Biggest Mistakes I See in Videos on YouTube ....

Great post. I agree with what you say about keyword research. I had two videos when I first started using youtube, they were both essentially the same, same info in them at least, and while one got about 200 views a day the other got about 600. It was all because of the keywords in the title, description and tags.

lol it was funny reading when you said about stopping after a few videos, because thats exactly what I did! I shot about 3 videos then left it for a good few months. I dont know why, but you were spot on!


Ashley

Please provide a link to your channel. Thanks!

Video Marketing is one of my top priorities right now. so this is handy.

Will check the video.

This is great information. Please post a link to your videos. I would like to take a look at what you are doing.

Any digital camera that produces AVI or MP4 videos will work. It should be at least 320 x 240 pixels, which is 1/4 of 640 x 480. Check on eBay, you can probably find one for under $10.

I have a Canon A-650IS, but several Canon cameras will do the same. People don't consider that! Most Canon (and many other vendors as well) still cameras have a video mode in them. My first would make movies up to 1GB or 17 mins at 640x480. The 650IS makes movies up to 4gb or just over an hour at 640x480. At 320x240, it's 4x that.

One tip: I highly recommend you get a camera with -IS or "Image Stabilization". That's what Canon calls it, anyway. Other vendors use different terms. It's mainly for use with regular photos to reduce blurry pics in low-light conditions. But it also makes a big difference when you're making hand-held videos, too, esp. if you're zoomed-in.

The images in my Canon are saved on an SD Flash that you can take out and pop into an adapter to upload to your computer, then edit. You can also plug the camera directly into your computer via USB cable, but I prefer removable media as I can have spares and not have to worry about needing to stop and upload the contents before flushing it out to continue filming.

You can also get any of the "Flip" brand of cameras. The main factors are going to be:

* How long will it record for
* Does it have removeable storage, eg., SD Flash cards, or must you plug it in (USB)
* What's the audio quality like
* What format is the video in.

That last one is tricky -- Many create "AVI" files, but they're really a form of "streaming JPEG" files. Most video software won't open them or show them without a special CODEC, although you can get such CODECs free usually from the vendor or a 3rd-party.

Newer cameras will be less hassle than the ones from a few years ago.

HTH
-David

Dumb question but didn't find my answer: how to check other videos tags?

Say i wanted to clone a top video tags.

Thanks for the reminder. Just got some new editing software. Need to fire it up and learn how to use it.

Your videos are great, by the way.

Since one of the ways I make my living and market my products is via video, I have to chime in. Excellent advice all around. No one, no matter their skill level can hit a home run all the time, it's just not possible. But being consistent and posting videos over a period of time allows you to reach (in effect) a critical mass. Couple that with some links and article markeing, and you can assuredly have a winning combination.

Hi Tim
Congrats on your Youtube success.You shared some great tips.
Youtube is now no.2 search engine and it's no longer just an entertainment site.The marketing potential of Youtube is immense.

Till a few months ago,I used to be plain frightened about video marketing and I think this applies to most of the marketers.Either they are ignorant about it's potential or unable to see any significant success.

Creating video is not difficult at all.There are several sites which allow you to create short 30 seconds to 2 minute videos.I use
animoto - the end of slideshows
to create my videos.

Just Creating and uploading videos is not going to suck in visitors and sales.There are several hidden tricks in this trade.
1)Do your keyword research properly:This is a very important aspect of the whole video marketing.To find appropriate keywords related to your niche or subniche,first type it(your niche) in the Google search.You'll see some video results appearing.Click on those results and copy the URL of each video.

Now paste the URL in the Youtube FREE keyword search tool which is located at:
https://ads.youtube.com/keyword_tool

It'll present you with several relevant keywords.Copy-paste them in a blank notepad.You'll be using them while tagging your video.

**Click on the "Statistics and Data" link which will be situated in the left corner,just below the video.This will show you what the keywords are people typing to find that hot video.Give special priority to these keywords while tagging your video and also in the description part.

