Successful Blog

Above and Beyond YouTube: Using Video To Promote Your Business

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A Guest Post by Maureen Page

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Many are now turning to video to help promote their company. Many others are “dabbling” with video or thinking about it. With the advent and popularity of YouTube and other web-based video services, it has become amazingly easy to get videos published for the masses to see.

Stop and Think About What You are Trying to Accomplish

Before you get into video in a big way it is important for you to establish what you want to accomplish with video. If all you want to do is make people aware of your company and your products or services, then simply posting videos to YouTube may suffice. Most companies, however, aspire to more than simply being known. Most want to sell something. If you have more lofty goals of bringing people to your website and generating prospects for your products and services, then your video efforts will need to move beyond YouTube. Make no mistake about it. YouTube will still be a component of your strategy; it simply will not be the major component of your strategy.

Using Video to Get Traffic and Prospects

So you want traffic to your website and prospects for your products or services. The challenge is that in order to get traffic, videos need to be on your website. In order for the videos to be more easily discovered they need to be on YouTube. So what is one to do? The answer is simple – you need to put the videos both places. But you should not put all of the videos both places. Some of the videos need to go on YouTube to be “discovered.” Others need to be on your site to generate traffic. The best way to accomplish this is to create a video series. The first couple of videos in the series should be posted to YouTube. They should promote that they are part of a series and that the rest are on your site. The remaining videos should be posted to your own site.

Some things that help this to be particularly effective:

  • The video series should be on a topic of general interest, not simply a commercial for your
    company, products, or services.

  • Each video should advertise that it is part of a series and advertise where to get the next video
    in the series.

  • Put your branding and website URL in the lead-in and trailing parts of the video. Also, in the
    trailer advertise where the next video can be seen along with the URL to access that video.

  • It is all right, and important for completeness of the video series on your own site, to put the
    code from YouTube for the first couple of videos onto your own site. PLEASE NOTE: You should
    not simply put all of the videos on YouTube and then put them on your site using the YouTube
    code. If you do this the vast majority of people will simply view the videos on YouTube and very
    few people will actually come to your site. You need to purposely split the videos as mentioned
    above to force people to your site if they want to see the rest in order to get traffic to your site.

Following this strategy should:

  1. Help to get exposure for your videos by placing some of them on YouTube.

  2. Funnel traffic and potential customers to your site because the rest of the videos are there.

Maureen Page is VP of Discount Security Cameras. To learn more about security camera systems and video surveillance visit the Discount Security Cameras Interactive Security Camera Learning Center.

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–ME “Liz” Strauss
 Work with Liz on your business!!

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I Need To Blog But I Hate Writing

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By Terez Howard

This statement is not true of me. I love writing. I find the written word to be the best way to express oneself.

However, not all share the warm, fuzzy feelings I have for writing.They have more of a love-hate relationship with sentences and paragraphs.

When you recognize the benefits of blogging, then you know that you have to kindle some type of fire for writing or hire a professional blogger.When I don’t know how to do something, I always opt to hire out.

My husband once decided that he could repair our toilet. It was a simple fix, so he was told. Simple for the professional and simple for the completely clueless amateur have two totally opposite definitions. After Ethan “fixed” our toilet, which took a couple hours, every flush included waterfalls down our basement walls and showers into our garage.

We learned our lesson. Always seek professional help. The plumber charged as much as a new toilet would have cost us for about 10 minutes of work. But we got a functional toilet with no leakage.

When you cannot do it, don’t.

Like I said, when you are absolutely certain that your limited skills stop short at creating intelligible sentences, hire out. Don’t feel defeated. It takes a strong, humble person to seek out help when needed.

But let’s say that no matter how you figure your expenses, you cannot afford a good writer. That does not mean it’s time to shut down your blog.

Get some guest bloggers.

The majority of guest bloggers will write at your blog for $0. Why would a writer give services away for free? Because what she gets in return doesn’t have a price.

Jael Strong and I are in the midst of a guest blogging challenge. Yes, we are looking for exposure. But even more importantly, we are looking to make connections with people.

We’re not the only available guest bloggers out there. Others have joined us in the challenge. Take advantage of this free insight, and when you have the funds to hire a writer, you know to whom you can turn.

Just talk

Guest blogging can fill in many of the holes in your blog. You still feel the need to add your own original posts. My best advice is to just talk.

A blog is informal. It’s not a research paper. It doesn’t have to strictly follow every rule of grammar. I’m not saying that strings of run-ons are acceptable or that outside links are not warranted. I am saying that you can loosen up.

Don’t think of your blog as a formal article. Think about it as helpful information you are sharing with a friend. Just talk!

If you still aren’t buying into that tip, then seriously, just talk. Get a video camera, talk and put up some video posts. That is still a blog, well, a vlog to be more correct.

Make sure you’re talking/writing about something that interests you. I find the best way to generate interest is to parallel it with your own life. You might find your love-hate relationship with writing tipping the scale more toward love.

How do you keep your blog fresh?

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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas. You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger.

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Do People Really Want Creativity?

