Youtube Upgrades Their Youtube Creator Playbook

Youtube has upgraded their Youtube Creator Playbook or guide book.  This is their third revamp of their guidebook since the few short months beforehand, when they had released their “updated”  playbook in  February  of 2012.  However, as you well know,  things change quickly on the internet.  With all the new Youtube interface changes, internal analytics panel changes and general interaction changes that have occurred since February 2012, they definitely needed to upgrade their guidebook to be a one stop kickstart resource for creating great video content on Youtube.

They now have a dedicated link for the Youtube Creator playbook, and  they provide a supporting blog that is geared mostly for  Youtube partners, but it’s still a good idea to check it out on occasion  to keep informed of all of Youtube’s ongoing changes.  The site is an easier read than before and at the end of every unit they provide a downloadable checklist so you can use this information to use as a set of guidelines to follow when creating your videos and to boost the effectiveness of your video content.

One of the key factors that has changed (and is reflected in the Video Manager Analytics area of your Youtube account) is that Youtube now tracks the number of minutes that your viewers are engaged with your video content.  They are not solely counting video hits any longer.  Youtube provides an actual count of the time or how  many minutes your viewers are watching your content and provides a top ten list of your most popular videos for the content creator to evaluate in your analytics statistics.

I have a previous post with the old playbook that was filled with a lot of the how-to’s in video creation.  But that playbook  was on a Slideshare type of presentation format, and I wanted to upgrade the blog with this newer information.  By the way, they do provide a link in order to download the 114 page guidebook as a pdf file, if you prefer.

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Youtube Makes Video Guide Ebook  Available to Youtube Publishers

Halloween Greetings And A Marketing Reminder!

Well, it’s that time again.  That time where the ghosts and goblins start appearing on your marketing materials and not to mention those that will be appearing at your door begging for treats, not tricks!  Halloween begins the flurry of end of the year holidays that marketers can incorporate into their marketing campaigns.

So, this is just another reminder that as we gear up for the holiday season, all your marketing materials should be planned, set up and ready to go! And, yes, this is Rich Media Design Productions’ annual friendly reminder.  Although, for next year we well have to probably start a little earlier to give one time for the planning and decisions that need to be set up for online and offline (print media) marketing plans..

 But it’s just not your print media, marketing that needs to be planned.  It also includes your web content, email templates, and other online marketing campaigns.  You might want to check out The Email Guide‘s article about email marketing templates for Halloween and for more information about the nuts and bolts of email marketing.  The website covers email design, best practices, list building, email testing and metrics.   The information and tips you’ll learn will get you geared up for your next holiday themed campaign.

Are we sounding a tad bit redundant, well we think for good reason.

But, we won’t sign off without wishing you a Happy Halloween!

Related Post:

Reminder: Prepare Your Marketing Materials for the Holidays!

Image Credit: Courtesy of digitalart at Free Digital Photos

Why Storytelling Videos Are Popular Ways to Advertise Small Businesses

When it comes to online web video content, “Once Upon A Time” is not the phrase you usually associate with small business online marketing. But the growth of online video content and popular “storytelling” videos are providing growth for this part of the industry even during  a downturn in the economy.  Interestingly enough, according to a recent  Web Video Marketing council’s article, the development of  web video content for advertising has contributed to a growth in jobs for 2011.  Their study, commissioned by the IAB found that…

“Research from the Harvard Business School claims that the entire ad-supported ecosystem of the Internet contributed $530 billion and about 2 million U.S. jobs to the economy last year. The work was commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), a global non-profit representing over 500 media and technology companies.

The IAB claims its members collectively sell 86 percent of all online advertising in the U.S.

The Harvard Business School research notes that much of the growth occurred among small businesses, in reference to the job creation figure.”

While many types of video content is being produced, videos with storytelling from the customer’s point of view are becoming a more popular way of associating a brand with its product.  What are these videos exactly?   Whether it’s an auto manufacturing company showing customers reflecting on past memories of when  they bought their very first (insert brand here) car, or a mom reflecting on the cupcakes she baked from a brand mix and how it made her feel, in essence brands are encouraging consumers to be a part of the story by recalling their own experiences.

