Create a Video Marketing Plan in 5 Easy Steps

Video marketing is one of the most effective kinds of web marketing available today. Most companies have a YouTube Channel at the very least, and many feature video right on their home page. Getting video marketing right can mean increased conversions and higher profits in the long run - so why not start with creating a video marketing plan? Here are 5 steps to making your plan a great one:

1. Set your goals and budget – Set a budget and determine what services you will need to pay for in order to make your video marketing the best. Will you create the content yourself, or hire someone to do it? Will you need to license music, use what's available for free, or create your own? Will you pay to have your videos promoted on platforms like YouTube?
2. Define the target audience – Who will be watching your videos? Do you need to categorize your videos into different types for different audiences? For example, you wouldn't show the same videos to doctors as you would to patients.
3. Create content – Create scripts and storyboards for your videos, then create them! Don't be afraid to get funny and creative - for example, check out these "Retail Fail" videos by WhizBang! Training.
4. Choose a video platform – Vimeo, Youtube, Brightcove, Metacafe -  there are endless free and paid options to display your videos to the customer. Develop a strategy for which video platforms you will use.
5. Develop a distribution plan – It's easy to embed video from many platforms, so be sure to spread your content on social media and the web. Make sure that your video content gets onto your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, blog, and website.

Need more ideas? Check out our article 10 Steps to Video Marketing Success.

Last webinar of 2012 this Wednesday! Twitter Marketing for Professionals

The holidays are upon us, but there's no time for rest in the Internet marketing world! We understand your need to stay above the competition, so we are proud to present the last Wednesday Webinar of 2012 this Wednesday, December 26th!

Last week, Ten Golden Rules founder and CEO Jay Berkowitz presented his webinar on Internet marketing for professionals, or anyone who is not a full-time marketing wiz. Whether you're a doctor or a small business owner, Internet marketing can be detrimental to the way you reach your audience these days. With that said, this week's webinar comes to us from IMC host Matt Wooddy. We will explore the DOs and DON'Ts of Twitter and how you can infuse a successful campaign into your business.

Click here to register for FREE (12-26-12 at 12:30pm EST):http://bit.ly/WBVuEZ

About Matt Wooddy:


For the last five years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to completely turn around the online presence of over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company.


Click here to register for FREE (12-26-12 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/WBVuEZ

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents: Understanding Facebook Analytics

Marketing experts Dennis Yu and Cody Vest are joining forces for this week's Wednesday Webinar, and the topic of discussion is understanding Facebook Analytics. We've all spent hours trying to perfect the right online marketing campaigns for our brands and customers, but how can we be sure that the efforts aren't being completely wasted? Dennis and Cody will help you better understand the analytics behind Facebook advertising and how to really create a beneficial strategy. 

Click here to register for FREE (11/21/12 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/fbanareg

About Dennis Yu:

A Facebook marketing expert, Dennis Yu is the CEO of BlitzLocal.com and specializes in advertising for big brands and yellow page category businesses. Over the last 3 years, he has guidedthe development of an ad serving platform that garners PPC, SEO,email, and facebook advertising, optimizing campaigns to online andoffline conversions via phone, lead generation, online ordering, andcoupon redemption. Founded in 2006, BlitzLocal is headquartered inBoulder, Colorado.

About Cody Vest: 

With specialties that range from data analysis to innovative execution, Cody Vest is the Creative Director at Vest Advertising. His motivation includes innovative ideas, good research and beautiful images, and these ingredients have led to some powerful print and digital advertising campaigns. His client list includes Humana, Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers, Core Combat Sports, Appalachian Regional Healthcare, among others.Click here to register for FREE (11/21/12 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/fbanareg

Social Media and Global Power Shifts

Today Mashable published an article on social media and the global power shift that it claims has come with the advent of new technologies. With social media taking responsibility for the mass appeal and massive outpouring of support for movements like Occupy Wall Street and the Egyptian revolutions, it's hard not to agree that a power shift is afoot. Even the power of marketing has been shifted to the consumer - inbound marketing, not outbound marketing, is now at the heart of the marketing world. Consumers are now the ones who can better control what ads they see and when, and how companies can connect with them, which can heavily impact the moves that companies today make.

Do you agree with Mashable? Is there a "new power" afoot that comes with the new technologies that we have created and popularized? Or do you believe that power will still naturally be relegated to the hands of a select few at the top of the pyramid?

InternetMarketingClub.org Presents The Digital Marketer's Roadmap - The Top 3 Tactics for Internet Marketing Right Now

In this Wednesday Webinar, provided by Jay Berkowitz, CEO of TenGoldenRules.com and Founder of the InternetMarketingClub.org, Jay will share the top 3 tactics that are working right now in internet marketing.

This webinar will help you learn a new tactic that generates leads for 3 times less than Google Pay Per Click (PPC), a critical element your website needs to succeed in internet marketing, and another tactic that brings customers back to your site to make a sale.

This free webinar will take place Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 from 12:30pm EDT - 1:30pm EDT. To register and for more information please visit: Digital Marketer's Roadmap - The Top 3 Tactics for Internet Marketing Right Now

Chicken and Egg Scenario - What comes first the job or the experience?

I am often asked "How do I get into Internet Marketing?"

It is a classic Chicken and Egg Scenario. What comes first - experience in the field or a job to get the experience??

The good news is that there are several ways to get experience today that didn't exist in the past.

The best way to get experience is to do it yourself. There is no cost for putting up your own website or blog and generating some revenue through affiliate marketing, by selling info products or through AdSense. If you can show a potential client or employer that you know how to make money online - for real- you are way more employable than other candidates.

Freelance work is another great way to get relevant experience. Websites such as Guru.com and eLance.com are sites that connect companies looking for specialists with freelence specialists. We have used them for overflow situations and I have been very pleased with the quality of individuals we were able to hire.

Another great way to get practical experience is by volunteering. Volunteer for your local interactive marketing association or a local charity. I sit on the Board of several of these groups and we are always looking for people to build websites, post blogs, do web PR etc.

Good luck cracking the egg!

What's Next on the Internet? I'd love to get your input. Please comment.

I am writing a new keynote internet marketing presentation and I'd love your help. What's Hot? What's up Next for Internet Marketing? What will we all be doing online next year?

As always, I'll credit you on our podcast, blog, presentations etc. for good ideas.

Here some of the themes I am working with so far.

- Everybody is Famous to 15 People (Social Media Micro Marketing)
- Everything Open Source
- Micro Communications (RSS, Twitter)
- Making Social Media Make Money
- Customer Service as the new Marketing Department (examples @RichardatDell, @NetSolCares)
- Free! (Free Software, Google Tools)
- Virtual Worklife (Meetings, Work, Training becomes virtual)
- Web Celebrities (Ashton Kutcher first to 1M Twitter followers, Obama’s Social Media Success)
- Video Video Video (video is super hot for communicating, branding, conversion, traffic etc.)
- Semantic Web (Computer artificial intelligence better finding information)
- Consumer Journalism (A Twitter picture broke the US Airways Jet in The Hudson River story)

Learn Internet Marketing Through Video

If you’re wondering how search engine optimization works and everything that goes with it you may want to explore IMBroadcast.com. Everyone learns differently, whether it be through reading text, illustration, audio and video. IMBroadcast is a site where you can upload videos about SEO, link building and other internet marketing strategies that other internet marketers are kind enough to share. The site is in its beginning stages so it can only grow from where it is now. I think this site is a great way to separate videos on a specific topic and that topic only, since it allows someone that wants to learn internet marketing all explore all of the aspects that come with it. I think that video tutorials give a better understanding than information written on a blog or resource website because not only can you hear a voice but you can also visualize making it easier to understand.

Here's a video from the IMBroadcast site about Optimizing for Google.

The importance of website content?

Hello everyone, I am new at Ten Golden Rules! - and I will be blogging about my favorite subject; internet marketing. This week while I was driving I kept thinking why google and other search engines emphasize on content? We all know that search engines "reward" websites if there is a constant flow of new content on a site, but why? What is the reason behind this? If we take a look at any news website, look at their page rank, in most cases is always a high number.
In a snapshot, all internet marketers know the importance of content - titles including keywords, meta descriptions and meta keywords (although meta keywords are not that important now), body copy, etc. - okay, we know all these basics but the reason why search engines "reward" websites for content is because at the end of the day everything comes down to business, right? - and search engines need to make money. If they do not have all of us creating content on the web where will they place advertisement? They need us to give them content to be profitable and keep their business growing.
Another example I always think about is why google (you'll be hearing a lot of "google" from me) gives away so many free tools, because they are nice? And how can we learn from this idea and incorporate it on our own website? In addition, I will also be covering the list of free google tools in my next couple posts - so come back because there is always one cool tool you might not know...

Online Advertising Holding Strong through Meltdown

In this tough economic time, safe investment options are scarce. Dwindling revenues across the board are resulting in a decrease in spending for most businesses. Online ad sales, however, continue to look promising, showing double-digit growth for the first half of the year, compared to the first half of 2007. The first half of 2008, according to data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, shows a 15.2% online ad growth rate. The growth includes spending on search, display (banners), rich media, and email advertising.

It is actually possible that online advertising can benefit from the current economic uncertainty. Marketers are forced to tighten up and focus their efforts on a medium that is both measurable and effective so they know that their ad spending is creating real revenue. Since online advertising provides both measurability and effectiveness, many advertisers are likely to pull the brakes on traditional marketing strategies and spend more on internet marketing.

This is not to say that online advertising and ecommerce are completely safe from economic downfall, as no business really is. The industry is, however, showing much more promise than most industries.

Every Page Is Your Homepage

I was so happy today when I saw this blog post from Mitch Joel, over at the Six Pixels of Separation blog. Long have I lobbied for Internet marketers to stay focused on the every day user – not the tech-savvy advanced users our industry comprises.

Yes, this is a simple idea - ANY page of your website can be the homepage because it is the entry point for a particular visitor. But, this fact is often lost on web professionals and website owners. So much attention is placed on the homepage, and interior pages get little regard.

But we need to realize that first and foremost, we must consider the every day user. They are, after all, our potential market - our audience. Although many millions use the Internet daily, most except the very immersed use it only casually – for whatever they've found it useful – and that's as far as they take it. It's a tool – a means to an end.

So, when they do a search and find a webpage, it IS the homepage to them. Is your website architected with this in mind?