2)Make the titles of your videos similar to those of the popular ones in your niche:
This single technique will help you more than any keyword research or tagging.If you see a video titled "Fat Loss Secrets: How to lose 15 pounds in 30 days" getting a lot of views then title your video similar to that(Not exactly same).This will make your video appearing just after that video finishes and get you a lot of views.

3)Give Video Responses to popular videos in your niche:
This is another killer method.Create short 30 seconds-1 minute videos to post video responses to hot videos in your niche.These responses will help you in re-directing a lot of traffic to your video.This technique has always worked for me without fail.

4) Use "Article Video Robot" if you are afraid of making videos:
I would advise you to add this tool to your marketing arsenal as soon as possible.It converts your articles into live taking videos .I have been using it for about 2 months now and it has produced great results.It allows you to multiply your traffic without any extra effort on your part.

They also submit your videos to more than 10 video sharing sites(including Youtube,Metacafe and Dailymotion).They have 14 days FREE trial so you can test the results without any risk.This software is located at:
Turn any article to video with animation, music, graphics, and a full voice-over for just $1!

5)Description,comments and ratings:
This is also an important part.You would like to put a clear cut description and the benefits of your product in this part ending with a call to action.Don't forget to induce proper keywords.

The same applies to comments part but you should refrain from spamming blatantly.You can even outsource the comment and ratings part at very cheap rates at Amazon's service "Mechanical Turk".

Getting a lot of commenting and positive ratings will greatly help your video in capturing high search rankings.

6)Tags:
You already got a list of relevant keywords ,use as many tags as possible.I usually use 10-15 tags per video.

7)Thumbnail:
This is also an important factor.Thumbnail is a small picture from the middle of your video.It can attract hundreds even thousands of extra views if it is attractive and the reverse is also true.

Use the above mentioned strategies and Youtube success is not far away.

I used to be very averse of video marketing(I started using it only 2 months before) but now it generates a major part of my traffic.I have been able to add an extra $700-$1000 to my daily income thanks to the power of video marketing.Go ahead and harness the immense power of video marketing.

Good luck.
Vivek

Let me give you a simple but killer technique I use that might help you see "the big picture" with all this . . .

Before I give you the tip, here's an important takeaway you can apply not just to YouTube, but to ANY aspect of internet marketing.

And that takeaway is this: You can read all the step by step "recipes" you want from others, but remember that big-time success is more likely a result from a true innovation that you discover on your own rather than simply applying a generally accepted cookie-cutter approach.

In other words, go ahead and learn the basics . . . but look for that one ninja "inside move" that takes everything you've learned to the next level. THAT'S where six-figure businesses are born.

Since I've been living and breathing YouTube for more than three years now, I've been able to discover a lot of these profitable moves on my own.

Let me share one of those inside moves with you right here . . . (And don't let its simplicity fool you - sometimes the simplest tips are the most profound.)

Okay, we can all agree that keyword research is crucial, right? Pick the right keywords, and you can get tons of traffic. Sure, everyone knows that.

And everyone also is told to use all the usual keyword tools - the free ones, and the paid ones. And those tools are all great.

But guess what?? About 80 percent of my traffic comes from a group of keywords that you WON'T find using those tools!

It's true. I'll say it again: The keywords that give me my "home run" videos come from keywords I did NOT find in Google's keyword tool or any of the other commonly used tools.

I call them my "Golden Keywords." And this just one of the several ways I get them:

First thing I do is, I go to YouTube and put in a keyword strongly associated with my niche. Let's say I want to sell an abdominal fitness product. So I go to YouTube and type in "ab exercise." This is just one example.

Then I look at the top 5 or 6 videos out of all the search results that appear.

But here's the key - I don't look at the videos so much as the CHANNEL they came from.

What I do is, I visit the channels of those top 5 or 6 videos. And then I look at the most-viewed videos in those channels. And that's where I get killer keyword ideas, from looking at the titles of THOSE videos.

