How to Effectively Tag your Videos (YouTube SEO: Part-4)

Like most online marketing techniques, tagging your videos is both an art and a science. The strategies I use to promote businesses vary widely based on the type of business and content. You can learn the essentials in just 2-minutes with Part-4 of my YouTube SEO Tutorial.  You can watch the video on my YouTube Channel.  For convenience, the video transcript is below.

TRANSCRIPT:

Tags are key words and phrases that help YouTube and Google decide if your video is a good match for a user’s search.

Technically, entering tags is a very simple process, as you’re about to see, but what tags should you use to promote your business? I’ll give you some great tips to get you started.

To demonstrate tagging, I’m going to use one of my YouTube Success videos that explains Content Marketing.

Now, tags can be single words or multiple word phrases.  YouTube will give more weight to the tags you list first.

So, I recommend that your first tag be the same as your video title.  Mine is “What is video content marketing?” 

I press the enter key, and get my first official tag.

Next, I enter the abbreviation of the state where my business located and what industry I’m in. That would be “NJ Video Production”.

You can also use generic industry terms as long as they are relevant.  As an example, since my video discusses YouTube, and Facebook…I’ll enter “Social Media”.

Now, tags can also be single words and they can have general relevance to your video.  Here are some examples, I’ll use the words “grow, business, attract, clients”, and Inbound.

Now here’s an awesome tip.  I like to enter the name of my YouTube Channel and my website url which is PrecisionPostMedia.com.

Since no one else will want to have these tags in their videos, they will be unique, and at the same time, common to all of my videos.

After you watch one of my YouTube Success videos, YouTube may suggest that you watch some of my other videos next, since they all have these unique tags in common…pretty cool.

Let me give you a few important guidelines.  YouTube has a 500-character limit with regards to tags.  If the combined sum of the characters in all of your tags is over 500, you won’t be able to save your SEO.  You’ll have to delete some tags first.

As with all of your SEO, don’t mislead viewers by including tags that are NOT relevant to you video.  If you trick people into watching your video, because they thought it was about something else, they will stop watching almost immediately.  This will negatively effect your “watch times” and hurt your search rankings.

As always, if you want to learn more about Precision Post and receive a free video marketing estimate, please visit my website.

To stay current on YouTube Success tips please subscribe to my channel.

Thanks for watching.

Video Titles & Descriptions (YouTube SEO: Part-3)

The most crucial Search Engine Optimization components of every YouTube Video are its title and description.  The challenge is to carefully integrate keyword phrases that provide the solution to a viewers search query while stimulating an emotional trigger that entices them to watch. You can watch the video on my YouTube Channel.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

How do YouTube and Google know what your video is all about?  And if it’s relevant to anyone’s search?  It starts with your video’s Title and Description.

From your main YouTube Menu, select MY CHANNEL to get to your YouTube home page.  Then, at the top, click VIDEO MANAGER.  Find the video you want to add SEO to and click on EDIT.

We’re going to start on the INFO AND SETTINGS category and the BASIC INFO tab.  Every word you type into the BASIC INFO tab contributes heavily to your video’s ranking in a Google search.

The first field is where your video title goes. Your title should encourage your viewer to watch your video and include a relevant keyword phrase that people will search for.

It’s important to note that your title will end up as the headline line of a Google search and it’s the first thing users will read when deciding what to click on.  With that in mind, keep your title under 70 characters, so it doesn’t get truncated by search engines.

The second field is where you enter your video’s description.  You should include a short summary of your video with a call to action, links to your company website and a relevant blog post.  Also, list your company’s address and phone number to help your video rank for a local search by city and state.

Here are a few tips for entering descriptions.

When listing web links, make sure to include the full url.  When you do, users will be able to click on it and automatically visit your sites.

You can also include a transcript of your video inside your description.  Just know that YouTube only allows you a total of 5,000 characters in the description field.

Finally, make sure to avoid what’s commonly called “keyword stuffing”. The sentences, words, and numbers in your descriptions should flow naturally, and be relevant to your video.  Don’t repeat your keywords too often and don’t include irrelevant words or numbers in an attempt to manipulate your video’s ranking.  This can actually backfire and hurt your video’s search ranking.

