OPTIMIZING YOUR VIDEOS
Optimizing your videos is essential if you want
to stand out in the crowd. You don’t have to have fancy
technology to make a great video. Use the tips below to learn how
anyone can create compelling and interesting videos for their YouTube
audience.
Remember, YouTube provides even novices the
ability to create videos and upload them as simply as possible.
MAKING Videos With Your Camcorder
If you have a digital or analog camcorder, then
you probably already know how to use it. It is easier to post videos to YouTube
if you use a digital camcorder. All you have to do is shoot your video,
download it, and upload it to YouTube.
If you use an analog video recorder, like the
kind that uses older VHS tapes to record videos, you will probably have to use
a converter box to create a digital copy of your video, which you can then
upload to YouTube.
Once you
upload your video, it’s time to improve on it. Sure, you can leave it as is,
but remember, if you take even a small amount of
time graphically strengthening your video you
are likely to attract a larger audience. So, here’s what you do.
First,
make sure you have access to some video editing software. You
can acquire this inexpensively on the Web. One of the more common tools
people use is Windows MovieMaker.
Once you
have the right software, upload your video to the application. Once
you do this you can edit your video all you want. Try saving multiple
versions of it and testing it with users to see which they like best.
Now it’s
time to make your video stand out. Add special effects, like interesting
color schemes or fade in. Try adding titles or even chapters to your video. Put
some music in the background. All of these small additions will encourage more
people to look at and review your video.
If you are not sure what makes a good video, go
to YouTube.com and check out their “featured videos” section. Find out what
makes these videos stand out. Is the content outrageous? Does the author use
multiple special effects? Are subtitles or category titles included? Take some
notes about what you like and what you don’t. This will help you when you
brainstorm ideas for improving your personal video.
TIME TO UPLOAD
Now that
you took some time to play with your video, it is time to upload it to YouTube.
Make sure you save any changes you made to your video before you upload it. You
also have to save your video in a format YouTube can use. YouTube.com
recommends you save your video with the following extensions for easier
uploads: .MOV, .AVI, or .MPG files. These are common video formats most people
find easy
|
11 |
to use. YouTube also recommends you use a video with a 320x40 resolution
and one with an MP3 sound track.
You should be able to upload your video any way
you like. If you use a digital camcorder, you can upload your video from the
device to the website. YouTube even provides the alternative for users to send
their videos to the site by e-mail.
One you
upload your video, you will need to provide some description for it and tags so
people can easily find it. The best way to create tags for your video is to
come up with some catchy keywords people are likely to search for when looking
for videos like yours.
You will also have to specify one or more categories
under which YouTube.com lists your video. Remember, the goal here is helping
other users find your video quickly and easily. With millions of videos
uploaded each day, you have to take time to ensure you label, categorize and
tag your video correctly, so it stands out from the crowd.
4
HOW TO DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE BY POSTING
VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
Web 2.0 offers many cost-effective ways of
promoting your
website and YouTube is no different. And that’s just one part of YouTubing. It
is also one of the most
fun ways of promoting your
website. There is music, there is video, there is creativity, and there is
marketing. A terrific mix, isn’t it?
YouTubing is not going to sell your product.
What it can do, however, is get people interested in your services. How? Let’s
take a look.
BROWSE around
If you are new to YouTube, this should be your
first step. It’s a fascinating world out there. Plunge right in and look around
a bit. Look at the kind of videos others have made. You’ll find some of your
favorite music videos, movie scenes, vintage videos, personal videos,
documentaries, and of course, a glut of marketing videos. If you find something
in your niche, make a note of it. When you make your own video, you’ll need to
come up with something different from your competitors.
• • •
|
13 |
CREATE a video
That’s
what you’re there for. Grab a video recording device – your camcorder, digital
camera, webcam, or your cell phone, and get started. Like anything else, you
won’t get it right the very first time. If you look at your first video and
feel like pulling your hair out, remember that you’re not alone. Making a video
is much easier in your mind than in practice. Over a period of time, you’ll get
better at it. Which brings me to another point; just one video won’t win it for
you. Once you’ve uploaded your first video, start working on the second video
and then the third. Yes it’s not easy but it’s much easier than some of the
other marketing techniques. This will also give you an opportunity to
experiment with a variety of techniques. Some may flop miserably while some may
enjoy wide popularity and may turn into a rewarding viral distribution.
SPARE a thought for the viewers
YouTube is free but viewership has to be earned.
So here is humble advice. Do not make videos that take forever to load. People
have other things on their mind. And a site like YouTube has many choices for
them to pick from. A study on video-sharing websites suggests that a video
works best when it is under 5 minutes in length. So even though YouTube allows
you a maximum of 10 minutes, keep it under 5 minutes.
Before you
upload your video, ensure that the file format is accepted. YouTube accepts
.WMV, .AVI, .MOV and .MPG formats.
ENTERTAIN
I’ll say
this a hundred times over – YouTube is not your marketing collateral. DO NOT
sell your product on YouTube. Use it wisely to get people interested. Once they
start flocking to your website, you can sell all you want. The minute you start
boring them with your ‘Buy Me’ messages, they’ll turn the other way. The best
way is to come up with something entertaining that the viewer would want to sit
through. When you have six interesting videos on something, the viewer
will surely want to know you. That’s when your marketing begins.
ADD YOUR WEBSITE URL
You’ve made a great video and you’re getting a
lot of comments. All of it will count for nothing if it doesn’t result in
increased traffic to your website. So add that all-important URL with your video.
You may add one before the video and one after the video. Add your URL to your
YouTube profile as well.
MARKET THROUGH OTHERS
Whoever
said you need your own videos to attract traffic? If you don’t want to spend time
creating a video, approach a popular YouTube user. Offer them a payment for
displaying your link on their videos. That’s encouragement for them to come up
with interesting videos and a marketing platform for you without sweating too
much.
PUT up a video on your social networking profile
This may not seem relevant at first but it will
surely help you get popular. Put up a bunch of hit YouTube videos on the other
social networking profiles that you use. A few examples are Digg, De.li.-cious,
Orkut, and Reddit. That will make your profile attractive and help in getting
new contacts.
PARTICIPATE
If you want others to visit your profile on
YouTube, start with visiting their profiles. Browse through videos, add
comments for their videos. Don’t spam their profiles. Offer genuine comments and
try to initiate a dialogue.
• • •
|
15 |
SPREAD THE WORD
If you
have uploaded your own video, get your friends and family members to view it
and rate it. Nothing works like a five star rating. Ask them to chip in with a
few good comments as well. The biggest mistake is to assume that uploading a
video is the end of it. It needs a lot of promotion to make your video visible.
TAG YOUR VIDEO
Now this
one is the most obvious idea. Use appropriate and rele-vant tags for your
video. You wouldn’t want a person to miss out on your video if he or she is
looking for something similar.
What you’ve read above are just a few ideas you
can use to drive traffic to your YouTube profile and thus to your website. You’ll
find more as you go along. As you see other users, you’ll pick up a few
interesting tactics. The bottomline – be innovative, be observant and be smart.
No comments:
Post a Comment