YouTube promoted videos

All You Need to Know About YouTube's Promoted Videos"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

Way back in 2006, Google purchased YouTube.com for an alleged
reported figure of 1.65 billion dollars. And, like with
everything Google does, they've added their own special
"Google Touches" over the last several years, turning it
into one of the most popular video destination websites
online today.

Need proof? According to Comscore.com's December 2009
"Videos Viewed Report", YouTube was ranked as the top
U.S. video site serving up 13.2 billion of the total 33.2
billion videos that were viewed online in the U.S. for that
month alone. That's a lot of people watching mega videos.
For more stats see http://tinyurl.com/y8jbnqh

Furthermore, according to Google, YouTube has twenty hours
of new video uploaded every minute and 420 million unique
visitors per month. Watching online videos and sharing them
with others has become an Internet obsession. People really
love watching videos. Remember the old song "Video Killed
the Radio Star"? In today's marketplace, it should be called
"Video Killed the Television Set".

What if I told you there's a way to harness that huge audience
in your online marketing campaign? Now you can with YouTube's
new advertising program called "Promoted Videos". YouTube and
its other site, Google Adwords, have partnered together in this
latest ad serving project. When promoting your videos on YouTube,
they'll also be shown across Google's Content Network, aka sites
running Google Adsense on them.

The purpose of "Promoted Videos" is to help your videos stand
out from the millions of others on the site. At the time of
this writing, they're available in the U.S., Australia ,Brazil,
Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan,
Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.

The first step is to sign up at http://ads.youtube.com, or if
you're already a user of Google Adwords you can access
"Promoted Videos" from your control panel.
http://www.google.com/ads/youtube/ . You must have a YouTube
and an Adwords account which will be linked together as the
video ads are served up by Adwords. To find them in Adwords,
log into your account, select the "Ads Tab", then the "Display
Ad Builder" and finally select "Video" from the category
menu and you'll see "promoted videos". Once your accounts
are linked, you can manage your Promoted Videos campaign
from the Adwords Console, or YouTube directly.

So where do Promoted Videos appear? By default, they run
on YouTube's site and those sites that run Google Adsense
ads. On YouTube, the video ads are shown below and to the
right of search results pages and on some of YouTube's
Watch pages in the "related video section", if related
to the content of the page. Watch pages are like the home
page of a video that displays all of its public information.
Advertisers can opt in or out of the "Content Network",
which gives some control over where the video ads may
be shown. The videos are clearly marked as "promoted
videos", but it seems Youtube has moved back and forth
between labelling them "promoted or sponsored videos".

Like other forms of pay-per-click advertising, it's an
auction like setting where advertisers bid on selected
keywords, set a maximum cost per click and a daily budget
to spend. The Promoted Videos program uses the "Adwords
Discounter" to help keep costs down. No matter your
maximum cost per click, advertisers only pay one cent
more than the other video ads shown on the same page.
When selecting keywords make sure to choose the ones
you would want to appear when a search is done
on a particular subject. YouTube's Insight is helpful
when choosing keywords. For more on this, see
http://searchenginewatch.com/3640113


The videos created can include a clickable link to any
site you choose. On sites running Adsense ads who
haven't elected to block YouTube's Promoted Videos
from within their competitive ad filter, the videos
appear as a thumbnail with three lines of text. Adsense
content partners must also be running ad formats in one
of these sizes for video ads to appear. They are: 300X230,
336X280, 728X90, 250X250, 200X200. They must also be opted
in to show text and image ads on their sites.

The Promoted Videos are different from Adsense video ads.
Promoted Videos will always take the viewer to YouTube's
site to be played, where as Adsense video ads are played
right on the website it's being viewed on.

When creating videos make sure they're fun and entertaining.
Something people really enjoy to watch and will want to pass
on to their friends and family. The sharing of popular videos
on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, will
help it to go viral. Generally speaking, funny always translates
well. The less it looks like a commercial, the better the odds
of
people liking and sharing it.