This is a good place to stop, but there’s much more to come…. you can find the links to all of the episodes in the series in the description of this video

If you want to learn more about Precision Post and receive a free video marketing estimate, please visit my website.  To stay current on YouTube Success tips please subscribe to my channel.  Thanks for watching.

Brand Your Videos With Custom Thumbnails!

The following is a transcript of "Brand Your Videos With Custom Thumbnails! (YouTube SEO:  Part-2)"  You can watch the video on my YouTube Channel.

TRANSCRIPT:

If you want to brand your videos and make them stand out from the rest of the search results on YouTube and Google, then you need to use Custom Thumbnails.

In Part-1, I showed you how to upload a video to YouTube.  Once the upload is completed, YouTube automatically suggests three possible thumbnail images it thinks will work best.

If you’re a casual YouTube user, you can just select the one you like and be done with it.  But if you’re promoting your business, you’ll want to design your own custom thumbnail image.

If you don’t see this CUSTOM THUMBNAIL box on your screen, then you need to complete the YouTube Verification process before you can upload custom thumbnails.

Once your channel is verified, just click on CUSTOM THUMBNAIL and choose the graphic you created to represent this particular video.

Now you can use any graphics creation software you like to create your thumbnail image, but let me give you some helpful guidelines.

YouTube recommends a resolution of at least 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels high.

You can use a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or BMP file, as long as the file size is under 2MB.

When you design your custom thumbnail graphic; it’s vital that you keep a few things in mind.

Make the images and text as big as possible, so people on smart phones can still read them.

Leave the lower right corner free from any critical text or logos, since YouTube and Google will place a timer over your video.

The image and text headline you create should catch your viewer’s eye and entice them to watch.

Most importantly, your thumbnail image is a critical component of your video branding.  Use a similar graphic design for every one of your thumbnails. 

If one of your regular viewers searches for information on the internet, they will instantly recognize your branded custom thumbnail and hopefully choose to watch your video.

Your branded thumbnail image will also help viewers easily recognize your videos, once YouTube begins to suggest them.

Don’t stop now. You can find the links to all of the episodes in the series in the description of this video.

Tom Kartelias specializes in Video Marketing & SEO for Websites and Social Media. Precision Post is based in East Brunswick, New Jersey.

Connect With Your Audience On Camera!

Before you step in front of the camera to produce a marketing video, you have an important decision to make about how to address your potential clients on camera.  The following is a transcript of "Connect With Your Audience On Camera!"  I recommend you watch the video on My YouTube Channel first to see the examples of my on-camera and off-camera comparisons.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Let's play a little game. I'm going to deliver the same sales message to you two different ways. First, I'm going to look off camera and then I'm going to look at the camera. And as I do, I want you to consider how each delivery style makes you feel. Here we go.

“At Precision Post our goal is to produce video marketing that lets business owners highlight what makes them unique.”

“At Precision Post our goal is to produce video marketing that highlights what makes your business unique.”

So what do you think? Even though I just delivered the same message, these two delivery styles should have impacted you in different ways. My off-camera delivery should have made it seem like I was just asked a question from a reporter, “Tom, What is Precision Post’s main goal?”

“At Precision Post our goal is to produce video marketing that lets business owners highlight what makes them unique.”

Looking off camera mimics the style of a reality show or news program. It seems unscripted and authentic, but it's a little impersonal.

My direct to camera delivery on the other hand, makes it seem like I'm talking to you.

“At Precision Post our goal is to produce video marketing that highlights what makes your business unique.”

There's no question about it. When I look into the camera, it's a hard sell pitch. It might seem scripted, but it feels more personal. Now, both of these delivery styles are valid, but you need to consider the emotional impact you want your message to have on your potential clients.

To learn more about Precision Post, please visit my website. To keep up with video marketing success tips, subscribe to my YouTube Channel. Thanks for watching.