These videos are showing up on corporate websites to humanize or personalize the corporate website’s brand.  Most of these human interest stories are so popular that they show up on Facebook, Twitter and other popular social sharing sites.  Take for example, Dollar Shave club’s popular video that went viral and ended up with 5 million views.

According to a Search Engine Watch blog post , what Dollar Shave Club achieved  was nearly phenomenal!  Search Engine Watch calculated  how much this type of advertising coverage was worth to the startup business in terms of its potential advertising costs via a traditional medium.  They compared it to the results that Dollar Shave Club would have gotten had they chosen to go down the more traditional and less creative way of competing within the market.

“ The average CPC (cost per click) for a group of “shave” related keywords is currently around $1.

If you’re a start-up, you don’t really want to be spending $5,140,887 in PPC within your first month. You’re unlikely to make it past the end of your first week at that rate!

But what Dollar Shave Club has achieved is to get in-front of just as many people/eyeballs, but without the associated costs that come with each click.”

Another example of an engaging small business Youtube hit, and this in the UK, was the one pound fish man as seen in the video below:

This is the power of compelling video and stories that have do to with the customer or client interacting with the product in a positive way.

The three reasons these videos are successful and what you need to consider and apply when producing your video content are:

1. The videos come across as authentic if they are not done in a salesy or corporate speak way.  The subject matter is believable and  the informal way the person shares his memory makes the video content a lot more authentic.
2. The endorsement is provided by the customer in a warm, friendly manner. When the subject in the video is telling a compelling story the endorsement seems credible even when he or she is recalling a 10 year old memory of interacting with the product.
3. This type of “storytelling” video content personalizes the brand. They bring the brand down to the consumer level, which is appreciated by a prospective consumer, and proves to be very motivational.

And what small businesses and other advertisers have found is that these videos are a lot more shareable.  You are not likely to send a friend or loved one a traditional commercial; but a video that is either funny, or tells a unique story with subtle branding is more likely to be socially shared.

It will be interesting to see more small business success stories as they find ways to incorporate “storytelling” videos in their small business marketing.

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Photo credit: Design by Itzik Gur

7 Ways to Generate New Client Leads or Freelance Work from Your Local Business Community

As a freelance graphic designer, it’s just as vital to set up different sources for obtaining or generating new client leads as it is setting up your online portfolio or Linked In profile.  Too often graphic designers may look for larger clients via online resources or online job boards, when they can prospect for potential clients in their own neighborhood. The following are a few tips on how to jump start your marketing efforts.

1)      Join your local Chamber of Commerce and attend a few of their events in order to promote your services.

When you attend these events make sure you take your printed business card, that has vital information about your blog, website or online portfolio.  Get ready with a 15 second  “elevator speech” describing what services you offer.  Don’t be boring and answer the question, “What do you do for a living?” with a boring, “I’m a graphic designer”.  Try to phrase your answer with information that lets your potential client know how you can solve their problems.

2)      Set up your business information on Google Places or local online business directories.

Make sure you include as much information about your graphic design business.  If you are a graphic designer that works out of your home, set up a mailbox and use the address as your business address and communicate with your clients via your phone or online website or blog.  Take advantage of these free or low cost local directories

3)      Check out Craig list’s listings for your city.

Yes, your competition is probably doing the same thing but sometimes you’ll have the skill set or experience that your competition doesn’t have and thus you’ll get hired.  With a small investment of time on  a consistent basis, this habit may reap you a client or two that will be a source of additional business.

4)      Keep in touch with local related freelancers ( especially copywriters) that can refer you work.

Treat good referral freelance associates like gold, offering them either bartered services, (i.e. design their print collateral) or a fee for referring work.

5)      Ask if you can place your business cards, rack cards and other marketing material in local business stores.

Use this technique with related businesses or businesses you have developed a rapport with.  It’s possible your local favorite drycleaner could be the one who will be willing to post your business adverts!

6)      Obtain a local business directory from your local business chamber of commerce and mail promotional postcards to prospective clients in your community that could use your services.

Contact a local printing house that does not have an in house graphic designer and determine if they would refer work to you.  Be prepared to send some samples of your work or refer them to an online portfolio or website.

