BroadVision Marketing Blog

Do you know everything there is to know about YouTube? How many videos have you put out on your very own YouTube channel? Are they SEO optimized, using great tags, SEO in your title, professional grade? Did you go the expensive route or the do-it-yourself route? How has this worked out for you? Yes, well when it comes to the strengths of YouTube, I was struck by three major contradictions, or myths, if you will. I found these myths in my research and read a different angle in a SEOmoz article by Phil Nottingham, The Marketing Value of YouTube.

Myth 1:

YouTube belongs to Google, so they’re going to favor your site and the front page of Google will always look for a video regarding any subject of any keywords search for.

Myth 1 variation: YouTube can be a shortcut for those who want to get high rankings for free. Google owns YouTube and often automatically gives relevant YouTube videos first page ranking. If you have added your website URL in the video description section, chances are that YouTube can boost your site’s rankings dramatically and help you generate a lot of site traffic.

As you can see this myth and variation have to do with the fact that Google purchased YouTube. People have assumed that since that is true, Google will give a higher rank to a YouTube video. Therefore, if you have a YouTube video in your blog article, the Google will rank the article higher than if you did not have the video. Likewise if you have your URL link in your video, that fact will help your video pull more site traffic.

Topics: YouTube, myths, BroadVision Marketing in Petaluma CA, Inbound marketing agency in CA, internet marketing tips

 

6 Ways to Attract Customers

In May 2012 Google purchased YouTube, creating a super way to attract customers by adding video content to any website of any business, big or small. The benefit from using video is that now a video-encrusted site weighs more within Google’s search engine algorithm. When you add a video to your site, Google perceives this as a better quality site and you move further ahead in the search results. With better search results, you attract customers.

What is more, when you create a video for your company, there is the possibility that your video can “go viral”. This has a bigger chance of happening than with a text-only post.  If you have embedded YouTube links on your site, it will download faster and the attracted customers are more likely to stay and visit when they aren’t angered by a slow loading site.

Topics: YouTube, Videos, attract customers, YouTube Videos

One of the greatest things since sliced bread in the business blogging world is using multimedia. This week you have seen me use some of the ideas that I have written about. Today I have a video for you because words sell and video helps.

[kkytv id="livzJTIWlmY" width="600" height="385"]

 

• Adding video and photos to your website and blogs can have a major impact on your sales.

• Unless you are aiming for an amateur look, create videos that look professional or you can find something like the one I found on YouTube. These will enhance your image.

• Remember that photos are not free. When you search using Google and select images, go to the funny gear looking thing on the upper right. Click on that and go to advanced settings. You will go to a page that at the bottom has a place where you check mark that you want images that are free. Click search and see what is left. Not satisfied? Try Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/ using the attribution license and be sure to attribute. Try PublicDomainPictures.net: http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/;  or Dreamstime: http://www.dreamstime.com/free-results.php?searchby=sandwich+generation&searchtype=free.

• You can also purchase photos and graphics, often for reasonable rates.

What sort of multimedia are you using? How has it worked for you? What would you like to know more about?

 

Jaco Grobbelaar, owner of BroadVision Marketing, helps business owners and business professionals put marketing strategies in place that consistently secure new clients. He can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.799.1238. You can “Like” him at www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing or connect with him on www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.

 

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• WordPress' new version 3.3 gives multimedia and mobile some love (venturebeat.com)


• My Mini-Gallery At Dreamstime (richbystockphoto.wordpress.com)

Topics: Google, YouTube, Videos, Multimedia, Photos, blog, BroadVision Marketing, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business Owner, Jaco Grobbelaar, Business, Branding, Blogging, Marketing strategy

When it comes to business blogging (or any blogging for that matter), content is king of social media. You can save money by writing from your own experience and you can build your business at the same time.

You want to create original content full of your sage advice. You also need to keep your blog fresh with more and more of this original content. Of course, it is always great to have a guest blogger who has a different approach to add to the originality of your site. All these are clues in how to reach your audience.

What you want is to create posts that are not only original, but also give in-depth answers to your clients’ questions. Here are some suggestions on how to do this:

• Be sure you use your keywords constantly. If you want clients to find your answers, you have to improve your blog’s search-engine-optimizationability (yes, I just made that up). If you are writing about eye care, be sure you talk about eye care. If you are focusing on homecare services, house cleaning or Rolex watches, you want to use key words as often as possible without sounding silly.

• If you are a local brick and mortar business or if you are a national chain, it is always best to blog to a particular region. Talking about clients or using testimonials with a particular area mentioned is always a good way to tag your community. In doing this, if a person in Fort Worth is looking for a house cleaning service, your site will come up in the search.

• What you don’t want to be is a blogging commercial. People don’t watch television to see nothing but commercials. No one will read your blog if it is one long commercial for you. You don’t want to promote a product, service or your business in every post.  One source I read suggested that you use a mixture of 75% information and 25% promotion.  It’s worth an experiment. You can always tweak your percentages depending on the success of the experiment.

• Along those lines you want to vary your posts. You can embed videos from YouTube or link to cartoons and comics. There are always occasional funny stories or cool illustrations, maybe even with one of your clients as long as you don’t violate privacy. Guest blog posts are a super addition and so are graphics or charts. Info graphics are becoming a popular item.

Blogging is one of those bread-and-butter items of social media that will keep you in front of your clients, prospects and search engine.  Yes, content is king.

What do you think is the most important aspect of business blogging? How are your blogging efforts working for you?

For more information please refer to our new guide: An Introduction to Business Blogging.

Jaco Grobbelaar, owner of BroadVision Marketing, helps business owners and business professionals put marketing strategies in place that consistently secure new clients. He can be reached at jaco@broadvisionmarketing.com or 707.799.1238. You can “Like” him at www.facebook.com/broadvisionmarketing or connect with him on www.linkedin.com/in/JacoGrobbelaar.

Related articles

• What is a business blog anyway? (marketing.yell.com)

• What's stopping you writing a business blog? (marketing.yell.com)

Topics: Google, YouTube, Web search engine, Rolex, User-generated content, blog, BroadVision Marketing, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Business Owner, Jaco Grobbelaar, Business, Branding, Blogging

[caption id="attachment_2499" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Team Member Disrupting a Meeting"] [/caption]

Every project, every team and every team leader on all levels are going to come in contact with conflict. What That Leader needs to learn is how to spot it in others in order to minimize, divert or resolve it as soon as possible.

What are some conflict indicators?

Probably the most obvious indication is body language. If the team member is unhappy about something, his body language will be guarded, turned from the leader, he will have minimal eye contact with the leader and even show micro-expressions of mocking or frowning. A leader in the midst of conflict will show the same either to his up-line team or to his team members.  That Leader will study body language in order to become conscious of the meanings of what he sees, but even an uninformed leader will subconsciously be aware of the signs and know there is a problem, even if he is only aware of it in his gut.

Topics: YouTube, Team conflict, Controversy, Facebook, Social Media, Twitter, Leadership, Teamwork, Team, Team leader, Conflict resolution, team member

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Image by HRC via Flickr"] [/caption]

What is your Facebook marketing strategy? Do you have one? You need a good strategy in order to make sure that you continue to grow and increase your page’s engagement activity.

When do you practice patience and when do you decide that you need to make some changes because you are not having the success you were expecting? Was your goal really realistic? Did you set a length of time that you were going to wait to get those good results?

Topics: Using Different Media, Google, YouTube, Fansite, Google Calendar, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Twitter, Marketing strategy

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="Marketing Plan"] [/caption]

A cook starts with a recipe. A tourist starts with a map. An architect starts with a plan. So why do many small business owners think they can run their business without a  marketing plan?

To many small business owners, marketing means advertising - which means big bucks. And yes, some sorts of advertising are costly, but marketing also includes lots of less costly ways to engage prospective customers. With some research, planning, preparation and execution, business owners can be successful with marketing without spending enormous amounts of their budget on advertising.

Do be sure and include some marketing in your budget, but it doesn’t need to be a high ticket item. A word of warning: as you look at what your competition is doing, remember that it might not work for you. Don’t copy them or customers might mistake you for them.

Here in brief are four main insights that can lead to marketing success:

Topics: marketing, Small business, YouTube, Marketing Plan, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, LinkedIn, Twitter

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="240" caption="SUBWAY"] [/caption]

How many of you have tried your hand in social media by launching contests, promotions and branding campaigns on blogs, Facebook, Twitter,  and YouTube? OK, raise your hands.  If it worked for you, keep your hands up. Oops.

I have a clue for you. “Social” is not the same as “sharing.”

You have to identify your key influences and motivate them to share with their friends or you are missing the main idea. Social content works best when people share it.

Topics: Using Different Media, YouTube, Uniform Resource Locator, Brand, sharers, influencers, Meteor Solutions, super influencers, Subway, Facebook, Social Media, Marketing Principles, Branding, Twitter

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Original Starbucks"] [/caption]

How many of you have tried your hand in social media by launching contests, promotions and branding campaigns on blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube? OK, raise your hands.  If it worked for you, keep your hands up. Oops.

I have a clue for you. “Social” is not the same as “ sharing.”

Topics: Using Different Media, YouTube, Social network, Brand, super influencers, Starbucks, sharing, Facebook, Social Media, Business, Twitter