How To Upload Video

This is part-1 in a series of tutorials designed to have you up and running on YouTube quickly.  New episodes upload the first week of every month.  You can Watch The Video on my YouTube Channel.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
If you want to learn how to upload videos to YouTube with SEO that promotes your business?  This series of short videos will get you up and running in no time.

If you don’t have a YouTube Account already, you’ll need to create one first…you cannot upload video without having an account.

In the upper right corner of your channel click on the UPLOAD button.

Before you upload, consider who you want to be able see this video.  YouTube has several privacy settings.  Let’s just focus on two for now.

Select PUBLIC if you’re ready for the world to see your video as soon as it’s uploaded.

Or select PRIVATE if there’s any reason you don’t want viewers to see it just yet.  You can change these settings at any time…even after the video is uploaded.

To begin the uploading, hover over the big arrow icon until it becomes red, and then click on it.

This brings up a file finder, if you’re on the MAC like I am right now, or a file Window if you’re on a PC.

Then just locate and double click on your video file, to start the upload process.

YouTube will give you a progress bar and an estimate of how long the upload will take.  The longer the video, the longer the upload takes.

It’s important to note that you can begin inputting the SEO during the upload, but for this tutorial I’m going to let the upload finish.

Once your video is uploaded, click DONE.

Go to your main YouTube Menu and then click MY CHANNEL

Now you won’t see your video on the HOME tab, because we’ve kept it private.

You’ll need to click on the VIDEOS tab and then you can click on the video itself to watch it.

And that’s all there is to it!

You can find the links to all of the episodes in the series in the description of this video

In Part-2, you’ll begin to learn all about SEO techniques…starting with the use of Custom Thumbnail Images.  

To learn more about Precision Post and receive a free video marketing estimate, please visit my website.

To stay current on YouTube Success tips please subscribe to my channel.

Thanks for watching.

Be Awesome On Camera! (Scripted vs. Unscripted Videos)

Do you get nervous on camera? Does it take too long to get your point across? Writing a script may be the answer.

The following is a transcript of "YouTube Success: Should You Write A Script?"  You can watch the video on my YouTube Channel.

Hi it's Tom Kartelias from Precision Post. I know the thought of writing a script for YouTube videos seems counterintuitive. Especially since YouTube videos, in general, are supposed to be people sharing their knowledge candidly and also showing off their true personality. However, writing a script has definite advantages and disadvantages. I've got my creative hat on and I'm going to give you my perspective right now.

As I've said before, the length of a YouTube video it is critical. If it’s too long people will look at it and decide not to even click on it. If you ad-lib without a script, what happens is you tend to ramble on when you're trying to make your points and that actually increases the length of your video. However, if you write a script you get to craft every single word. It's the best way to present great content in a short amount of time.

Some people getting very nervous when they're staring into a lens. I mean let's face it, none of us are professional actors. So writing a script can take the pressure off on shoot day. You know exactly what you want to say and how you want to say it.

Now, many of you are aware of something called a teleprompter. A teleprompter lets you stare into the lens and read your script word for word. This is exactly what TV journalists use when they read the 6 o'clock news. However, there are a  couple of problems with using a teleprompter. If you've never done it before, it can tend to look and sound a little fake. Another thing about a teleprompter is that it adds to your budget. You're going to need extra equipment and an extra person to operate it.

For my clients who like to write a script, what I like to do is identify maybe two or three segments where I know that they need to be on camera. These are usually two or three sentence segments. I'll have them memorize it before they get to set. The rest of the script they can read directly off of the paper. That's usually about 80% of the script. Since they are reading it and they are off camera, what I do is I show full-screen b-roll, graphics, and stock photography. This way when people watch the video it's broken up. They’re not always looking at you staring into the camera. They have something else to look at and it makes the video more varied.

The major downside to writing a script is that you have to write a script, and this takes time. Now, you can hire someone to write the script for you or help you write it. However you are still going to have to take the time to read that script and revise it. Now, I'm not against writing a script, especially since I love to write scripts and I also get paid to write scripts. But deciding if you need a script should be based on three things. Number one, the audience you are trying to reach. Number two, the type of content you're producing. And number three, your comfort level on camera.

