Social Networking via Video

When most people talk about social media they immediately think of such networks as Facebook, Twitter and Google+.  The last place they would consider networking would be YouTube.  I know what you're thinking, "YouTube is a video portal, not a social network."  When you get right down to it, what is a social network? It's an online diary that can be used to update friends, family and associates about your life and/or your business.  Better still, it's an e-diary that you not only allow, but encourage others to peruse and redistribute.

Now I ask you, which one of the following  is  more compelling:

1. Text

2. Video

I don't know about you, but I am way more likely to watch a 60-second YouTube video than I am to read a blogpost or Tweet.  In fact, one of the things we teach clients to do is embed videos on their blogs and social networks.  Particularly if the videos are amusing, informative and/or entertaining,they will achieve far greater viewership than even the finest prose.

Add to this the fact that in 2010, U.S. Internet users watched 32.4 billion videos in January with Google Sites ranking as the top U.S. video property with 12.8 billion videos. YouTube.com accounted for nearly 99 percent of all videos viewed at Google. (This isn't unusual, since Google owns YouTube.) What is interesting is the fact that video viewers at YouTube.com watched 93 videos on average during the month, representing an increase of 50 percent versus that of a year ago.That's more than 3 per day on average. (Currently YouTube streams more than 4 billion videos per day.)

Are you seeing the value yet? We all know that we must be innovative and creative in order to create and engage an ever growing audience.  So if you are not using YouTube, do you think you might be missing out on something that could help your business?  

Alright, then I'll give you another reason to consider utilizing YouTube.  Did you know that you can create a Page 1 result on Google just by using YouTube?  That's right, the Googlebots are always looking for mixed media to pull onto page one of the most popular search engine in the world.  Properly optimized videos can wind up on Page 1 of a Google search.  This is an even better result than having your website pop up on page 1, since there are only one or two videos that will be found there.  Plus people are five times as likely to watch a video then they are to click over to a site.

When you boil it down, there really is no downside to networking on YouTube. What you need to think about are the following:

1. How can you use YouTube to attract an audience?  
2. What humorous or eye-catching theme will give your video the best chance of going viral?
3. Who on your staff is most photogenic. (Or, should you consider hiring a spokesmodel?) 

The beauty of YouTube is that it even includes a number of categories that you can choose from, including:

    * Autos and Vehicles

    * Comedy

    * Education

    * Entertainment

    * Film and Animation

    * Gaming

    * How-to and Style

    * Nonprofit and Activism

    * People and Blogs

    * Pets and Animals

    * Science and Technology

    * Sports

    * Travel and Events

The first step is to determine which category best fits your business. Keep in mind that when it comes to social media the last thing you want to do is upload a commercial for your product.  People get bombarded with ads on an hourly basis.  What you want to do is intrigue and interact with potential customers.  You also don't want to pretend you're Steven Spielberg.  On YouTube, less is more.  This means that short videos of 1-2 minutes are the best length for viewers.

Next you need to determine what type of video you could post that consumers would find valuable, amusing and/or instructive?

There are dozens of ways to employ video for your business.  You could put together a how-to video? How about shooting an entertaining video that showcases your products?  Remember value and interaction are key to using social media to market your business effectively. Just bear in mind that there is a fine line between providing compelling video content and coming on like an informercial  Unlike TV ads, the key with YouTube is to provide 90% content and 10% selling. 

Of course the best reason to add YouTube to your marketing arsenal is due to the fact that unlike broadcast TV, airing your videos cost you nothing.  Video quality is another matter, but today production costs have come way down.  So, if you can create videos that impart value and engage prospects and customers, getting back the production costs shouldn't be all that difficult. What you need to remember is that your video will be one of 260,000 that are uploaded daily, so make it worthwhile for viewers to tune in. 

As with any social media marketing strategy the key is to be creative and have fun.  But most of all, you should do it because it is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business online.

Carl Weiss has been helping clients gain a competitive edge online since 1995.  He is president of W Squared Media Group and Owner of Jacksonville Video.  He is also co-host of Working the Web to Win on Blog Talk Radio.