through the lens of the particular tool (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,) that they used to accomplish that success. While these platforms do provide a unique and exhilarating way to connect with your customers – we can’t lose sight of the fact that they are the means, not the end.  Just as owning a lawn mower won’t ensure that your grass stays short; neither will merely having a social media presence ensure that you are connecting with your customers. Social media is a tool – what’s your strategy for leveraging that tool to meet your marketing goals?

Social Media Marketing Rule #2: Know Your Tools

While we can speak of social media marketing as a tool – we might go one step better by envisioning all of the different social platforms and capabilities as individual tools on our social media marketing toolbelt.  Just as a wrench performs a different task than a screwdriver ; so does a Facebook application perform a different task than a blog.  Once you understand your strategy and the tools available to you – you’ll be able to truly utilize these “social tools” to meet your goals.

The challenge is that (unlike a screwdriver,) the capabilities and facets of different social tools change on a regular basis. Social networking platforms like Facebook are constantly adding new functionalities such as “business pages” to help their users make the most of the site.  Additionally, third-party developers are getting in on the game and regularly creating new utilities and services. This turns our straightforward “screwdriver” into a virtual Swiss army knife of capabilities.  While this is exciting – it can also be overwhelming.  Consulting with a social media marketing company in Houston can provide you with the necessary insight on what “social tools” are available to your business. You might be surprised by what can be done!

Social Media Marketing Rule #3: Keep at it

One of the biggest mistakes I see businesses making in the social media arena is the failure to maintain their presence.  This comes back to the notion that “being there” is not enough.  Engagement and conversation isn’t just a benefit of social platforms – it’s actually a requirement.  You will only reap the valuable rewards of your social media presence if you actively maintain it.

This third suggestion may be the hardest for some businesses to follow through on. Time and energy are premiums– and making the most of your social media marketing can take up both.  Working with a Houston social media marketing agency can help you save time and energy by assisting with your social media campaign on a regular basis.

Questions or comments? Leave a comment here — find me on Twitter @SMMJenn, learn more about me, or email me at jenn@newnectar.com

Read More on Social Media Marketing:

Social Media Marketing: Advertising on Facebook

Social Media Marketing: Avoiding Culture Shock

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The law firm of Busby & Associates, located in Houston, Texas, has launched a new web video initiative with the help of Directory One Video.

Busby & Associates specializes in consumer bankruptcy, debt consolidation, and family law, serving clients in Harris, Fort Bend, Galveston, Montgomery, and surrounding counties.

The following videos, produced by Directory One Video, appear both on the Busby & Associates website and on the newly created Busby Attorney Channel on YouTube:

• Are You Thinking About Getting A Divorce?
• How Much Does A Divorce Cost?
• Debt Relief
• Do You Have Debt?
• Do You Want to Consolidate Your Debt?

And last but certainly not least, the particularly timely:

• Are You Facing A Home Foreclosure?

For more information about filing for bankruptcy or divorce in Texas contact the legal professionals at Busby and Associates.

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Directory One Video Marketing Delivers

In less than 24 hours the Directory One SEO Evaluation Video appeared in the search results of the following video sharing sites with more on the way:

• YouTube
• Daily Motion
• Blip TV
• Veoh
• Yahoo Video
• AOL Video
  

Even better, when you search the key phrase Free SEO Evaluation on AOL Video, the results from from the other five come up, which leads me to believe that after YouTube and Google Video, AOL Video may actually be the next most powerful video sharing site.

To view the video, simply go to the Directory One Website Marketing home page and click play.

If your business is located in Houston, Texas, fill out and submit the short form at the top right of the same page for a free SEO evaluation.

Related Posts

Nine Viral Video Strategies

Video Optimization & Submission

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By Herb Firestone
Marketing Coordinator

To make it as easy as humanly possible to post a YouTube video on a WordPress blog post, all you have to do is download and unzip the Smart YouTube plugin.

Next simply upload the plug-in to your WordPress blog’s plugin folder and activate it exactly the same as you would any other WordPress plugin.

Then hit the Add You Tube button inside your blog’s admin and paste the YouTube url into the window that opens. This is not the embed code. It’s only the URL of the video, so it’s as simple as that.

Even if, for some reason, you don’t know how to unzip a file or upload one to your WordPress plugin directory, those instructions are readily available by searching on Google. On the other hand, however, the only place to find the Smart YouTube plugin, is in the WordPress Plugin Directory itself. The main purpose of the plugin is to enable you to easily upload YouTube videos into your blog posts.

As an added benefit, the video will be shown in full in your RSS feed.

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By Herb Firestone
Marketing Coordinator

Today’s videos both present the same message, namely, in order to create a viral video, you need strategic marketing.

The first is a CNN interview with Stanford University student Dan Ackerman Greenberg, who at age 22. already owns three Internet businesses.

Dan Ackerman Greenberg Talks Viral Videos on CNN

The second is a parody of the CNN interview video remixed by a how to video sharing site called 5 Minutes.

Exclusive! Leaked! How to make Viral Videos!

At any rate, hidden away somewhere within are nine strategies for creating viral videos:

Rule #1: Keep it short, 15 to 30 seconds and don’t make an outright ad, because viewers will never share ads. Make it easy to remix so that other YouTube users are able to remix it, add their own personal touches and re-upload it as their own – which is exactly what was done in the parody version below.

Rule #2: Attempt to get your video to the YouTube daily most viewed list by promoting it on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and influential blogs.

Rule #3: Optimize the title and make it catchy.

Rule #4: Manipulate the thumbnail. Otherwise YouTube automatically creates the thumbnail from exactly the halfway point of the video.

Rule #5: Engage viewers to make comments. Speaking of comments, please feel free to make one on this post.

Rule #6: Release all videos simultaneously as opposed to one after the other.

Rule #7: Optimize your video tags and descriptions.

Rule #8: Measure effectiveness with metrics and traffic.

Rule #9: Summarize. (Please see 1-8 above)

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