7)      Keep in touch with past clients and always reward your clients with a referral  fee , or generous discount, if they refer any business to you.

Make sure you view your past satisfied clients like gold, and don’t neglect them. These satisfied clients are a source for potential new business as they can vouch for your reliability and expertise!

Do you have any local business marketing ideas?

Free Website Tool that Allows You to Create A Photo Realistic Tshirt Mockup

If you are looking for a free website that allows you to mockup a shirt without having to use Photoshop or know Photoshop layers, the  Shirtmockup site featured above might be the right choice for you.

This site allows you to create a simple mockup t-shirt with a jpeg image on a photo realistic tshirt for free without requiring advanced Photoshop skills.  You create the mockup online and you can download the image when you are finished.  It will however, have the company’s watermark on the lower left-hand corner.

If you want to purchase the photoshop layers templates that are featured in the lower half of the website (and also free of the company’s watermark), get ready to get out your bank card in order to purchase the template packages that are made available.  The Gomedia mock-up templates are high quality photoshop layers that come in a variety of men’s tshirts, women’s tshirts, hoodies and other apparel.

The following t-shirt mockup was made with one of these templates and is a logo design image previously created for a client for his music studio and featured in a couple of my Youtube videos.

 

Related Post:

3 Tips to Designing a T-shirt to Promote Your Business or Event

5 Tips to Make Your Online Banner Ad Design More Attractive and Effective

Online banner ads have varied in their popularity over the years, but in spite of that erratic popularity, static online banner ads are still the workhorse of online web advertising.  It’s a good idea to keep these general rules in mind when designing your banner ad or ads in order to gain effective results for your banner ad campaign.

5 Free or Open Source Screencasting Applications to Create Your Next Video

Screencasting and live video streaming may be the next big thing in marketing for your small business, but it is hardly worth diving into if your budget is already squeezed tight and you can’t make room for expensive software and video tools.

However, not to worry there are a few robust and free applications out there, that you can at least begin to use in order to get familiar with the technology and get “your feet wet” with video marketing without a financial outlay.  You will have to invest some time to get familiar with the products but that shouldn’t be too difficult as most of the website provide short video tutorials on how to get started.

How to Convert a Powerpoint 2010 Presentation into a Marketing Video

If you have  Powerpoint 2010 on your Windows computer, you have the tools to create a marketing video at your fingertips without needing screencasting software.  In addition,  Microsoft usually includes their basic video editing software Microsoft Windows Live Movie Maker with your purchase and you can use this software to edit your completed video, if needed, or prepare it to upload to Youtube.

Unlike previous versions of Powerpoint,  Microsoft has stepped up to the plate and provided video conversion  functionality in their most recent release,  so you will not need a third party application to convert your Powerpoint presentation to video.  The following steps will guide you through this process:

Design Social Media Icons Into Your Music or Band Business Card

There are social networks specifically set up for the music and band industry that can be added to a business card that reflects where your fans and/or customers can find your music or  music videos.  In this case, we have included social media icons for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Last Fm, Flickr and Youtube.  These are the social networks that are most likely used or are often used by bands or members of the music industry.  However, one can include any social media icons that they want.  The rule of thumb is to include only those that best reflect how you promote your business.

QR Codes can be incorporated as well, so that less text can obstruct the visuals included on the business card and yet your fans can have all the access to your contact information that they need.  In this concept card design, ( a preliminary proof) for a client, I have tried to include all of these graphic elements.  The QR Code is one of mine and I’ll be tweaking  the design in order to make sure the QR Code functions.

In any case, hope you find my latest design inspiring.

Related Post:

Business Card Design for Media Business With Social Media Icons

 

Designer QR Codes: 5 Tips to Customize Your QR Code to Promote Your Brand

Designer QR Codes are a hot, new design trend and with good reason since they improve engagement for your ad, marketing collateral or website with their creative color, design and concept. To be sure, it’s a definite improvement over the often cold black and white, slightly geeky 2D barcode where it might serve its purpose for inventory but is not as attractive  or engaging in marketing or print collateral.

Popularized in Japan, where it was created by Toyota subsidiary Denso Wave in 1994 for inventory purposes, the QR ( Quick Response) code is one of the most popular types of two-dimensional barcodes.