While censoring comments on your video may seem like a good way to combat spam and trolling, it can also eliminate a valuable resource in constructive criticism and turn people off who may otherwise become followers.

With viral video marketing as much as with any mode of advertising, it is important to remember that there are some potential pitfalls which can be limiting of your success:

• Stuffing Information – With what is typically a ten minute time limit to work within, you will want to make sure that your audience gets all of your main points in as short a time as possible.  You also want to be sure that your main points are clear, so avoid wasting time by going off on tangents at the expense of your main points.
• Lack of Planning – With such a short time frame to work with, you will want to have a plan for how you will cover your main talking points.  Without a specific outline, it is difficult to effectively cover all of your talking points as clearly and specifically as possible.
• Description in Text – Do not forget that this offers you the opportunity to elaborate on your main points where you may not have had time to do so in your video.
• Keywords – Try to fit some commonly searched keywords within your title and tags.  It is very difficult to gain any recognition without a search result which appears high in the rankings.
• Ignoring Criticism – Although it is obviously not necessary to pay attention to criticism that is not constructive or thoughtful, it is important to remain on the lookout for the constructive and intelligent criticism that may help you improve your approach.  It is better to take constructive criticism than to ignore all criticism and repeat the same mistakes as a result.

Technorati Tags: mistakes, pitfalls, viral video marketing

Most video sharing web sites such as YouTube are designed for shorter videos in which the poster will get their message across clearly and in few words, so get straight to the point.

As with other modes of advertising, there are some basic principles to keep in mind when using viral videos for internet marketing:

• Stick to the Main Points – Most video sharing sites such as YouTube limit the length of a video to 10 minutes, so prioritize the most important points.
• Be Specific – You will want to make certain that your audience understands the full context of your message.  Feel free to elaborate with longer explanations in your description box, or to provide links for further reading.
• Organization – This is important both for your main talking points in your video and in how your organize information in your description, especially when you have so little time and space to work with.
• Recognizable Keywords – using keywords in the title and tags which are commonly searched will help your video be found more easily.
• Criticism – Be prepared to take into account valid points of constructive criticism from your viewers in both comments and response videos to improve your approach in the future.

Technorati Tags: basic, internet marketing, viral videos

Facebook's video sharing feature is just one example of how viral videos can be advantageously utilized for internet marketing.

Two features of viral videos which make them a valuable marketing tool are the ability to post videos at no cost on sites such as YouTube, and the ability to share those videos at no cost through social networks.  If the video title, tags and description are implemented effectively, the video will be easily found and receive more traffic on sites such as YouTube.  Additionally, many of those who find the video appealing or interesting may decide to share the video using social networks such as Facebook or Twitter, which will help expand the audience of any company advertising by using viral videos at no extra cost for advertising resources.  With the advent of major video sharing sites and social networks, your audience can become one of your best advertising resources at no cost to you.

Technorati Tags: marketing tool, viral videos

Many viral videos and media will somehow relate to a certain world location or even pique interest in a location with a background image of a unique location.

If a viral video relates in any way to the subject of a particular locality or tourism, a travel agency could take advantage of this by placing ads with special rate offers on the bottom banner of the video.  They may find inexpensive offers for hotels, restaurants, entertainment, and other local attractions and display one within the advertisement which most closely relates to the subject material of the video, so that people who search for the video would also be likely to be the particular individuals interested in what the advertising company is offering.  Doing so effectively can be a good way to see that advertising resources are used so that they will more directly reach the intended target audience.

Technorati Tags: travel agency, viral video

Youtube can be great for marketing music

I would use videos that had user-controlled volume to promote products or services on the internet.  The video could first be places on the site of the product or service company, as well as any affiliate companies.  It could then be uploaded on Youtube and tagged with effective keywords to try and get the most hits.  This video could be linked to through Twitter and Facebook profiles, as well as embedded in Facebook pages pertaining to the particular product or service.  The video could then be embedded in the adspace of other sites.  These embedded videos would initially be silent, and would have an option to turn on the sound, as well as links that lead users to the appropriate front end site.

Technorati Tags: effective, multimedia, multimedia marketing

Some potential customers of MLB.TV might want to know that the Premium service offers the ability to watch multiple simultaneous games in high definition for $5 per month more than the basic service.

Let’s say we are put in charge of designing an interactive multimedia web promotion for MLB.TV (a paid subscription service which allows users access to Major League Baseball telecasts across the country).  What are some things that a potential customer would want to know?  Some new users may simply want to get a basic idea of the how the rates work and the benefit they will get out of the service.  Some may be interested in the advantages of buying a season-long subscription over a month-to-month plan.  There may be others still who would be interested to learn about the benefits of subscribing to MLB.TV Premium versus the regular MLB.TV service to find out if the extra features are among those for which they may find it worth their while to pay a little extra.  In this case, it would be advantageous to possibly feature a short video clip where it can be seen on the page, which would be followed by an interactive menu that, depending on which option the user selects, would lead each of these potential customers to the page where they can find the specific information that they want to know before making their decision to sign up for the service.

Technorati Tags: advertising, interactive, multimedia

For some products, such as video games or movies, a small trailer clip may be enough to draw the curiosity of a potential customer.