If you've been wanting to try your hand at video marketing and
reach millions of potential customers, Google's Promoted Videos
may be for you. For further information see:

Promoted Videos Help Center
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/topic.py?topic=16019

Promoted Videos Optimization Guide
http://www.google.com/support/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=112946

YouTube Ad Keyword Tool
https://ads.youtube.com/keyword_tool

Show & Tell with YouTube-Showcases the best examples of
marketing on YouTube- http://www.youtube.com/user/YTShowandTell

-------------------------------
"Blah...Blah...Blog..Rantings by Merle"- The Blog that's
loaded with online marketing techniques and strategies
that will help you increase your website traffic and make
more money online. Tips and tricks for online entrepreneurs,
and marketers to grow your net biz. Visit today-
http://www.mcpromotions.blogspot.com/
Follow me http://Twitter.com/msmerle

You're more than your age or an hourly wage (poem)

Here is a poem I want to share with you. I found it in the book Build It Big 101 Insider Secrets from Top Direct Selling Experts. (affiliate link)


You're more than your age or an hourly wage,
You're more than your e-mail address.
You're not just some size or the shape of your thighs
or the make of the car you possess.

You're more than your PIN or the shade of your skin
or the place you were born or the date.
You're not your IQ
or the width of your shoe,
your zip code, your height, or your weight.

You can't be defined by your Zodiac sign or the lines
in the palm of your hand.
It's not who you know or the money you owe,
your blood type or cereal brand.

You're much too complex for just race, creed, or sex,
You're wonderfully multi-dimensional.
You're one-of-a-kind, with a fabulous mind
and a spirit that's quite unconventional.

That makes you a treasure which cannot be measured
with numbers and checks on a chart.
You're truly tremendous, amazing, stupendous!
Believe it with all of your heart!

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
Scentsy Wickless Candles

To Have Succeeded - a wonderful poem

To Have Succeeded

To laugh often and love much:
To win respect of intelligent people
And the affection of children;
To earn the approbation of honest critics
And endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;
To give one's self;
To leave the world a little better,
Whether by a healthy child,
A garden patch,
Or redeemed social condition;
To have played and laughed with enthusiasm
And sung with exultation;
To know even one life has breathed easier
Because you have lived...
This is to have succeeded.

this poem is attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but that is in dispute

Greg Cryns
Work At Home Profiles
Scentsy wickless candles

Your Online Profile can make or break you

Online Profiles Can Make Or Break Your Social Networking Success

Almost every social networking site offers a feature called a "profile" that
allows members to include their picture, a biography, live links to their
websites and other detailed information. Most of us have multiple online
profiles that are empty or only partially completed. It is this profile that
helps other users decide if they want to work with you. Another perk of online
profiles is that the live links pointing to your website may impact your search
engine ranking.

It is very important that you think of these profiles as your own "Public
Relations Department or Media Room", specifically designed to sell you and your
business. Imagine that you only have a few seconds to sell a new prospect on why
they should want to get to know you and possibly do business with you. What is
said and offered during these few seconds can make all the difference in the
world. This is EXACTLY why your online profiles need to be completed to capture
the attention of anyone who visits these sites.

Let’s look at the different aspects of social networking profiles and what
information and content you should include to ensure that you get the maximum
results. The following information may or may not be included in every profile
but the majority of it is standard:

Your Picture - Your photo is the first thing people will see upon visiting your
profile or when reading your posts. How does it represent you? Wearing a tank
top while giving the peace sign with a beer in your hand is not the way to
impress potential clients. If you are looking for clients, then professionalism
is a must. You can show SOME personality in your photograph but try to strive
for conservative whenever possible.

Your Biography - This is your chance to tell others more about you, such as
interesting aspects of your life and what makes you, YOU. Take your time here,
as this area is the equivalent of sitting down with a prospect and telling them
exactly why they should do business with you. Include specifics about your
expertise, your business, how you have helped others and even your personal
philosophies. You want others to be excited about connecting with you and this
is YOUR opportunity to shine.

Links - Make sure to include helpful links in order to allow others to find you
online. A link to your website, your blog and additional information about your
business is crucial. However, some people make the mistake of including each and
every link that points to a profile of theirs online. If you have 25 social
networking memberships, it is NOT advisable to list them all here. A good idea
would be to vary these links on every website where you have a profile.

Contact Information - You have to include contact information if you want people
to have the ability to contact you. Do not try to hide at this point. Many
people have the wrong opinion that they should NOT put contact information in
their profile, assuming that people contacting you for business purposes is a
bad thing. Would you include your contact information in a yellow pages ad?
Then why not offer it online? Please only include information you want to be
made public.

Interests - Do you like to play golf, workout, volunteer or build model
airplanes? You might be surprised that many people would be interested in
connecting with you just based upon similar hobbies and interests. This
connection can lead to a deepening friendship that may lead to business and even
referrals down the road.

Education - While some people may or may not care about your schooling,
including specifics about your education can do two things to help you increase
the number of responses. First of all, those who went to school where you did
may want to connect. Secondly, by offering details about your education, it will
help others to see your experience and expertise in various areas.

Favorite Movies or Books - While you may not see the correlation between your
favorite movie and a potential new client, trust me, it exists. Just like much
of the information above, the information in your profile is designed to help
you connect with potential clients and to build business relationships.
Sometimes, simply sharing your favorite movie can be the start of a beautiful
business relationship.

Testimonials from past clients - One of the best ways to demonstrate your
ability to help others is by including testimonials from past or current
satisfied clients. These testimonials will help others to get a snapshot of some
of the work you have done in the past and help to build a foundation of a great
business relationship.

Looking at the list above, there is a lot of information that should be included
in each and every social networking profile. Because of this, many people decide
to skimp and their profile winds up being about 3 or 4 sentences long. This is a
mistake. It is better to leave a profile blank than to create such a lackluster
one. If you need inspiration, visit some of the most popular social networking
sites and read a few profiles to get some idea of how to get started.

If filling out multiple social networking profiles is too much for your busy
day, you might look at getting help from a virtual assistant. Many of them have
experience in this area and can create a compelling COMPLETE profile that will
best represent you AND your business. We live in a world of social networking...
making it a part of your business marketing simply makes sense. Take the time to
do it right or hire someone who can do it for you.

© 2010 Davis Virtual Assistance. Publication rights granted so long as article
and byline are reprinted intact, with all links made live.

Bonnie Jo Davis creates and manages social networking strategies for her
clients. She is a published author, expert in article marketing, and feels
comfortable working in a virtual environment. For more information on how she
might help you get the most out of your social networking efforts, visit
http://www.your-marketing-assistant.com. If you need help marketing your local
brick and mortar business visit http://www.local-map-listings.com
________________________________

Greg Cryns
Scentsy Wickless Candles opportunity
Work At Home Profiles

Google Local Updates

"Google's Local Business Center: A Major Update & A New Name -'Places'"

By Merle http://MerlesWorld.com

If you have a brick and mortar store, and rely on walk-in
traffic for your survival, you may be wondering
what the Internet can do for your business. Believe
it or not, a lot - and you don't even need a website.

In the "old days", the bulk of businesses relied on
the Yellow Pages to get the phone ringing. The majority
of marketing dollars were spent getting listed in this
ten pound paperweight. With the popularity of the Net,
less people let "their fingers do the walking" when they
need something, and more are letting their mouse do
the talking.

Online search has gone mainstream when it comes to
searching for local businesses. Google states that
73% of searches are done for local content. Another
study by BIA/Kelsey and Constat report that 97% of
consumers use online resources when doing research
for products/services in their local area. See
http://www.kelseygroup.com/press/pr100310.asp

Google has always understood the power of local search,
and years ago launched its Local Business Center where
any business can get a listing for free. Recently,
they've done a major overhaul and have re-launched with a
new name of "Google Places", showcasing a host of new features.
http://google.com/places . The name change was done
to tie in with Google's Place Pages which were launched
over a year ago and include over 50 million places
worldwide. http://tinyurl.com/yc56vx9

If you want customers to be able to find you, and haven't
listed your offline store here yet, you need to get with
the program. You are missing out on the opportunity to
reach millions of Google users, including Google Map users,
Google's 800 Voice Directory Search and even Google Earth.
And all of this exposure won't cost you a dime. It's totally
free.

Now that I have your attention, let's go over the steps
for inclusion. As with all things Google, you'll need
to sign into Google Places with your Google Account.
Up to 100 single locations can be added but, if
you have more than ten to list you'll need to use
their "Bulk Upload Tool".

There is a verification process that must be done
to prove you're the owner of the business being listed.
The choice is yours, it's by phone or mail. Once
this is done, your listing goes live.

Now in case you're thinking all that's included in
a listing is an address and phone number, hold onto
your hat. Here are some of the listing options.

1) Show the geographic area you service.

2) Photos- Upload your own, up to ten images per
listing, in JPG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP. A professional
photo shoot can also be requested for your business.

3) Place Page Posts- You can post real time updates
here, up to 160 characters, announcing special sales,
events, and new products. One post appears at a time.

4) Custom QR Codes: For use with smart phones to
take users to your mobile website.

5) Advertise: They do have a "Tags Program" in
select cities for $25.00 a month where your business
will be highlighted on Google.com and Google Maps.

6) List your operating hours. Biz description
and even reviews.

7) Post Videos: Up to five videos can be posted,
but you'll need to publish them to YouTube first,
then include the url's on your Place Page.

8) Payment Types Taken

9) Coupons: Create online coupons to give people
incentive to visit your site. There's a separate
"coupon tab" that appears on your listing page.

10) Privacy: If you work from home and have no
storefront you can choose to make your address
private in your listing.

At this point you should be realizing how important
being listed in Google Places is to your business.
If you'd like to see what your listing looks like
to a searcher, log into Google Places and click on
"see your listing on Google Maps".

Now remember ,search results are based on relevance
and "geographic distance", so you can't buy your
way to the top of the list as with pay-per-click
advertising. As previously mentioned, the "tags
program", if available in your area, can be utilized
for having your business how up highlighted for
$25.00 a month.

If you're interested in paying for your links to show
up on the Google Maps search results page, if related
to the search terms and location searched, that can
be done using Google's Adwords program with what's
called "Local Targeted Ads". http://google.com/adwords

By the way, Google also includes a "Reporting Dashboard"
that will tell you how people find you, and what keywords
they used to search. It's powerful stuff that can also
be used in your local search engine optimization work.

Do yourself a favour - if you're not listed with "Google
Places", do it today. It's targeted, free traffic. Now
where else can you say that when it comes to marketing
on the Internet. People are looking for your business
online and with Google Places you can make it easier
for them to find you. Website or not - it simply doesn't
matter - but getting people in the door does, and Google is
there to help.

----------------------------------------------------
"Blah...Blah...Blog..Rantings by Merle"- The Blog that's
loaded with online marketing techniques and strategies
that will help you increase your website traffic and make
more money online. Tips and tricks for online entrepreneurs,
and marketers to grow your net biz. Visit today-
http://www.mcpromotions.blogspot.com/
Follow me http://Twitter.com/msmerle
________________________________________

Greg Cryns
Scentsy Wickless Candles opportunity
Work At Home Profiles

Business blog to avoid looking a bit naff.

Photo credit: kk+



I am working with a client to start up a new business. I automatically suggested that he start a business blog. As an SEO guy I tend to think of blogs as a way to get the search engines to visit your main business site. Other than that, I think the jury is out. Especially when you consider the time spent vs results aspect.

So, I searched "should businesses blog" to see if I could find some hard hitting reasons why a small business person should do blogging.

The first site said "business blogs 'can offer organizations a platform where information, data, and opinion can be shared and traded among employees, customers, partners, and prospects in a way previously impossible: a two-way, open exchange' " Well, that clarifies it. (dripping sarcasm)

The author goes on to say "Instead of sending out communiqués through email that may or not be responded to, a blog offers a business a chance to build a real community."

Wait a minute. Is that simply deception? Guess what. I doubt many people visit even the best blogs every day or even every month. If you are shoving your blog message out via a subscriber list, then you are simply doing email which, according to this article, is not very effective.

How about this blog comment:

"Blogging is at the forefront of publicity mediums in today’s connected world, giving anyone or any business the opportunity to get their message out around the world." Every step I take makes me wonder if social network writers are just big bags of gas.

or this one:

"The fact of the matter is that starting a blog can certainly increase your results & add to your bottom line! It can be an inexpensive and quick way to build an online presence."
The fact of the matter? Did this person ever use a business blog? More hot air.

You may say it makes it easy to add and update content. Gee, if just a few are reading it.... never mind.

You may say it helps establish a relationship with visitors and build a climate of trust. Just how much BS can one article churn out? Somehow this reminds me of the gulf oil disaster.

I keep looking and continue to strike out, reading social media types tellin me why I should blog.

Then I came across an article that actually makes some sense of this foggy area. Snatching a few emphasis points:

1. It provides an opportunity for SEO through keyword strategies. (yes!)
2. It is fab for lead nurturing, a soft (yet frequent) reminder that you are there. (sort of)
3. It can be used to draw people into deeper content, and thus into your sales funnel. (aggressive selling!)
3. It keeps your website looking up to date. (yes!)
5. It builds a library of content to point people to relevant to a sales conversation you might be having. (forced activity builds good habits)
6. It looks a bit naff these days if you don't.

Not sure what "naff" means (British explative?) but I think that statement is true. If you don't blog in a social networking atmosphere (which the web seems to have become) then you will be thought of as naff.

So, the best reason I can find to commit time and money to business blogging is to avoid looking a bit naff.

What do you think?

Greg Cryns

Home Business Tips - Enjoy it While You Can

Picture taken at Trader Joe's in Templeton, CA



Guest post by Steven Wagenheim - I always enjoy Steven's unique takes on business marketing.

As I am writing this article, I just found out that Gary Coleman passed away at the age of 42.

Forty-two. That was 10 years ago for me. I can't even imagine not having the last 10 years of my life as I've been running my own home business for a little over seven years now. That's why the topic of this article is "Enjoy it while you can."

You don't have to tell me that getting anything going with your business is hard work. Believe me, I know. I've been there. I remember the early days...the early 14 hour days. I sometimes wondered if I was going to get anywhere at all. It took me months to see my first dollar.

It seems like such a long time ago.

Anyway, as I said, enjoy it while you can. How? I'm going to leave you with a few simple tips for running your home business that will do just that, so you don't look back and say things like, "Why did I waste all that time?"

At the top of the list, you want to make the most of every minute that you spend on your business. To do that, you MUST make a schedule for the day. I don't care if you only have one thing to do for a given day. Write that ONE thing down and assign a time limit to it. Don't spend all day on it. Decide how many hours you're going to work on that one task and stick to it.

To do this, get yourself a timer or use an alarm clock. Set it for the time that you're supposed to be finished with the task. When that clock goes off, you're DONE. No ifs, ands or buts. This will get you into the habit of working more efficiently. If you know you're being timed, you won't waste time watching videos on YouTube or chatting on Twitter. Trust me...those two things can be a real time suck.

Next, you want to take time out of your day to either be with your family, or if you're living alone, time for yourself to do things that you enjoy. I don't care what it is. Me? I like to work in my recording studio and write songs. There are days when I have no business to take care of at all and spend the entire day in that recording studio.

Finally, get plenty of rest and eat right. Your body is NOT indestructible, in spite of what you might think. Too many people think they're going to live forever on hot dogs and chili. Trust me...you won't. My diet has changed drastically from the time I was 21.

If you follow these simple tips, you will enjoy your business, enjoy your life and might even live to be a ripe old age and spend all that money you made when you were listening to what I told you.

You can thank me later on your 90th birthday.

To YOUR Success,
Steven Wagenheim

Looking for a solid 4 step plan to building your own business...FREE? Pick up my free report at http://www.stevewagenheim.com/4steps.html and get started TODAY!
__________________________________

Greg Cryns
Scentsy wickless candles - a great home business