A Movie in Every Mailbox

Want to get your message to the masses? Looking for a cost effective way to create leads and sales?  Why not try sending a video via email? While you can’t actually embed videos in every email, you can attach them to online newsletters such as Constant Contact.

With billions of videos being watched online monthly, it seems logical that businesses will want to maximize the marketing potential of video in such areas as email, newsletters, blogs and social networks.  What’s even better is the fact that a number of popular platforms are adding ways for their users to put a  movie in every emailbox. 

Google Goes Viral

Gmail recently unleashed a feature that allows users to preview YouTube videos right from their inbox. Sweet! Now all those YouTube links that your friends keep bombarding you with can be reviewed without ever having to go to YouTube.

When is Email Freemail?

Recently a number of video email purveyors have sprung up to help feed the public’s voracious appetite for online video.  Some of these sites are even free to use, such as Eyejot.com and howdywire.com.  This makes composing and delivering video emails a snap.  Designed to work with your computer’s webcam, you can compose, shoot and send emails in a matter of seconds.  If you want to send a more polished video, Eyejot makes uploading a polished video as simple as point and click.

A Bright Future for Email Marketing?

While the uses of video email are only going to grow during the coming years, the rules for using this medium as a marketing tool are still the same as with traditional email.  Spammers beware.  Therefore, the secret to getting your video message across without ruffling any feathers is to use 4 parts infotainment per one part sales pitch.

Accomplishing this task via video is not at all difficult, provided that you throw in a bit of production value.  One of the simplest ways to create production value without breaking the bank is by creating microcasts of 1-2 minutes that provide helpful tips.  A dollop of humor wouldn’t hurt either.  Something along the lines of Tim Allen’s ToolTime shtick comes to mind.  Better still would be to use a buxom blonde to provide the tips.  You get the picture.

There are hundreds of ways to get your message across using video email marketing. Not every production will work for you, but you can bet that given a little trial and error you will be able to come up with a number of ways to employ video to create a loyal following online.

Where Google Leads Others Will Follow

You can also bet your boots that the folks at Microsoft are looking for a way to incorporate Silverlight into MSN and Hotmail.   I’d also wager that Yahoo has got to have something in the works as well. All I can say is that in time there will be a plethora of multimedia friendly email services along with a host of apps that will make embedding video as easy as ABC.

So why wait? The most important word of advice that I can give any online marketer is to embrace this cost effective advantage before the competition beats you to the finish line. 

Carl Weiss has been getting paid to work the web since 1995.  You can see his own brand of video tutorials by going to http://access-jax.com and htt://Jacksonville-video-production.com

Social Media Marketing via Online Video

When we talk about social media we immediately think of Facebook, Twitter and even Myspace, but often overlook the video option of 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.  Beter 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 would you say 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 I teach my clients to do is embed videos on their blogs and social networks.  Particularly if the videos are amusing, 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.

Are you seeing the value yet? We all know that we must be innovative and creative with our marketing techniques and initiatives, so if you are not using YouTube, do you think you could 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 using YouTube?  That's right, the Googlebots are always looking for mixed media to pull onto YouTube.  Properly optimized videos can wind up on Page 1 of a Google search.  Access-JAX even has a Video SEO program that we employ for our client's behalf that optimizes every online video we post.

When it comes down to it, there really is no downside to promoting your business on YouTube. What you need to think about are the following:

1. How can you use YouTube to market your products or services?  
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 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

Your first step is to determine under which category your productsbestfits. Keep in mind that when it comes to social media marketing it's not just about uploading a commercial for your product, but also interacting with potential customers.  Also, 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 and 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 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 video costs you nothing.  Shooting quality video is another matter, but today production costs have come way down.  So, if you can create videos that share value and interact with consumers, getting back the production costs shouldn't be that hard. What you must remember is that your video will be one of 180,000 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, 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.  If you are interested in tuning up your web presence, call Carl at 904-234-6007 for a Free Web Presence Analysis.http://access-jax.com  
http://jacksonville-video-production.com

What Every Business Owner Needs to Know About Online Marketing

In 2009 $155 Billion was spent on local advertising in the US. Yet only 7% of that figure was spent online. Market Trend projections predict that 50% of local advertising revenue will be spent online within the next 7 years. That means that $77 Billion will leave traditional advertising venues. Recent advances in online advertising such as online coupons will only serve to accelerate this trend.