Video is fast becoming a commonly used tool for effective multimedia marketing on the internet.  An example of an effective video advertisement would be one placed on a highly visible part of a web page, which would queue up its visual content on its own when the user lands on the page, but would require user input to activate audio or lead them to a selected part of the ad to learn more about what they might specifically want to know about the product.  The visual content should be used to draw the attention of the visitor, but it should be recommended that any audio remain silent until user activation.  The reason for this is: if the audio starts blaring every time the user clicks the page and requires user input to shut it off, it will more likely have the effect of annoying the user in the way a pop-up ad would rather than drawing in the user.

Technorati Tags: effective, marketing, multimedia, video

Internet Marketing

Internet Marketing is a young field and will grow exponentially in the coming years.  It has changed the way marketing is done with the advent of Internet Affiliate Marketing, Social Media, Viral Videos, and SEM/SEO.  Marketing on the Internet allows for tracking of marketing campaigns and collects valuable client information for later use. 

Affiliate Marketing
.  Done with very little effort as websites become more sophisticated and search engines allow more options for precise searches.
.  Comparison shopping allows exposure to a wide variety of customers while searching for similar products.
.  Connect with similar websites in order to reach the target audience. 

Social Media
.  Capitalize on human nature through such sites as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. 
.  Companies tap into a huge pool of clients by being referred through networks of friends and associates.
.  The fan feature automatically sends posts.
.  Forums allow the exchange ideas and opinions. 

Viral Videos
.  Viral sharing websites such as You Tube, Live Leak, Job Jab and Google Video provide limitless exposure, if the video is particularly good it will be forwarded. 
.  Provide comments area for open dialogue, use constructive criticism.
. Create interesting, entertaining and provocative video.

Web Design and Multimedia
.  Easy navigation and great content writing will direct the user.   
.  Images draw attention and explain your product. 
.  Use short and concise relevant video to attract clients. 
.  Integrate the brand with interactive features allowing the visitor to be a part of the experience. 
.  Use descriptive text on the landing page to draw the visitor in. 
.  Be visible to search engines, use SEO techniques to score high rankings and use descriptive text on every page.
.  Advertise on other sites with a video link to your site.
.  Statistically people read 28 percent of the words on a web visit, captivate the reader.

Press Releases
.  Communicate through blogs. 
.  Keep client base up to date with just one communiqué. 
.  Videos can be incorporated or links to other pertinent sites for information. 
.  Photographs will inform your audience about what you are writing about with a glance.

SEM/SEO
.  Utilize programs to help in the selection of keywords or keyword phrases to get high page rankings. 
.  Well-written, engaging content is what drives people and search engine crawlers to a website. 
.  Connect with the audience to pull them in.

WordPress/Blogs
WordPress formats posts beautifully and is free and easy to use making it a great tool for blogging.  It allows for simple incorporation of images, videos and links to other sites. 
.  Be brief and provide links, do not add too many keywords.
.  Categorize and tag posts correctly. 
.  Insert relevant large images and videos to convey your message. 
.  Write about unique and interesting topics.  Keep it fresh, current and compelling.  Enjoy what you are writing about.

Technorati Tags: internet marketing, SEO, Social Media

Cycle of Internet Marketing

I think the most important aspects of internet marketing are social media, visual media, and real-time traffic monitoring and analysis.

Social media is important because of how well it fits into the budget of any business: if you don’t want to go the free routes of commercial exposure yourself, hire someone to do it. The great thing about is that it doesn’t take much training, and it truly improves the company’s exposure.

These items aren’t ranked in accordance with importance; however, the second significant aspect of internet marketing – in my opinion – is visual media. Along the lines of bang for your buck – nothing beats a low budget video conveying your idea instead of an overpriced advertising travesty. By fixing yourself up with visual media (pictures, videos etc.) you’ll ensure that everyone has something to interest and maintain their attention; perhaps, long enough to make a sale.

Knowing who sees it empowers you, the marketer

The third item is the value of content; by this I mean how much you get out of what you wrote. Spewing empty words and obnoxiously decorative language will force people to lose interest as they trip over five-syllable words, and odd sentence constructions. You may want to impress your audience, you may want to relate to your audience; the beauty of well crafted content is that it will work for itself. What’s great about internet content is that you can actually see what people want to read, and use that knowledge to tighten their focus on whatever you want to tell them. when you are able to know who is watching/ reading/ listening to whatever you are doing, you can extrapolate trends, and learn about your audience. In doing so, you will ensure that they become loyal, once you establish their consistent interest in your work.

So, to reiterate everything; overall, I find that social media, visual media, and the real-time traffic analysis are the most important aspects of internet marketing. Social media allows quick and cheap exposure, visual media ensures that there’s an interest for every type of visitor, and real-time traffic allows the webmaster to concentrate their audience, and learn about their preferences, which could then be incorporated to reflect upon the way business is carried out.

Technorati Tags: analysis, internet marketing, Social Media, traffic monitoring, visual media

Stay away from gimmicky propositions as people will dismiss them

Five things that you need to refrain from doing with your viral videos include: over-tagging your clips with irrelevant keywords or too many broad terms, since it will dilute your audience; using profanity or racy materials in your videos may scare away potential customers, or it could spread a bad message about your business; always respond to comments because if you don’t, then people will stop commenting and traffic will taper off; don’t pile all your videos into one category as this will make it difficult for people to find your subject-specific videos; do not bad-mouth other channels, or post unwarranted negative comments as this will reflect poorly on you.

Technorati Tags: viral videos