Posts Tagged ‘small business videos’

You’ve Created a Great Website and Video, Now What…Get Found on the ‘Net Using Inbound Links

Sunday, March 8th, 2009

You’ve created your website, and you’ve even gone to the trouble, and perhaps expense, of creating a video. Your small business is all set to be found on the ‘net.
But nothing’s happening.
You checked your rank, again and again. You’re not gaining ground. Google, or none of the other major search engines seem to be checking you out.

What can you do to establish your presence on the Internet?

One of the best ways to improve your rank is by having inbound links, (also known as backlinks).

When it comes to videos, make sure you’re using a strong site such as YouTube. Google looks at the page rank of the site you are linking to—and determines how important that link is. The higher their page rank is, the higher you’ll (eventually) rank as well.

Your goal is to get that video seen and one of the best ways is simply by asking for links–from people and companies who know you and those you have something in common with.

Type in your keywords and find other similar sites. Visit them, leave a good comment on their blog, and ask them for a reciprocal link. Instead of seeing them as potential competitors, view each other as cohorts–you can exchange links and ideas–and each of your can specialize in your own niche market and still leave plenty of room for the other guy.

Remember on the Internet, broad keywords won’t yield as good of results as finding your audience by what you specialize in. Make your keywords specific–there are still thousands looking for exactly what your small business has to offer. When you narrow the search, you increase your odds of being found.

If you’re going to the trouble to make a video, then be sure to create a press release/news release promoting it. News/press releases are easier than you think. Check out my post on Press Releases to get some pointers and find some great free press/news release sites such as 24-7 PressRelease, ClickPress, and PRLeap. Consider paying to post your news release. Paid sites have good ranks, and they will link people directly to your site.

Don’t wait to be found–submit to those directories and social bookmarking sites yourself.
Be sure to submit to Digg, Technorati, Delicious—and don’t forget that StumbleUpon will allow you to submit your site for links. Don’t forget your social media sites. MySpace, FaceBook, LinkedIn all rank well. When you upload your video there, be sure to let your “friends” know you’ve got a new video.

Webmasters everywhere are looking for content. Your video is content!
Again, start with your keyword search and email some website hosts and introduce yourself, mention your website and that you have a new video—would they like to post it on their site? If you created a good video that’s more than a simple advertisement—meaning, you actually offer content that’s helpful, then they’ll appreciate your video and want to post it.

These helpful tips can help to highlight your small business video on the web.
Make it easy for others to find you by getting those inbound/backlinks you need to rank well.
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Small Business Video Marketing Helps You Reach a Larger Audience

Friday, March 6th, 2009

Web-based videos used to be the domain of large corporations, and they used major resources to create every kind of video—from edu-tain to entertain visuals that are placed on YouTube and other major websites. It’s no wonder that small businesses jumped in and said, “Hey, what about us?”
And no wonder, web-based videos boasted a $2 billion dollar industry in 2007 and are expected to top 10 billion by the end of 2012.

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that only 20-somethings watch online videos—a healthy 40% of viewers are over the age of 25 and half are female. Web-based videos are promoted on websites, e-newsletters, on SMS devices and when they’re fun, catchy, or slick—word gets out and they’re quickly shared.

How Can Small Businesses Create a Web-Based Video?

1. All you need is a digital camera, a computer, and a bit of ingenuity.
2. What do you want your audience to know? Start with who you are. Video your office, employees, and customers—especially the satisfied ones. Promote a store opening, a product announcement, or a contest winner. Anything you can blog about, you can video.
4. Go to YouTube and type in some of your keywords and see what pops up. Check to view your competitors videos or other companies you have something in common with—then make yours better. Study what they did right and build on it.
3. Hire it out—consider a college kid. Every university has a communications department, and they need the practice and oftentimes, have their own equipment and already know how to upload it online. How easy is that? Make a call, hire a couple of college kids, tell them your plan and style, and see what happens. You might even be able to barter their services (what do you have to offer?) or many internships are for the experience.
4. Don’t just do one video—create a series. Make it fun, spoof a TV show, feature a local celebrity. Get creative. Every town has a memorable local commercial. It may involve a clown nose or a silly jingle, but the point is, they’re remembered. You don’t have to go bizarre to create a recognizable brand and style–but you just may want to–there’s a cheese-ball in most of us.
5. Keep your video short—ten minutes max.
6. Always strive to help or educate. Yes, promote your company and product, but don’t stand there for five minutes stating your name over and over—be of benefit.
7. Is your video funny? Does it flow? Does it cover your demographics?
8. Pick your spokesperson well. Even if it’s not you, or they don’t work for you—choose someone who is approachable, speaks well and uses appropriate body language.
9. Consider using music, but make sure you’re not breaking copyright laws. You can always use classical music, or feature a local band—and you’ll get their following to help you spread your message. You can even create your own music with programs such as Garage Band.
10. After your video is made, you can edit it. Check out iMovie for Mac, or Windows Movie Maker for PCs.

These tips are just to get you started. Local and online videos are a great way to feature your small business and broaden your audience base—and by posting videos on your website, blog, and social media, you’ll be able to capture and showcase your business in this exciting, visual format.