You may have read the recent news stating that, "Groupon rejected Google’s $6 billion acquisition offer." According to Chicago Breaking Business and Bloomberg, Groupon decided that it was better off on its own.

What many people did not read was the fact that Google reported revenues of $6.77 billion in the first quarter of 2010, representing a 23% increase over first quarter 2009 revenues of $5.51 billion.

Why are local advertisers moving their advertising dollars online?

As Americans continue to become ever more connected, their reading, watching and buying habits are following suit. Conversely, more traditional advertising media, such as newspapers, direct mail and TV commercials, continue to decline in both popularity and profitability.

A recent report by Havard's Nieman Journalism Lab states that, At least technically, the recession is over, with GDP growth measured at 2.2 percent in Q3 of 2009 and widely forecast in Q4 to exceed that rate. But newspaper revenue has not followed suit, dropping 28 percent in Q3. McClatchy and the New York Times Company (which both came in at about that level in Q3) hinted recently that Q4 would be better, in the negative low-to-mid 20 percent range. This is not unexpected — in the last few recessions with actual GDP contraction (1990-91 and 2001), newspaper revenue remained in negative territory for at least two quarters after the GDP returned to growth. But the newspaper dip has been bigger each time, and the current slide started (without precedent) a year and a half before the recession did, with a cumulative revenue loss of nearly 50 percent.

The same statistics hold true for Yellow Page advertising. A recent quote from industry analyst Simba Information recounted the fact that, "Overall U.S. yellow pages revenue declined 11.8% in 2010. The industry’s revenue slide continued in 2010 as a recessionary economy endured and the transition from print to digital products continued. This marks another year of continuous; multiyear double digit loses in revenue from the major publishers. The industry growth rate has been declining steadily since 2004 and finished 2010 at $13.57 billion, or an 11.8% decline over that period. The outlook for 2011 is similarly negative, but at a slower rate."

Online Ads Break Out of the Box

With 72% of all mobile users in the US using text messaging, mobile marketing is also experiencing an upswing. motomessage.com reported that "Mobile marketing ad spending will continue to explode in the next 5 years. In 2011, eMarketer predicts spending of text message marketing, mobile banners, video and other mobile based media to crack the One Billion dollar mark. Growth from 2009 to 2010 almost doubled at 79% with next year predicting another huge increase of 48%. Text marketing based advertising is expected to top 2010 in spending with $327 million."


How You Can Reap the Advantages of this Growing Marketplace

Let's face it, online marketing is here to stay. And with good reason. Unlike many other forms of advertising, online marketing is completely quantifiable. With today's low cost and in some cases no cost marketing and analysis solutions, every business owner needs to fully exploit the advantages that online marketing presents.

Be it cost-per-click campaigns, social networking, blogging, online coupons, Craigslist and viral video marketing, the Internet is the only medium on the planet that can attract, engage and more importantly track every eyeball, click and sale that are involved in promoting a business. Add to it the fact that many businesses can also sell their goods and services online to create an additional revenue stream that far exceeds the confines of their local neighborhood and the Internet fully utilized can help any business survive these tough economic times.

Having worked with companies for more than 16 years with their online marketing, all I can say is that if you are looking for a way to expand your market, create more revenue and take your business to the next level, the statistics speak for themselves.

Carl Weiss is president of Access-JAX.com an online marketing company based in Jacksonville, Florida. http://access-jax.com

10 Online Marketing Secrets That Help You Sell More

by Carl Weiss

When creating content, it's easy to lose track of the fact that your website is designed specifically to sell your products and services to your target market. That being said, if you hope to generate the desired result, you need to keep your eyes on the prize. 

Remember, the two hardest things to accomplish online are to generate traffic and then generate a result.  Having one without the other is great for bragging rights, but it won’t do much to augment the bottom line. Statistics show us that the average visitor to a website will only view 4.6 pages and stay on site for 3.45 minutes.  So you had better provide the visitor with compelling content if you hope to generate either a lead or a sale.

Below are ten online marketing secrets you need to employ if you hope to achieve the desired result.

1. Which is more powerful, showing or telling?

Think about it…99% of the people who click from a search engine to your website have never done business with you.  They don’t know you.  They don’t know your reputation.  They don’t know what sets you apart from the competition.  And they don’t have a tangible reason to do business with you.  The solution to this dilemma is to create a 60-90 second video that will show people what makes you special.  (If you go back to our February 27 blogpost: How to use Video SEO to Jump to Google Page 1, you will also find out how to employ this video as a traffic generator as well.

