5 top YouTube tips

If you want to really leverage the power of YouTube you need to get your videos to reach as many people as possible.  Assuming your videos are full of great and engaging content, let’s look at the other things you can do to get your videos to rank on the first page of YouTube searches.

1: Know what people are looking for

If I utter the phrase ‘Search engine optimisation’ you’re probably already groaning.  I’m exactly the same.  Keyword generation tools are a bit like disappearing into a black hole; you start with one word and end up with thousands.  However, if you don’t know what people are searching for, your videos will only get found by accident.

Tools like answerthepublic.com and ubersuggest.com, along with the Keywords Everywhere plug in for Chrome will help you to get focused.

I particularly like answerthepublic.com as it gives you all the questions around your core subject that people ask.  You can do one search a day with the free version, but it does give you lots of information and you can download the csv file to pore over at your leisure.

Also remember people don’t search on a word, but usually type a sentence - a key phrase, that’s what you’ll focus on.

Keywords Everywhere is a handy little tool that, once installed, pops up information on any search you do.  There is a limited number of free search data when you first download it, but for $10 you get thousands of sets of results.  This helps you find popular searches that have zero cost to reduce your competition.

2: Set up a dedicated channel

You can have more than one channel so make sure that all the videos in each channel are all around the same subject.  Don’t mix your IT advice up with your diving videos - they’re two completely different subjects and mixing them just dilutes your efforts to get known as an expert.

Choose a channel name that reflects the subject of your videos and make it look professional with a good banner, your headshot or logo and a clear description to help visitors know what they’ll be getting.

3: Optimise your video file before you upload

The first step is to ensure the title of the file is your key phrase.  So, if your key phrase is ‘How to fly a kite’, the file title would be How to fly a kite.mp4.

Before you upload your MP4 video to YouTube, make sure you’ve attached your key phrase (that you’ve researched) to the file properties, wherever you can. 

You can’t do this after you’ve uploaded the file, so make sure it’s done first.

If you’re creating a thumbnail do the same with this file, so that when you upload the image it’s reinforcing your key phrase.

 

4: Stay focused on your key phrase

When you upload your video, you’ll need to complete all the ‘forms’ to upload it.  Wherever it asks for the video title, tags, description - just put your key phrase.  Nothing more. 

It may be tempting to add more description, but all that will do is muddy the water.  Providing your video title is clear and self-explanatory, you don’t need to add anything else.

If you’ve done all the steps thoroughly, you can publish your video to the public.  When you’ve published it, go and watch it from end to end, like it, add a comment to promote it, including your video title (key phrase) in the comment.

Like the comment when you’ve published it too.

5: Start a mutual appreciation society

Now you should be able to log out of YouTube, search for your video title (which is your key phrase) and it should appear on the first page of searches - regardless of how many views it’s had.

However, it’s worth getting together with other video publishers and forming a mutual appreciation society.  The one I’m involved with operates on WhatsApp - everyone adds the link to their latest video and all the members of the group go and watch the video, subscribe to the channel, like the video, comment on it.

It doesn’t have to be on WhatsApp, you could do it by email or text, but we find having the chat all in one place with all the links makes it easy to catch up if you’ve had a few busy days.

Good luck getting your videos top of the charts!

What’s the best strategy for email marketing?

If you’ve ever signed up to one of those American internet marketers’ lists, you’ve probably been alarmed by the at least daily emails you’ve received.  You definitely don’t want to do that to your list - do you?

The answer is - that depends on the content of the email.

When someone signs up to your list they’ve said ‘I am interested in [insert your area of expertise]’.  That means they have a need or think they’re likely to have one in the future.

Providing the sign up process made it very clear what you’re offering, that means that they are hot (or at least warm) prospects.  If someone called you up and said ‘I’m interested in knowing more about what you can do for me/my business’, would you have a conversation and then do nothing?  Of course not.

Sending a daily email after someone has signed up to your list is OK, providing there’s great value in it.  The successful formula many email marketers use is:

Thank you email immediately, followed up with emails on day 1, 2, 4 and 5.  Then at longer and longer intervals.

Content

Because the contact has been digital, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to deliver more great value to them.

There are two elements that will put your emails - and future emails - into the ‘read’ category, instead of the delete, delete, delete category.

1. Style: conversational and reader-focused works better than sales pitch or formal and distant.
2. Substance: every message should contain valuable information, whether that’s a tip, advice, a link to an article or a free download - as well as any offer you’re making.

People ‘buy’ people - so it’s important that you develop a style that sounds as though you’re having a chat with them.  It doesn’t matter how big your organisation is, the message is from an individual.  You can’t have a conversation with a corporation, so talk to your reader on a personal level.  

• Understand their needs, their wants and what’s important to them.  
• Get to grips with their problems.
• Know what keeps them awake at night.

Then empathise with them, let them know you appreciate what it’s like to be in their shoes.  Better still, if you’ve had similar experiences, tell them your story too - as long as you can relate it to benefits for them.

Timing

Whether you’re writing a one-off campaign or a series of evergreen autoresponders, they need to be delivered appropriately.  And to do that you need to know your audience well.

If you’re writing to customers who are buying for themselves, think about when they are most likely to be looking at personal email.  Lunchtime, on the journey home, after the kids go to bed?  If you’re aiming at a business audience, then probably during their normal working hours, although there’s also a case for targeting commuting time as, now most people are still in work mode during their travel time.

The wisdom is that the best day to send email marketing is Tuesday mid-morning, followed by Thursday and then Wednesday.  However, mid-afternoon can also work.  If you’re targeting business owners who are busy during the morning, an afternoon email might work better.