To learn more about Precision Post please visit my website. To keep up with video marketing success tips, subscribe to my YouTube Channel. Thanks for watching.

Video on Facebook & YouTube: Learn & Adapt

Remember the days when you could promote your YouTube Channel by posting a link to your video on Facebook?  I can still see the beautiful thumbnail images on my timeline and my YouTube view count steadily rising…well wake up…game over!  That’s not how Facebook wants us to play anymore. You can still post a link, but it won’t perform the way it used to.  My advice is to learn and adapt as quickly as possible.  Hopefully this blog will help you.

Yesterday I uploaded a 30-second promo for a series of YouTube SEO Tutorials I’m currently producing.  You can watch the promo here on my business Facebook page.  A screen shot of the post is below.

My Facebook Video Post has been live for 12-hours and I have listed my insights below…both good and not so good.  This was a free post, not a paid Ad or Boost.  I’ve also given my current strategy for using video on Facebook to promote your business.

INSIGHTS - GOOD:

-If you want, Facebook will let you add an interactive "Call to Action" button that either appears in the top right corner as your video plays and/or at the end of the video.  I chose a "Watch More" button to send people to my YouTube Channel, but you can send them to any web url…like your website obviously.  This button works on both desktop and mobile.

-Facebook does not list the duration of your video until users click on it and start to watch.  This is an advantage over YouTube where people may decide not to watch purely based on your video's length.  However, you've got to make those first 15-seconds interesting…especially to take advantage of the autoplay feature.  If your video is super short, consider listing its duration on your post as I did.

-Facebook has an autoplay feature that plays the video without sound as you scroll through your news feed.  This definitely catches your eye more than the static Thumbnail Image we all use on YouTube.

-Facebook builds a library of your videos.  Look at the left bar when you're on your desktop timeline view.  Underneath "Photos" you'll see "Videos".  It's a bit disorganized, but at least it’s there for prospective clients to review.

-A non-paid upload of a video appears on your FB Timeline...as opposed to a paid AD which does not.  Clients who check out your business page in the future can always scroll though your posts and watch it.

-It’s easy to see how your post is doing since on your page the likes, views, and shares are clearly listed.  With a paid Ad you need to use Facebook analytics, but the analytics are available for your free video upload as well.

INSIGHTS – NOT SO GOOD:

-This video resides on the Facebook servers.  If you’re looking to build an audience for your YouTube Channel, promoting individual videos on Facebook is not as effective as it used to be. Views of a video directly uploaded to Facebook have no bearing on your YouTube View Count.

-You can turn Facebook’s autoplay feature off.  I have my smart phone set to autoplay only when I’m connected to WiFi.  If autoplay is off, the user will either see the first frame of your video, one of the 10 Thumbnails images that Facebook suggests (not a great selection), or a custom thumbnail you can design.

-Watch out for Facebook’s very frustrating 20% graphic rule if you decide to pay to boost your post.  If the text graphics on your thumbnail image occupy more than 20% of the screen, Facebook will reject your paid boost.  Here’s a link to the Facebook Help Page that let’s you test your thumbnail before you upload and boost.  Since a lot of people watch video on mobile, Facebook's 20% graphic restriction is not ideal.  This only applies to your thumbnail, not the video itself.

-How Facebook counts video views is a bit vague. Does autoplay count as a view or is it simply an impression. How long does a video need to be played to count as a view, 3-seconds, 10-seconds? I have not been able to find a definitive answer on Facebook’s Help Center, however their video analytics will give you the average time viewers watched your video…and much more.

MY STRATEGY:

I suggest uploading your videos directly to Facebook to “max out” your organic reach first and use it as a test to see if the video performs well.  After a few days, you can either boost the post or create an official Video Views Ad.  Sadly, the days of posting your YouTube link are mostly behind us.  Facebook severely scales down and crops your YouTube Thumbnail image, and let’s face it…that’s sloppy video marketing for any business.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Thank you for your time.

Precision Post specializes in creating video for websites and social media.  Please visit our YouTube Channel to learn more about video marketing and see samples of our work. You can also visit PrecisionPostMedia.com to receive a free production or training estimate.