3 YouTube tips to leverage the power of social media. How I got found by the Toronto Star.

March 08, 2012

Create a video to showcase your business

By Maureen McCabe

St. Patrick’s Day came a week early for this wee Irish lass – that’s me – Maureen McCabe, a specialist in small business and startup marketing. I might not be a young girl but I’m still short at a whopping 5’ 1/2” so the word “wee” is no blarney! Why did I have the luck of the Irish? I was “on” the right place at the right time.

Imagine my thrill when Alyshah Hasham, a business reporter from the Toronto Star, Canada’s largest daily newspaper with the largest readership in the country called. The timing was great – I had literally just finished meeting with a new client, Lucy, an up-and-coming realtor who has chosen to invest in a video instead of spending money on a costly redesigned website. She had watched the most amazing educational video (might be a tad of Irish blarney with this claim) – “How to” Showcase Your Business with a Marketing Video – starring yours truly. To learn the 7 reasons why your business should have a video click here.

Why did Alyshah contact me? She was writing a story about a spoof on the Old Spice commercial – it was just starting to go viral and she needed a leading (I say with modesty) marketer’s opinion on viral marketing. I wrote this blog 3 days after the video was posted; viewership has already swelled to over 1.7 million and continues to grow exponentially. Continue reading to get to the link with the video and Star article. Marketing tip: tease the reader to keep them captivated.

How did Alyshah find me? Like anyone you start with Google or YouTube to do your research – no one uses the Yellow Pages anymore! She watched my video 5 Must-Know Marketing Tips for Start ups. What grabbed her attention was my comment that a professionally-done video can be cheaper than a website and more effective to promote your brand – again when it is well done.

Back in 1989 I kissed the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Ireland, and gained the gift of eloquence. This sixth-generation Irish Canadian is never at a loss for words. Alyshah gave me a few minutes to watch the video and the interview commenced – my comments were used extensively. The article enhances my credibility as a small business and startup expert. To read the article or watch the DollarShaveClub video, please click here.

3 Tips to Get Found on YouTube

1. Post your video on YouTube.

This may sound obvious but many web developers prefer embedding video from Vimeo, another popular video sharing site because it loads faster on your site. If my videographer had not posted it for me – I would not have been “found” for this article which I hope you will tweet, share and Like. Being quoted in Canada’s largest daily newspaper is helpful for anyone’s business. Now the Irish often say – “God bless Guinness” so I feel it in my bones and know St. Patrick wants me to say – “God bless DollarShaveClub, Alyshah, and the Toronto Star!

2. Create a compelling title.

Use the free tools on Google and YouTube to find the most popular phrases that prospective customers use. It’s okay to use a keyword more than once but avoid keyword stuffing e.g. don’t overuse them. It’s easy to guess my keywords from the following title used on YouTube.

Marketing Company Toronto :: 5 Must-Know Marketing Tips for Startups, New Business Owners.

3. Drive sales leads with a compelling description.

Fact – few people click on the description. Put your meaty information up-front if you want to dramatically increase traffic to your website and obtain more sales leads. It’s key to have your website and phone number appear in the first line.

Tip: Make it easy for viewers to hyperlink to your website. Add http:// or https:// before your domain name e.g. https://www.mccabemarketing.ca

Key takeaway – social media works. Two lessons for business owners:

Start-ups: a professionally-done video can be cheaper than a website and a more cost-effective and entertaining way to promote your brand.

Existing companies: few small businesses have invested in creating a video – now is the time to act. When you have a video you are not just another business with a website – it’s a competitive advantage. There is a package to suit any budget.

Tongue-in-cheek parodies are a great option for consumer products. If you’re a service-based or B2B (business-to-business) company you can be creative but there is a fine line to walk with your professional image. I wrestled with the idea of making one of mine tongue-in-cheek. I canned the idea as I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off – maintaining a professional image is important to me.

The idea was to base the video around a single question. Did I make the right decision to heavily invest in rebranding with a new logo, website, and four videos – or – should I have kept the old site, single video, and spent the money on a face-lift and other “repair” work? The “before and after” pictures would have been on the homepage. Proof points likely would have included a few close-ups that were dropped during the editing process of my new videos. I had what I thought could be a viral title – You Be The Judge: New Website or Facelift before I chickened out and created corporate videos.

Should the lid come off the can? Pleeeeease let me know what you think – should I go for it? As they say in politics – vote early, vote often.

P.S. If you’re wondering why I wrote variations on the word startup – it’s for long tail SEO [exact search]. If you haven’t a clue what I’m talking about or would like to understand if a video is right for your business – book your free marketing consultation. Let’s get started now to generate more profits for your business!

P.P.S. (short for post-post script) – I didn’t have a Guinness when I wrote this blog.

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