2. Never talk down to your audience.

The quickest way to lose your audience is to talk down to them.  Even though you know way more about your industry and your business than your audience, you don’t want to lord this fact over them.  The best way to catch flies is with honey.  That being said, the best way to become an authority figure without upsetting your audience is to make it fun for them to absorb the wisdom you wish to impart.

3. Why KISS equals CA$H

Another deal killer I see presented on any number of websites is trying to cram as much information onto a page as is humanly possible.  Given the statistic presented in the second paragraph of this blogpost, having a page that scrolls down ten feet is hardly the way to make your point and generate the desired result.  By keeping it simple and limiting your salient points down to one or two per page, you will create the desired effect without overwhelming the visitor.

4. Using grabber headlines to steer the visitor.

If your intention is to steer your audience in order to get them to watch a video or read a paragraph, the first thing you need to do is whet their appetite by providing a killer headline.  On average, eight out of ten people will read a headline, but only two out of ten will read the copy.  The key to writing killer headlines is to state the biggest benefit in the boldest way possible.  “Create an instant audience in only one click!”  “Blog your way to BIG BUCK$.”  “How to use FREE offers to generate direct response results.”

5. Features inform, benefits sell.

If you want visitors to read beyond the headline, you need to first spell out the benefits before describing the describing the features.  The public doesn’t purchase automobiles because they can travel from point “A” to point “B”.  They buy them because they are sporty or fuel efficient or because they can ford a stream to reach that secluded camping spot.

6. If you hope to hook a fish you need to dangle some bait.

Circle this item in red.  The main reason that most online marketing campaigns don’t succeed is due to the fact that they don’t provide a compelling inducement to click or buy.  Or, they hide the offer so that it is nearly impossible to find.  Remember, the goal is to generate a new customer.  In order to prime the pump, you need to offer something of real or perceived value that is going get the prospect to take action.  This means offering something free or discounted in order to generate either a registration or a sale.  The best place to position the offer is at the top of the page.  Having a great offer and burying it below the fold will defeat the purpose of the exercise.

7. How to make the fish take a second nibble at the bait.

One of the intangibles can be a free webinar.  If the webinar is taped or live is immaterial, (although personally I prefer taped, since you can deliver it as soon as you generate the registration), either way you get a second shot at the prospect.  Add to this the fact that a webinar will provide far more information and enhance your credibility further still, since you will get to talk far longer than you will during your intro video.

8. Don’t make it hard to act.

Another reason that many online marketing campaigns fail is due to the fact that it is sometimes difficult to find contact info, such as a phone number.  This is another item you should have displayed prominently at the top of each page.  You should also include it on every video, since videos can take on a life all their own, especially if you post them on youtube, facebook and embed them on your blog.

9. Don’t drop the ball once you have generated a lead.

Here is another keypoint to highlight.  Once you generate a lead, what do you do with it?  Obviously every one that opts in for your offer and/or listens to your webinar is not going to make an instant buying decision.  Does that mean you should discard the lead?  Hardly.  If you want to make real money in online marketing you need to take the long approach and set up a drip marketing campaign that automatically sends out a newsletter or offer every couple of weeks.  As they say in sales, persistence beats resistance. 

10. How tracking the results can equal BIG dividends.

Another one of the beauties of online marketing is the fact that you can experiment with different approaches and offers without breaking the bank.  Unlike printing, it costs you nothing to experiment with a number of inducements designed to elicit a response or sale.  However, if you fail to track the results, what benefit will you derive from all the hard work expended in creating and running a robust online marketing campaign?  With free tools from Google such as analytics and Google Voice you can track both clicks and calls with ease in order to determine with great precision what works and what does not.

If you want to learn even more online secrets that can give you an edge over the competition, don’t forget to connect with Carl via Facebook and Twitter.
http://access-jax.com

The Shortcut to Online Success

By Carl Weiss

Not many people know this about me, but before I became an online marketing professional, I made my living playing and teaching blackjack for more than 20 years.     What made me successful in casinos the world over was one basic principle:  “Never play another man’s game by his rules.”

By this I mean that the reason that most people fail at the gaming tables, as well as online, is due to the fact that they are all trying to beat a game that was designed to separate them from their money.  If you truly want to beat the dealer, you need to identify an advantage and exploit it in as efficient a way as possible.  In the casinos this involved card counting and team play.  On the internet it involves analyzing keywords and creating a platform specifically designed to generate either a sale or a response.

Having worked with hundreds of companies over the years, I can state categorically that their biggest complaint had to do with online results, or the lack thereof.  Most companies either have little if any presence on the major search engines, or else they have terrific position but are woefully inadequate when it comes to translating traffic into leads or sales.  In either case, the problem usually comes down to the fact that their homepage was never designed to generate a response.  It was designed by a graphic artist to “look good.” 

It’s like the players who used to attend my seminars.  They were all wondering why they were losing, when for the most part they didn’t even have a solid grasp of basic strategy, let alone card counting.  What I routinely told my players also applies to businesses looking to generate results online.

“If you want to play to win, you need to understand the math of the game.” 

In short, you need to identify a game’s vulnerabilities and then create a situation that allows you to exploit the vulnerability. 

On the gaming floor this required employing spotters who were trained to count cards and signal the count to the “Player.”  Online what it takes is an analysis of longtail keywords which are then priced on Adwords.  

For instance, for a local chiropractor, I found out that out of 18 potential keywords, only two cost more than a dollar per click.  Armed with this information, I created several keyword-related videos and mini-sites.  This way, instead of having to wait for months to generate a page 1 result on Google, we began to generate traffic and leads in less than 30 days.  Since the mini-sites and videos were also optimized for search engine penetration, they will inevitably work their way up the search engine over time.  But in the meantime, the client is only too happy to be be generating business now as opposed to having to wait months for traditional SEO to kick in.

As PT Barnum once said, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”  The moral of the story is that if you want to play with an advantage, you need to put yourself in a situation where it is more probable that you win then that you lose and let the suckers keep the lights burning for us knowledgeable players.

If you want to win online, give the pros at Access-Jax.com a call at 904-234-6007.  They will analyze your complete web presence for FREE and present you with a report that will show you how you stack up against the competition, as well as how to turn the tables. http://access-jax.com

Competing to Win Online in 4 Easy Steps

by Carl Weiss

Like it or not, if you own a website, you are forced to compete for exposure online.  With 234 million websites already in existence and nearly 130,000 new sites coming online every day, is it any wonder that being found is getting harder and harder to accomplish?  Well, the good news is that while it may take a little sweat equity to put your web presence in the winner’s circle, the task can be accomplished in short order if you follow the four simple rules below.

1. Don’t look “Old School” and expect to be considered current.

If your website still has an entry page that reads “Click here to enter our website,” or if your site is 100% Flash, or if the last update you performed on your site was back in 2005, then don’t be surprised if your site is languishing on Google page 122.

If the Internet is going to become a real asset to your business, the most important first step you can take is to update your website on a regular basis.  This means embracing new technologies such as social networking, blogging and video. It means changing your web mantra from “Set it and forget it,” to “Feed the need.” 

I personally make it a habit to publish at least one new blog per week and add two new videos per month.  Why?  Because I want my web presence to keep pace with my growing business enterprise.  I want my websites, blogs, vlogs, social networks and newsletters to bring prospects and clients back to check up on my latest events and updates.  I also want to make sure that I either embed or link these blogs, vlogs, and social networks to my homepage.

You’ll notice I said “websites.”  There is no law that states that you can only employ one website to promote your business.  In fact, it behooves you to employ a number of sites in order to get the word out, particularly if your business markets a number of different products and services.

2. Since you don’t have months to wait for results, why would you?

While SEO is an important part of developing your web presence, it isn’t the only way to generate exposure.  Some would argue that isn’t even the best way to generate exposure.  Why?  Because virtually every search engine in existence routinely alters their algorithms from time to time.  Have you ever seen your search engine listing go from page 1 to page 5 overnight?   This was no doubt due to a search engine “update.”

Besides, even the best SEO firms on the planet can’t guarantee that they can deliver Google Page 1 for every search term you desire.  And every one of them will tell you that it can take four months or more before you find your links on page one of Google.  That doesn’t mean that you should neglect SEO by any means.  It’s just that there’s more than one way to skin a search engine.

Case in point: My firm was hired by a prominent real estate broker to help him sell units on a condo complex his firm had acquired.  After researching their keywords, we decided to create a 4-page microsite and a series of 4 videos that could be used to leverage SEO potential.  We then optimized the videos and embedded them on the site. As a result, the videos started appearing on Google page 1 within 30 days and the website url was on page one within less than 60 days.  As a result, not only did the broker sell the development in short order, but the site and videos continue to steer leads his way to this day.

Another client hired us to help her improve her online visibility.  After researching the keywords, we discovered that there was only one keyword that was going to cost more than $3 per click.  The rest could be had on the cheap. So we registered a url that contained the keyword and created a properly optimized site that targeted this particular keyword.  For the remainder of the keywords we created a series of landing pages, employing Adwords to generate page 1 placement.  As a result, the client started seeing traffic and lead generation within two weeks instead of having to wait months for SEO to take effect.

3. Once you get someone to click onto your site, you need to get their attention fast!

If the first brush a prospect has with your company is your website, they don’t know who you are, they don’t know what your reputation has been and they aren’t going to take the time to wade through 15 pages of prose to find out.  In fact, it’s a statistical improbability that they will scroll down the screen to the bottom of your homepage.  With that in mind, why do so many companies insist on wasting the valuable real estate at the top of the page by cramming it full of nebulous graphics and the company logo?

If you really want to capture the prospect’s attention and more importantly have them contact your firm or even better, make a purchase, what you need to put at the top of your homepage is a video.  Video is the perfect ice breaker in that it introduces the visitor to you and your business.  In 60-90 seconds you can show newcomers to your site your staff, demonstrate products and even include a testimonial from a satisfied customer.  You can tell them about your years of experience and give them a reason to do business with you.  Most importantly, you can increase your credibility and reduce a prospects hesitation to buy.

(In a previous blogpost, “The Keys to Getting Your Videos to Go Viral,” I showed you how you can use short videos to create added traffic to your sites.)

 

4. Don’t complain about a lack of results if you offer no reason to act.

Having been an online marketing consultant for more than 16 years, it never ceases to amaze me how many website owners lament a lack of leads and sales when their homepage clearly doesn’t offer much if anything in the way of a call to action or incentive to do business.

The other “Must Have” items on the top of your website that go hand in hand with your video should be your phone number and an offer.  By offer, I don’t mean, “Click here to sign up for my newsletter.”  What I mean is one of the following:

a.       Free sample or service -Since the most powerful word in the English language is FREE, this kind of offer is obviously going to draw the most attention.  Offering a free sample of a product or service is going to make a huge impact on converting browsers into buyers.  Even though you are going to have to provide a free taste, the result is that you are going to generate more of a result if all the prospect has to do is click or call to get the freebie.  This means you will now have a viable lead to work and that your ROI will be much higher using this tactic than any other, provided that you work, work, work the lead generated.

Being an online marketing expert, I personally offer prospects a free Top-to-Bottom analysis of their entire web presence.  This provides the prospect with a chance to see how their web presence stacks up against the competition.  It also provides my firm with an opportunity to create a rapport with the prospect and ultimately offer to deliver a solution that will help improve the prospects visibility and results online.  This is what’s known as a win-win situation.

b.      Discount coupon - The second most powerful inducement to getting a prospect to take action has to do with a discount offer.  In order to make the offer truly attractive, the purveyor of a product or service needs to dig deep in order for the offer to really work well. I mean, an offer good for only 10% off a $2 item isn’t really going to project the “Wow Appeal” needed to make someone pull the trigger and make a purchase. 

The following are the most powerful discount calls to action, in order:

1.      Buy 1 Get 1 Free

2.      50% Off

3.      Free Shipping

Remember, while you will be taking a hit on the initial purchase, the objective is to acquire a new customer that will continue to purchase products and services from your company hopefully for years to come.  Just like printed coupons, these inducements are meant to spur a buying decision.  Unlike print media, the value of employing coupons online is that if properly targeted, you know for a fact that the prospect is looking for your product or service before they enter your site.  Therefore the object is that once you get them there you need to provide an offer they can’t refuse as soon as possible.

c.       Enticement to even more free information - If you are still reluctant to give a prospect a free taste of something that costs you money, then the other way to hook a prospect is by offering them an intangible that has a value to them.  What I am referring to is the Free Webinar.  A webinar is a lecture presented either live or via podcast or video that presents prospects with information that can help solve a problem or provide industry secrets. 