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by Jael Strong

When I was teaching English to high school students, all of the students had the opportunity to take part in a Martin Luther King, Jr. essay contest.  Of course, there was quite a manegerie of essays, mostly focusing on historical elements or the “What freedom means to me” themes prevalant among such events.  I knew, though,  that at least one student would fight against the main stream.  She was always the odd one out, unique in her dress, demeanor, and creative abilities.  True to expectation, she composed, not an essay, but a poem of epic length inspired by the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.  I loved that poem!

I knew something though:  Mary (that’s what we’ll call her) had no chance of winning.  After all, this was an essay contest, not a poetry contest.  And, in all honesty, that type of original approach to the norm is not valued.  I knew she wouldn’t win and she didn’t win.  People just don’t value that type of creativity.

Does that mean we shouldn’t be original?

Good question.  I guess it depends on what you want.  I for one love creativity.  And if someone isn’t afraid to be different, good for them!  But there is a price.  Creativity does not necessarily pay off immediately.  True, Mary didn’t win the essay contest, but this girl has gumption.  If she keeps standing out as unique, she will make a mark. 

Is that true for bloggers?   I hope so.  Blogging is a relatively new venue, so it is hard to say what will make a lasting impression.  But I do know one thing is sure:  Blogs need creativity, desperately. 

It strikes me though that bloggers seem afraid of this, afraid to be too avant-garde because rejection and ridicule are sure to ensue. If we want to be different and creative, we can not hope that everyone will approve.  That is unrealistic.  But I wish that more bloggers, myself included, would take the leap and really go all out.  Wow, what a great world it would be if we threw out our inhibitions and wrote in the most creative way possible! 

The other day, I was going for a walk, but my pants were too long; the bottoms were dragging on the sidewalk.  So, I took my brown pants and tucked them into my long white socks.  My bright orange shoes were on display for the world to see.  That didn’t bother me one bit, though I did receive quite a few stares.  If I can do that walking down the street, why can’t I do that on the internet highway? 

So, back to my original question

Do people really want creativity?  Well, my faucet is dripping in the bathroom.  So, I grab my copy of Dumbo’s Guide To Dripping Faucets.  Do I want a fanciful tale of water fairies and mystical o-ring nymphs?  No.   I just want a list of steps highlighting how to fix the problem. Hundreds of years from now nobody will be reading Dumbo’s Guide To Dripping Faucets.  Could they being reading about o-ring nymphs?  Maybe.

It all depends on what we’re going for.  I for one would like to see more creativity out there, but honestly, if we don’t think it will bring in the bucks we’re not likely to shake things up.  But in the long run, isn’t it possible that a tad more craziness will pay off? 

Jael Strong writes for TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility.  She has written both fiction and non-fiction pieces for print and online publications.  She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas .

Thanks, Jael

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

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But Your Blog Has, And Mine Doesn’t

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By Terez Howard

When I was a kid, I always wanted a Power Wheels Barbie car. You know what I’m talking about. It’s one of those cars that children can drive around in their backyards. I thought I would go on backyard adventures in my own Barbie Jeep.

When I begged my parents for one, they said that the cars were too expensive and that I would soon grow out of the toy. Needless to say, I hated that answer and persisted in my requests. But I never got one.

Don’t feel badly for me, though. I was never deprived of anything as a child. My parents were right. I remember passing by those little cars in a toy store once, wondering if I was ever tiny enough to squeeze in one.

In the meantime, I improvised. I took my little red wagon and pretended it was my race car. I took it on many adventures and “drove” it all around my house.

Do the best with what you have

My little story illustrates what you can do with a supposed lackluster blog. I see it all the time. Blogs have super impressive graphics, photos, amazing video, killer content, free reports, e-books AND the kitchen sink. They have everything, and that makes me feel like I have nothing.

But I’m not going to sit around and feel sorry about myself. You shouldn’t, either.

Here’s something you can do when comparisons leave your blog behind others. Ask yourself:

  1. What makes my blog special?
  2. What uniqueness do I have to bring to the table?
  3. How can I use these two things to benefit my audience?

For me, first and foremost, I’m a writer. So, I make it a point to do my utmost to write quality content. What is it for you? Are you best at research, marketing, design, or something else? Whatever your strong point is make it the strongest part of your blog. So, if you take great photos, then include your own original, awesome pictures with your posts.

But what if you want to be that big time blog that has it all?

Take baby steps

You’ll get there, and so will I, for that matter. You are not going to have a flashy blog overnight, unless you pay a pretty penny for it. So take your time to first create a blog rich in high quality content which highlights your strongest qualities.

After you master that, move on to add another aspect to your blog and another and another. Personally I don’t have all the time in the world, and I know that it’s impossible for me to learn a new concept in a few days. It’s not that I don’t have the mind for it; I just don’t have the time for it.

If you’re in my boat, rest assured that you can learn simple html coding and how to edit video content. Just take your time. If you don’t, a rushed, thrown-together product will not get good feedback from your readers or yourself.

Do the best you can with what you have, and try to not compare yourself with others. Instead, learn from the gurus’ victories and mistakes when building your blog.

What do you do to improve your blog?

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Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas. You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger.

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Beach Notes: Beach Games

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by Des Walsh and Suzie Cheel

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For want of something better, the pic is called “Beach Games”. The juxtaposition of the small child’s brightly colored truck and the rather scary representation of a crocodile emerging from the sand was what we found fascinating. We thought we could have called it “What really goes on in children’s minds and imagination?” or something along those lines

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh