GETTING STARTED ON YOUTUBE continued...

Then you need to upload your picture- and if you want it to enhance your personal brand and image- use the same picture as you use on all the other social networking sites. Just dig into the “edit” area and learn your way around.

Add pertinent personal info, name your channel, and make sure to fill in your key words and channel title. (If you haven’t yet- read the article here on Branding. It will give you tips on what to include.) If you have a web site make sure you include your URL and always use the preface http:// so it becomes an active link. (Always do that- and always test after you save or publish so you KNOW that it is done right.)  Hit the “save” button and then you can start wandering through other channels to get a feel for what you like and what you don’t.

Try a search for things you might want to feature on your channel. If you are with a company, search the company name. Chances are there will be hundreds- maybe even tens of thousands of videos in your area of interest. My dad and his wife are into Oriental Antiques. When I searched Oriental Antiques there were 500 videos. When I searched Network Marketing there were 15,000.

Keep in mind that YouTube is a social networking site and the rules apply here too. Don’t spam. Don’t push your product or service. Don’t chase. You want to develop relationships with others of similar interest. If you visit someone’s channel and they have opted to display their friends, you can send them a friend request, and if they accept, your picture will go into their friends list. If they have just a few friends, you might be right there on the cover of their channel. Friend requests should include a short salutation from you. “Hi. Loved your _____ video. Thanks.” Something like that- as long as it’s genuine. If they display their subscribers and you like what you watch from their videos, subscribe. Your picture will show up in their subscribers list, another place where people can find your face.

Creating your own videos is your next step. These days even phones can shoot live video, or you can use a web cam or regular hand-held video cameras. There are units available these days for under $200. Quality matters- but not as much as content. You want to create a video that benefits the viewer. Unless you have a professional teleprompter you are going to look like you are reading if you are- so hold 5x7 cards and read if you need to. The viewer wants eye contact, so look down, read what you will say, and look back up and talk to the camera. Be who you are. Don’t add an English accent- unless it’s a comedy piece- or…if you are from the UK. I personally have the best results if I write out an outline of what I want to cover and then mentally think through what I will say, picturing that outline in my mind. Then I set up our camera in a spot where my face is well lit and just talk through my piece. I try to talk to the camera just like I would talk to you if you were standing there. I make eye contact with the lens- which feels pretty stupid for the first few times. When I’m done I pick up my outline and make sure I hit all the key points. If not, or if I didn’t feel good about it, I just do another take. Then I’ll watch what I’ve done to see if it looks like it felt. My first videos really lacked facial expressions- especially smiles. If you are framing the shot with mainly your face, it had better be an expressive face, or you’d be better off with a waist-up shot using your hands for expression. If what I watch doesn’t hit my standards, I’ll film it again. You will never get a perfect video. And, if you are like most folks, you will be far more critical of yourself than others will be. Remember, it’s all about the value of the content. To help engage your viewer think about asking a question and suggesting they answer in the comment box after watching.

You don’t necessarily need to go as far as getting editing software, but you do need to be able to add print. It’s a great idea to put the URL of your site where you want to direct your traffic at both the beginning and end of your video. Include your phone number if you invite calls, or your email address. Give the viewer an easy way to connect.

YouTube has a 10 minute limit. But, ask yourself this. If you did a search, found 20 videos on your topic of interest on the first results page and three had the exact title you searched. Suppose there was a 1 minute video, a 4 minute video, and a 10 minute video, which would you watch first? There’s no right or wrong answer, but most people say they’d watch the 4 minute one. Keep that in mind when you plan your outline.

Uploading is as simple as hitting the “upload” button, browsing to the file where your video is stored, selecting the video, and clicking upload. While it’s working its way through cyberspace, pick a title that will most closely match the actual words someone would use to search for your type of information. Type that into the title box.

Then write the description. Start with your URL and remember the http:// so it will be live. Then just tell people what they’ll find in the video. Be aware that search engines will use any key words you include to find and rank your video, so use key words, but make sure it sounds and reads naturally. Don’t get overly concerned about how many key words you’ve included.

Then list the key words in the nest section. Look back at the words used by others in their channel videos. Hundreds of key words, especially if they really have nothing to do with your content, won’t help. If you have a great title, include those words in both your description and your key words list. Select your category and you’re done. You can always go back later and edit all that you’ve just created.

It will take YouTube a few minutes to display your new video so don’t smash your keyboard on the floor if, after all this work, your video isn’t on your channel right away. The first time I did that I slammed my hand down so hard on the desk that my dog started to cry.

A link from other sites to your video can help you get a higher ranking in search results, so if you have your own web site or blog site, post a link to your videos. If you know others who could offer your content to their audience, ask them to link to it, or even better- embed it right into their site.  

You can influence the success of your video by promoting it too. Tell your friends and colleagues about it. And ask those who watch it to give it a great rating. If that 1 minute video had 1,000 views and 70 people had rated it 5-star, you might watch that before the 4 minute one with 7 views and no rating, right? Ask people to leave a favorable short comment too. It gives more credibility. Then use all your social media avenues to send out the URL. Copy what’s in your address bar while the video is playing and that will get folks right to it. If the URL is huge, paste it into a URL shortening site like bit.ly so it won’t look hideous in a Tweet. Attach the link to emails and tell everybody to forward it to their friends too. The more who look, the more popular it appears. That’s the idea.

Consistently build your content, increase the value, tweak your site for a customized appearance, interconnect with other sites, promote, and interact with others on YouTube. It's all part of having fun with social networking!