YOUTUBE SUCCESS GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
YouTube – You What?
Have you heard about YouTube.com? Maybe you are scratching
your head, wondering, “What is it”?
Is it, a catchy name for a catchy service?
Is it a marketing tool?
Is it a website for novice filmmakers?
The answer is yes, yes, yes and then some. You see, YouTube
is many things to many people, depending on how they use it
and their purposes for its use. You can define the website’s
purpose tradition-ally as:
“YouTube.com is one of the many Web 2.0 sites popping
up on the Web. It is a “video sharing” website.”
However, YouTube.com, like many Web 2.0, sites is much more
than a site allowing individuals to share video clips. It is a place
for public commentary, where people can review the latest and greatest info products, and where people can
network and share common interests, goals, and opportunities.
The best part? YouTube.com is not too complicated to use,
driving away hordes of novice users. In fact, the opposite is true.
YouTube.com is easy to master. This website allows just about
anyone to sign up for an account, upload, share video clips, and
view other people’s clips. Sounds neat, huh?
Just like many popular sites, registered members can rate
videos, or find out how many times other people link to a video clip
for their viewing pleasure. YouTube.com provides and publishes
this information for your convenience, and for its loyal fans. Have you
heard about Netflix? The idea is the same. Netflix is an online video
“store” if you will, like Blockbuster. Registered members can log in
and rent videos sent directly to their homes. They can also rate and
review the videos they see. That way, the public has a better feel
for what videos are worth watching (and whether there are some
videos they shouldn’t bother with).
The site can also tailor its recommendations to you depending on
how many videos you rate. The big DIFFERENCE between a site like
this, however, a static site, and YouTube.com, is using YouTube, and
you can watch video clips right from your home computer. There are no
renting, no late fees, and no charges to become a member.
Will you watch a full video? No. You will watch a video clip. In the
ten minutes of time, a user has to make a video clip however, you can
be sure they will input as much valuable and telling information as they
possibly can. So, a visit to YouTube.com is well worth it.
Is YouTube.com popular? Yes, and not just among the young. In
fact, the young and old alike enjoy their newfound “celebrity”
status by posting their own video clips to the Web. And, speaking of
celebrities… YouTube is popular among web fans, your average Jane
or Joe, and celebrities getting in on the action. Just like MySpace.com attracts many public figures interested in connecting with their
fan base and audience, so too does YouTube appeal to the
same crowd for similar reasons.
Alanis Morissette (a well-known singer, just in case you don’t
know) just did a spoof of Fergie’s (another young hip-hop singer)
“My Humps” video. It’s pretty funny if you have a good sense of
humor. “You love my lady lumps?” What isn’t funny about that?
Even if you never heard the original song, you will get a good
chuckle out of it. It is also a great example of a good video, and
you can use it for a model when trying to create your own video
clips for YouTube (we’ll get to that later).
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=My+humps+alanis+
There is no cost just to listening, and you will learn a great deal.
Of course, you can just type it (my humps) into Google and
find about another dozen sites promoting the video. While
YouTube.com is fun, it can also be an extremely useful tool for
promoting your business, and your website, and for networking and
connecting with people around the globe. So why write a guide
on YouTube? I’ll tell you why…
Here’s the point.
YouTube isn’t just for fun, though we have focused so far on
some of the funnier and more entertaining features offered by the popular
site. But, just as YouTube.com is fun, you can just as easily use it
to promote your website, advertise your business or simply
publicize what it is you have to offer. For that reason, people are
jumping hand over heels to get their hands on it. Large corporations
including CBS, NBC, Sony BMG, and others, people that once
opposed the site, are clamoring to get in on the action. The reason?
Millions of consumers are logging in every day to catch a
glimpse of what YouTube has to offer…
YouTube may become the most popular Web 2.0 site on the
Net. The sooner you get in, the faster you will start realizing the
benefits YouTube has to offer.
Want to see just how useful YouTube.com can be to the ordinary
politician, small business owner, or marketer? Check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=obama
Consider YouTube.com a platform, one you can use to connect
with users in a meaningful, directed, and intimate way.
YouTube.com offers something for just about anyone.
What does YouTube offer? The material posted on
YouTube includes many TV clips, multiple music videos, and much
amateur content, content from bloggers, and content from Internet
Marketers interested in getting in on the action. Celebrities, news
organizations, and even musicians are now allowing users to upload
short video clips of their works to this incredibly fast-growing website.
When Did It All Begin?
Here are the facts about YouTube.com as a business and rapidly
growing enterprise. Starting in February of 2005, the site gained
massive media attention and popularity, in part because it was something fresh and new. It also brought with it some controversy, as many
of the more popular and successful websites do. Time Magazine
suggested it was the most popular invention in 2006. Of course, it
is not to say YouTube is not without its share of controversy. Quite the
opposite is true. We’ll learn more about the ups and downs YouTube
has experienced in the next section.
What is important for you to know now is YouTube is a
powerhouse, a weapon anyone can use to gain free publicity. It
even captured the attention of industry giant Google Inc.