Sample webinar topics have included such offerings as:

·        The Secrets to Setting Up a Successful Online Business

·        Google Page 1 in 30 Days or Less

·        The Top 5 Free Ways to Advertise Online

·        How to Turn Your Blog into a Cash Machine

Whether you present the webinar live or canned, the most important thing is that you need a grabber title and the expertise to back it up.  If you can accomplish both of these tasks, then you will accomplish three vital steps toward turning a prospect into a client:

1.      You will capture the prospects email.

2.      You will become in the eyes of the prospect an authority figure.

3.      At the end of the webinar you will get yet another opportunity to pitch the prospect to purchasing a product or service from your firm.

With the Internet getting ever more crowded, it is vital to your online success that you do everything in your power to give your web presence a competitive edge.  After all, this is one competition you can’t afford to lose.

Carl Weiss has been helping clients gain a competitive edge online since 1995.  If you are interested in tuning up your web presence, call Carl at 904-234-6007 for a Free Web Presence Analysis.

http://access-jax.com

http://jacksonville-video-production.com

The Keys to Getting Your Videos to Go Viral

By Carl Weiss

So you finally created that kooky corporate video that has everyone at the office laughing out loud.  Then you posted it on YouTube figuring that the clicks would start pouring in.  The problem is that after weeks and weeks of languishing on YouTube, your video still has yet to break 100 views.  Is that what's bothering you, Bunky.

Examples of humorous videos that promote a product or service:

Tax Slayer Video

Jacksonville Web Design

Well, if you want your videos to go viral, you have to work just a little bit harder.  Once you've uploaded your videos to YouTube, you must put on your marketing hat and begin to promote your video online.  One of the best ways to accomplish this task is via article marketing. 

The beauty of article marketing is that it couldn't be easier.  All you need to do is write articles related to your videos and then submit them to the top article directories, websites and ezines that accept articles.Such directories include:  EZine Articles, Article Base, EZine Art, and Article Click, just to name a few.  

No matter where you submit your articles, the important thing to keep in mind is that in order to produce the desired result, your must provide unique, high quality content that solves at least one piece of a problem. However, in order to convert readers to buyers, you must not give the reader all of the answers necessary to solve the problem. Instead you want to tease them with some of the how and top it off with why it's important that this particular dilemma gets solved.

This sets you up as an authority figure in the eyes of the reader and also provides the perfect segway for you to dangle clickbait in the form of a call to action and an offer the reader can't refuse.  The key to creating an irresistible offer is to hit the reader right between the eyes.  The last thing a reader wants to see at the bottom of an article that has them sitting on the edge of their seat is a paragraph describing the last ten years of the author's life.   Now that you have set the stage, deliver a call to action that is hard to ignore.

Example: 

Credit Repair Expert, Jason Oneill has helped thousands of Americans dramatically improve their credit scores. Watch his new webinar and discover how to restore your credit now! As a special bonus, you'll receive a FREE special offer for a credit audit that reveals how you can use the credit reporting agencies own rules and regulations to regain control of your credit destiny.

Now that you have crafted your article and killer offer, the next step to submission success is to come up with a grabber title that will make people want to read and most importantly repost your article. Titles that start with leads such as. "The 6 Best Ways to...," "How to Guarantee...", and "The ABC's of..." are just a few of the many ways to grab a reader's attention and make your articles stand out from the crowd.  

 An added bonus to submitting articles to the top article directories is that it also helps you build links and improve your search engine optimization. What a deal!

 Just like your website, in order to increase your YouTube Video's search ranking on Google, you must increase the number of inbound links to the page. The higher you climb in search results the more unique visitors you will get.  By submitting articles to the top article directories like EzineArticles.com, you will instantly receive a guaranteed link to your YouTube page as long as you follow each directory's specific editorial guidelines.

 Keep in mind that for best results on the search engines you can't just have any link. You must have links on high-trafficked websites with high Google Page Rankings and high Alexa Traffic Rankings. Plus, by placing your articles on highly-competitive, targeted websites like About.com, instead of just second tier article directories that will publish anyone's articles, you will win trust in the hearts and minds of your targeted audience before they even see your YouTube video.

By following these tried and true techniques, you will be able to promote your video, bump your website's ranking on the search engines and most importantly generate leads for your growing business.  Not a bad deal for a little bit of sweat equity.

Online Marketing Expert Carl Weiss has been helping companies large and small take their web presence to the next level for more than 16 years.  Now you can add him to your team by taking him up on his offer of a FREE Web Presence Audit by clicking on the link or by calling him at 904-234-6007. http://access-jax.com  http://jacksonville-video-production.com