Using YouTube to get traffic to your website is one of the best ways to try out multimedia skills and to reach a new audience. YouTube videos allow you to become “real” to your audience in a way that you aren’t just when they are simply reading your words.

To make the most of the YouTube video, you will need to make sure that you select the title and keywords properly; use the screen properly; provide legitimate information; and produce a network of videos, you should begin to see a traffic spike from your YouTube account to your website.

Title and Keywords

YouTube’s search uses keywords just as search engines do. While it may be tempting to name your video something catchy or clever, make sure that you add the most relevant keywords. A video about “cooking gluten-free food” should have that phrase in the title. When you choose keywords, try to imagine what people will search for that would be in your video. Making sure that the people watching your video are the intended audience is necessary to use this method of traffic generation.

Screen Use

Some people who make YouTube videos for their sites are blatant about the sales pitch. Don’t be one of those video producers. Putting your URL or company name at the bottom of the screen or putting your name and title under your photo will give you a marketing boost without intruding on the viewing. Use the 10 seconds after the video ends asking viewers to go to your site, like you on Facebook, or do something else quick and easy as a follow-up.

Quality Information

Videos on YouTube should be no longer than 10 minutes. Though the site currently allows users to post videos that are longer, you generally should avoid it. Most people who are browsing videos online are looking for something short and sweet. They want quick information. Get to the point of the video quickly and then end it; drawing it out only means that people will click another video before you are done.

Give viewers solid information but leave them with enough questions that they want to seek you out. The best way to accomplish this task is to have each video address a small question. For the aforementioned “cooking gluten-free food” video, address a simple question. Explaining what gluten is, the affects of eating gluten on people with celiac, or what gluten-free breads are best allow you to answer the needs of the viewer but leave them wanting to know more.

Video Network

Providing a 2-minute video on youth soccer drills can provide a bit of helpful information. A viewer will watch your video, consider the drill you recommend, and move on to other videos. With 10 or 15 videos of soccer drills, though, you begin to build a reputation as someone who knows a significant amount about youth soccer. As people watch more of your videos, they begin to trust what you have to say. Though a member page, you can begin to get subscribers and encourage people to visit your website.

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Heather Green is a freelance writer for several regional magazines in North Carolina as well as a resident blogger for onlinenursingdegrees.org. Her writing experience includes fashion, business, health, agriculture and a wide range of other topics. Heather has just completed research on online schools for nursing and online nursing schools.

*Photo by Frerieke

There might come a time in your business when you need to generate HTML code quickly for your website or blog. In this video I’ll show you a drop dead simple way to generate HTML code using Wordpress.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media. He is a producer, author, speaker and social media marketing coach who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

Junk mail is everywhere. I actually call it junk marketing. It really has nothing to do with the product being bad. Most people don’t know the difference between their bottom and a bullet hole when it comes to marketing.

Here are some things you can learn from junk mail and what NOT to do.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

*Photo by loop_oh

To harness the true power of Twitter you need to understand and use Twitter search. In this video I’ll show you how.

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Joel Mark Witt is the Publisher of Folk Media and author of 21 Days To Twitter Leadership. He is a producer, author, and speaker who consults with businesses and nonprofits on how to use social media in marketing and communications. Get more from Joel on Twitter or Google Buzz.

The ways of text-based blogging are slowly becoming ancient and the era of video blogging is upon us.  Video content is easy to create and online video websites, such as YouTube, make it simple to upload and share content.  But, like most social media practices, it’s not always that easy.  There are a lot of things that can (and should) be done to maximize the views, comments, and “share factor” of your videos.  So, what are they?

1.  Create a channel.

YouTube channels allow a user to have a dedicated place to upload their videos and to easily share them with others.  When someone accesses your channel, instead of just seeing one video, they will be able to see all of the videos you have uploaded in an easy-to-use format.  A YouTube channel is a great way to organize your content and distribute it in a simple manner.

2.  Keep the same format.

When you’re editing your video, make sure to keep the same general format as other videos.  If you have a title appear in your first video, have a title in your other videos.  If you always have credits at the end, keep the credits constant.  Viewers don’t like change when it comes to the organizational qualities of videos.  They want to be able to recognize your content within the first 10 or 20 seconds of your clip.  (You want this too!)  If you change how your videos are edited, you’ll be throwing off your viewers.

3.  Respond to comments.

It’s highly probable that video watchers will comment on your content.  When they do, make sure that you respond to engage them in conversation.  Remember, as humans, we crave conversation and connection.  If you can provide those two things to someone video YouTube, they’ll think you’re the greatest – and they’ll keep coming back for more.  It’s about creating communities, not about individuals.

The only instance you wouldn’t want to respond back to someone is if they’re comment is rude or inappropriate.  If this is the case, be sure to flag their comment as spam or report them to the YouTube police.

4.  Tag appropriately.

When you upload a video, you have the ability to tag, or label, your content with keywords.  As you tag your content, you want to ensure you’re tagging accurately with terms that people might search.  If you’re video is about dogs, don’t tag “dog eats a dead rabbit in the park.”  Chances are that very few people will be searching solely for that.  Instead, tag with “dogs” and “dog eating.”  The more general, the better.  Also, if you have a YouTube channel, make sure to tag your channel name in case people search for your content that way.

5.  Encourage contact.

Most people take a hands-off approach when it comes to their YouTube accounts.  No comments, no messages, just content.  That’s fine and dandy but it won’t get you anywhere.  If you’d like to continue building a community, encourage your viewers to contact you with suggestions, questions, or compliments.  When viewers see that someone is encouraging contact, they will be more likely to leave it.  Be sure to check you account often if you’re encouraging contact because you don’t want to only log in once a month and have 80 new messages you need to handle.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by bop

So many people get caught up wondering “what do I have to say?” This short video will show you what to write about on Twitter.

Click here if you are having trouble viewing the video.

Get the book “21 Days To Twitter Leadership” The Step-By-Step Guide To Get Twitter Followers And Position Yourself As The Leader In Your Industry In Less Than 10 Minutes Per Day.

While it’s not a Folk Media Project, MarylandZoo.TV was Joel and Jordan’s first project together. They didn’t really know what they were doing at the time but they did have a lot of fun making the show and enjoying the company of countless animals.

If you haven’t seen the final episode of MarylandZoo.TV then now is the time to do so. Episode 10 is one of the episodes we are most proud of. This episode focuses on an Animal Keeper at the zoo who works in the farm area.