Also, it’s worth testing Monday and Friday.  Often people are more relaxed on Fridays and, if everyone else is targeting midweek, you might stand out if your email arrives on a different day to everyone else’s.

The secret is test, review results and test again.

Call to action

There’s a sliding scale from pushy sales to dare not ask for action.  You’re aiming for somewhere in the middle!  Deliver good stuff first, your friendly conversational engagement, give them some value or access to something of value, make your offer and then tell them the problems this will solve for them.  Reiterate your ‘do this now’ message and sign off.

It always astonishes me how many people forget to ask for action.  Even on website, there are pages that give you information, but don’t’ then tell you what to do next.  It’s missing an opportunity.

If you use this approach for your email marketing, you’ll find it helps to nurture potential clients and build that essential know, like and trust foundation.

How does your sales funnel work?

People talk about sales funnels - and how they will effortlessly fill up to generate leads.  But it’s never as simple as it looks!

A good sales funnel needs planning.  You need to consider every step with a goal for each step - and then build a robust process to achieve that goal.

A typical sales funnel has four levels - some have more and some have fewer.  Most look something like this:

• Top level - a free offering to get potential clients to self-identify
• Level 2 - a low cost item that’s a no-brainer for your target audience to purchase
• Level 3 - your bread and butter service, where your core business is.
• Level 4 - a premium service, usually 1-2-1 with a client giving them high level advice or coaching.

A good sales funnel moves people from the top to at least level 3 - and a few to level 4 - virtually without you having to be hands on much at all.

Your lead magnet

Getting people into the top of your funnel is mostly achieved by offering them something of value - for which the cost is their contact details.

When you sit down to decide how to set this up you’ll need a clear vision of your ideal client (for level 3 and 4), because that will dictate what that item of value will be.

For instance: If you’re aiming to reach owners of small businesses who have a small team and are aiming to grow their business turnover, giving them a ‘how to start a business’ document, won’t get you the right audience.

However, if you offer a Business growth checklist, that’s likely to attract more of the kind of client you want.

You’re trying to get them to put their hand up and say ‘I’m your ideal client and I need this kind of help’, not ‘this looked quite interesting and I might get round to reading it sometime.’

The missing steps

For most people that’s where their lead generation stops.  Their list grows, they send the occasional newsletter to them and nothing happens.

As part of the lead magnet process you need some more pieces to complete the puzzle.

Firstly, a good download page - one that is upbeat, lets them download the document easily, tells them what they’ll get now they’re in your community - and offers them your low cost item.  This is called an upsell.

When you’ve just given someone something free of charge, it’s the perfect time to offer them the next level option.

Also - don’t let them ‘go cold’.  If they don’t take your upsell option, it may just be they’re not ready, not in the right state-of-mind, or distracted by something else.  That’s not a ‘no’.  You need a series of autoresponders (automated emails) that follow up your sign ups, remind them to read and use the document they’ve downloaded and educate them about other things you can help them with.

Once you’ve created these they will be automatically triggered by the entry of their contact details on your list.  So it’s a do once, then forget (or at least review in 3-6 months), activity.

By all means send them your high-value newsletter and other offers, but keeping your services visible in the period after they’ve signed up is when they’re most receptive.

This same process now needs to be constructed for your low-cost item - to bring people into level 3.

There’s more to a good sales funnel than just a lead magnet.

 

… from our Correspondent

Press releases are hard work!  Small businesses can rarely find issues that are actually newsworthy every month, let alone every week.  If your business is in an area that features in the news regularly then that might help, but a good press release has to tick at least one of these boxes:

• Of real interest to the publication’s readers
• A new slant on something either topical or relevant to the readers
• Controversial

Finding subjects that relate to your business that tick one of those can be challenging.  And if you think that a new team member, a new location, winning an award (unless it’s something really unusual) or opening a new business ticks the first box - think again.  These are interesting to YOU, but not something that will excite most readers.

Even a new product, service or range of products isn’t particularly interesting unless it’s got a twist, a human interest story attached or is something nobody else does.

It’s tough - but there are ways to get into the press regularly - without that level of struggle.

Step 1:  Know your ideal client well.

Step 2:  Know what they read; their industry journals, business publications they like.

Step 3:  Research these publications so you know the style, the type of content and get a feel for the readers.

Step 4:  Create two or three article synopses that would fit that publication.

Step 5:  Write yourself a biography that sets you up as an expert in your field.

Step 6:  Ring up the publication’s editor.  

If there is more than one find out which one would be likely to manage the content in the area you want to write for.  For instance, if you’re in IT you might contact the Technical Editor, if you’re in marketing, then it could be the Features Editor.  Bear in mind that many industry journals run on a shoestring and often only have one main editor and a bunch of freelance contributors.  If you can’t find a phone number, the next best option is an email.

Your aim is to pitch a regular column so you’ll need to be able to outline why a column on your subject will add value for the readers (and for the publication) and the potential subjects you could cover.

Step 7:  If you get a positive response - you’ll probably be asked for one article to test you out.  Make sure it has good grammar, accurate spelling and correct punctuation - yes, they have editors, but you’re trying to make a good impression!

If you’re lucky enough to get a regular column then stick to any deadlines you’re given and ensure you deliver exactly what you’re asked for.  If it’s 500 words, 450 is OK (they’ll fill the space with graphics or by clever spacing), 550 isn’t - they’ll cut chunks out of it - and they may not be the chunks you’d want cutting.  One newspaper I wrote for once simply deleted the final paragraph to make it fit - so the article stopped abruptly!

If you are lucky enough to get a regular column, schedule writing time and thinking about content time too.  Good luck!