“The Blogger’s Ultimate Guide to YouTube Success” plus 1 more |  |
| The Blogger’s Ultimate Guide to YouTube Success Posted: 06 Jul 2011 01:09 PM PDT This guest post is by Hasan of MarketingTheInternet. YouTube, the second largest search engine right after Google, in 2010 broke the record of uploading more than 24 hours of video per minute! YouTube has also shattered the millstone of over 700 billion video views. YouTube is an excellent platform for bloggers to build a brand, connect, and provide value to millions of people at once. It can ultimately help you increase traffic to your blog while quickening the process of building loyalty and trust between you and your audience. After knowing all the stats and the potential, why don't bloggers use YouTube more to build our blogs and to reach out to millions of people, free? It's because most blogger are afraid to get behind a camera and show their faces, and share their voices with such a big audience. Overcoming the fear of rejectionMost bloggers are afraid to create videos because of the fear of rejection—the fear that people will not like your video or think its not good enough. The nasty thing about life is that you can't be liked by everyone. Likewise, there are people in life who bring others down just because they don't have the guts to do something themselves. So to find success, you have to break away from this millstone and start believing in yourself and your work. Only then will you start seeing the fruits of success. There will always be a majority of people who will find your video interesting and will benefit from and eventually spread and share your work. But how do you create an awesome, relevant, and interesting video that people share with their social connections, friends, and family? It all starts with brainstorming ideas that provide value to your viewers and get them to spread and share. Step 1. Brainstorm and mind-map topicsTo create a successful video that people will love and benefit from, you first need to sit down and grab yourself a piece of paper and a pen to start brainstorming topics you want to create a video on in the relevant niche you're in. Next, decide which format style you want to record your video on. For example: if it's a screen cast recording, PowerPoint slides presentation or you talking in front of the camera. After figuring out what topic and which type of recording you choose to use for your first video, you need to create a mind map of all the key points you're going to talk about in your video. To create a productive mind map, first write down your topic in the middle of the paper and show arrows pointing outwards with all the key points you’re going to talk about. Once you've drawn a simple, clean mind map of your main topic with the headline and all the key points you're going to talk about, it's time to gather the equipment required to record your first video. Step 2. Gather your equipmentDepending on which type of video you're creating, whether it is a screen cast recording, PowerPoint slide presentation, or you talking in front of the camera, these are some of the basic equipment you’ll need. A video cameraTo record your video, you need a camera. Any video camera should do the job. A web camIf you don't have a video camera to record with, you can use a web cam to get the job done. A microphone that’s compatible with your computerYou need a microphone to speak into for a clear recording. Microphones help block out all the background noises in your video. Camtasia for screen castingFor a video tutorial or PowerPoint slides presentation you need screen casting software to record your computer screen from. The best software for the job is Camtasia. This is easy-to-use software with a very friendly interface for both beginners to advanced users. Step 3. Record your video [draft version]After deciding on the topic and equipment you need, it's time to record your video! When recording your video, keep these tips in mind: Rehearse your videoIt's a good habit to rehearse the whole video before actually recording, as it will eliminate the chances of things going wrong when you actually start recording. Focus and speak clearlySpeak clearly into the mic while recording, and don't go too fast. Take your time and speak with confidence. While recording any video, it's easy to get distracted and lose focus on what you're saying. If your viewers realize that you're loosing your focus and attention, viewers will loose interest in your video and end up leaving. So stay focused while recording. Don't be a perfectionistDon't think your video will be perfect. Nobody's perfect and this is definitely not a "job interview", so keep your video simple and just provide valuable content to viewers who can benefit from it. Step 3. Edit your video [final version]Once you've recorded your video, it’s time to edit it and create the final version. For Software editing I recommend:
Three quick tips for video editing
Step 4. Upload your video to YouTubeThe final step is to upload your awesome creation to YouTube for full exposure. First, log into your YouTube account and click on the Upload Button on the top right. Now, click the Upload Video button to upload your video. As the video starts uploading, fill in the form below it, describing your video with the relevant keywords. Choose your keywords carefully—they’ll be used to rank your video in searches on YouTube. Don't use any spammy keywords in your video, as this can violate YouTube's terms and conditions, which could result in your video being suspended from YouTube. Three tips for success
People love videos because it shows real people and real emotions, so start creating videos that people will benefit from, and build your online presence on YouTube by reaching out to millions of people who spread and share valuable content each day. Video is by far the best way to build your brand and increase traffic to your blog. Share your experience with video marketing in the comments below! This guest post is written by Hasan from MarketingTheInternet, Internet Marketing and Make Money from Websites Tips Blog. You can get started with his free Email “Make Money with Websites" Series. Stay in touch with him on twitter @Hasan_tw. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger The Blogger's Ultimate Guide to YouTube Success     |
| How to Build a Business By Supporting Bloggers: a Case Study Posted: 06 Jul 2011 07:06 AM PDT This guest post is by Jeremy Delancy of passivepanda.com. Some people get struck by lightning, some people win the lottery, and some people make good money by blogging two hours per day in their pajamas. I've never met any one the above-mentioned people, but the snake oil salesmen of the Internet will try to convince you that you'll be making millions in a few months if you buy their info products and start a blog. The truth is, profitable blogging requires hard work. An even less accepted truth is that profitable blogging will, more and more, require a collaborative effort. In his ebook Partnering Profits, John Morrow likens the early days of making money online to the early days of computer gaming. The first computer games were so basic that one person designed and produced an entire game! Think about what is needed to create Runescape or Starcraft II. The time and effort is well beyond the capability of any one person. A similar change is taking place in blogging. Readers now want multi-media content, social media widgets, great writing, and so on. Add in the marketing and promotion of your blog and it soon becomes more than any one individual can deliver without spending 80 hours in front of a computer. The job of managing research, affiliates, guest posts—all while learning new technologies—has already begun to overwhelm some small bloggers. In this turmoil created by the growth and development in the blogosphere, I see opportunity. The possibility exists to create an additional income not by starting your own blog, but by helping other bloggers build a loyal readership, increase blog traffic and monetize their blogs. I'm starting to do just that and I'll analyze the steps that I've taken so far. Getting startedFirst, some background information: I've worked as a full-time speech writer for the last ten years. The job entails loads of research on all sorts of topics. Previously, I was an English Literature teacher. I began reading blogs on Personal Finance, Entrepreneurship and Lifestyle Design in 2009. Since then I've come across blogs that had great, well-researched content and good design. I've also come across many more that were quite the opposite. It's obvious to many blog readers that some bloggers need help. The questions I wanted answered were, "Are bloggers willing to pay for assistance?" and, "Is there a market among bloggers for my particular skill set?" The processIn retrospect, I could have begun the process of finding out who needed assistance, and what kind of assistance was needed, quite differently. One alternative would have been to subscribe to blogs on blogging (ProBlogger) and read the comments to see what were the most common challenges faced. But, that would not have been true to my nature, which is to gain first hand information through research. Instead, I developed a questionnaire, which I emailed to bloggers who specialized in: personal finance, christian living, entrepreneurship, woodworking, and eco-friendly lifestyles, all of which are areas of personal interest. Some of the questions were informational, i.e. "How long does it take to move from new idea to blog post?" Other questions were about the bloggers' aspirations, i.e. "Where would you like to be in terms of blogging within the next six months to two years?" Tip: When you’re doing this kind of research do not send more than five questions unless you have developed an excellent rapport with the other person. I found that sending seven questions in an email dropped the response rate to zero. Tip 2: For an excellent article on what to write when emailing busy people, go here. The answers were then collated and turned into A Report on Building A Better Blog which was uploaded to Scribd.com. By using Scribd, I was able to keep track of the number of downloads and the number of positive responses I received. To get a copy of the ten page report, which details my methodology, questions and suggestions, go here. The service offeringThe process of researching and writing the report, had several very important benefits. Primarily, it gave me an insight into the some of the biggest problems faced by bloggers. Secondly, I had made a tangible product to showcase my research and writing skills. Finally, and most importantly, the answers allowed me to focus on providing the following services to bloggers in personal finance and entrepreneurship:
The major benefit, that I provide bloggers? Time. By spending less time researching and writing, they have more time to work on other projects and find new ways to monetize their blogs Finding potential clientsWhen the time came to begin pitching bloggers with the above-mentioned service offering, I had a good idea of their major challenges, and was able to offer solutions because of my research. To find potential clients I searched Technorati.com for personal finance blogs with high to medium authority and then focused on those that announced a soon to be released information product (indicating a very busy blogger), or those whose Compete.com numbers had tumbled sharply (indicating that the blogger had missed several posts) and e-mailed them. Some of you reading this will think that the process is far too tedious to emulate, but there is a major benefit. By putting 80% of the work up front, your chance of rejection goes down considerably. This is because you are in your customer's head. You will have taken the time and effort to know their goals, their pain points, their likes and dislikes, and crafted your service to meet their needs. In return they will show their appreciation by giving you their business. How you can get started todayFinally, for those of you interested in helping bloggers, I'd suggest skipping the research and focus on the following instead:
Become the support networkHelping bloggers is essentially freelance work, and the first rule of freelancing is find your niche. The blogosphere is a big place and as it grows there are more and more opportunities for you to fill in the gaps. Spend some time thinking about how you could help a blogger and you may find yourself earning more freelance income as a blog supporter than many people do as a blog owner. Could you support a blogger? Have you considered this as an income option? I’d love to hear of your experiences in the comments. Jeremy Delancy writes for Passive Panda. To get more tips and other proven strategies for earning more money, time, and freedom join Passive Panda’s Free Newsletter on Earning More. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger How to Build a Business By Supporting Bloggers: a Case Study     |
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