At Supernova Studios we’re getting ready to add YouTube videos (as part of an “exposure engine”) to our Nova Scotia virtual tours. RTV has always taught us the value of video and with the staggering statistics you’ll read below, we knew it was time to “get with the program”.

While our Nova Scotia virtual tours speak for themselves and are now available on mobile devices (thanks to RTV’s new 360 virtual tour software), we understand that creating an additional YouTube video for them is one more unique service, in our already extensive bag of “marketing tricks”.

Producing an engaging video for YouTube is just the first step in launching a successful marketing campaign.

Rising through the ranks. Now that Google owns YouTube, there’s the added benefit that a video on YouTube automatically goes into Google’s search engine. Videos tend to catapult to the head of the line. It’s a great way to increase your site visibility in the rankings.

1.7 million Canadians watched over 4 billion videos in 2010. As of February 2011, YouTube has 490 million unique users worldwide per month, who rack up an estimated 92 billion page views each month. On average there are more than 400 tweets per minute containing a YouTube link. On Facebook over 150 years worth of YouTube videos are watched every single day.

Check out our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/novascotia360tours

Here are some tips for making your company’s videos rise to the top and leveraging them to help your business:

Participate in the YouTube community. People forget that YouTube has an active community, similar to eBay. Get your name around by commenting on other videos and joining existing topic-oriented groups or creating one if there isn’t one in your niche area.

Make sure your videos direct visitors to your site. Tens of thousands of viewers watching your videos sounds great, unless they have no direction to find your business afterwards. Make sure you include your Web address and other company contact information. Create a special “landing page” for viewers coming to your site from YouTube. It should have a similar look and feel to YouTube and intuitive navigation to close the deal on transactions or gathering client leads; whatever your marketing objective may be.

Using the right production values. Believe it or not, spending too much money producing the video is more of a problem than spending too little. If you look too slick, it may work against you. Most YouTube videos are shot with a $300 camera. YouTube videos are 320 x 400 pixels. Less important is the equipment, while more important is technique. Talking heads, stationary shots work best. That’s why spots like Blendtec work so well. It’s a guy standing at a little table with a blender. Audio, however, is something people don’t think enough about. If you’re using a camcorder with an external mic input, use it. Invest in a decent microphone.

Choose your keywords carefully. There’s only one way viewers find you on YouTube and that’s the site’s search engine. Using the right keywords is essential. Choose words that best fit your subject area and niche. Keywords should draw in a broad enough audience to get the exposure you seek, but not too much.

Want to tap into this enormous market? Need help getting started? Check out our courses at: http://www.supernovastudios.ca/Social-Networking-Package

Supernova Studios – your Nova Scotia Virtual Tour Specialists

Toll Free 1-877-745-TOUR (8687)
Fax 902-766-4489

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