And then I build my videos around those keywords.

What you're doing is, you're amassing the best keywords that have already been proven in the very medium you want to succeed in.

I hope you get what I'm laying out here. It's pretty simple. But it's VERY powerful.

Hope that made sense. Let me know what you think.

-Tim

Golden tip. Golden.

Thanks for sharing some great tips here Tim. I have found YouTube to be a great converter for paid traffic, and now want to use that data to get free traffic too. Your post and follow up comments have been a big help to me, so once again thank you.

What an awesome thread!

This is something I am about to get into in a very meaningful way, and this is incredibly generous advice, in the true spirit of the Warrior Forum.

I have been rabbiting on to anyone that will do me the courtesy of listening that people are killing it on Youtube! And it seems we might have found one or such people in this thread.

One of my questions is, what is the best way to decide on the content of the video and does it matter? For example simple slideshows etc don't really grab or engage the user, and I imagine that is an important part of this strategy?

Very interesting insight, effectively I seemed to have had little control on YouTube Keywords, Will need to look into this, I had mainly thought of it as viral.
Thanks a bunch,
Robert

I think because its Pink Floyd and a 3 years old video that those numbers came from viral linking but nonetheless, you're right had they placed a link to a cpa offer or something to make money or atleast gather leads that even at 1% sign up would be a great thing.

Thanks for the great tips as well.

The thing I don't get about videos like the one above is ... YouTube is LITTERED with them! So ... where the heck are the MUSIC POLICE?

They're basically music videos put together by fans, using (mostly) complete unaltered music tracks from albums. Many times the videos are of individuals performing the music themselves, or singing the lyrics themselves, or using the tune with different lyrics.

All of which are 100% copyright violations!

So ... why is it that there's not this HUMONGUOUS outcry by RIAA, ASCAP, BMI, and every recording label under the sun about how YouTube is costing artists bazillions of dollars a year?

WTF? They're just tribute videos from fans.

I suppose if you're the band that had the album with the longest history on the Billboard Top 100, (Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon") you might not be too worried about losing sales to YouTube fans.

FWIW, I had the amazing pleasure of seeing Pink Floyd live on their first US Tour in 1972 promoting "Dark Side". I think the ticket cost me $4. The concert was outdoors, and set up in "quadraphonic surround sound" and it was quite a trip. I didn't have any weed with me, but just about everybody around me seemed to be toking, and it was hard to escape it's effects.

Oh, I see that a similar type of video about "Stairway to Heaven" has over 3M views, too. And THIS video appears to have been posted on January 3, 2009.

YouTube - Led Zeppelin-Stairway to Heaven

These video is most popular with:
Gender Age
Male 45-54
Male 35-44
Male 25-34


YouTube - Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here (live)

This one has 9M views!!!!

These video is most popular with:
Gender Age
Male 45-54
Male 35-44
Male 25-34

The Pink Floyd video in the previous post is most popular with:
Gender Age
Male 45-54
Male 35-44
Female 13-17

Ya wonder why you get traffic from folks with money to spend from these?

DANG!

Great post thank you.

Regards,
Mypromovideos crew

tgilberg,

Really appreciate the detailed reply. What you are saying is not far from what I have heard Jason Moffatt saying, in the sense that he advocates using the talents of the younger generations to get view-sucking videos published on youtube.

I am still yet to discover what kind of content people favour the most, but I guess in some ways what you are saying is paint by numbers?

I.e. just put out enough content and keep working on it and producing content until you hit on some winners? I agree with that strategy and principle if you have the time (and I do right now).

Is there anything specific you do apart from creating a lot of videos and keyword targetting that you use to get views on your videos. You don't have to go into details (as this is your business) but is there any or a lot of work put into promoting the videos once they have been published?

If you aren't in the younger generation, sometimes its hard to put yourself in their shoes. I've created videos that I thought would be awesome in terms of views and it didn't work, and vice versa.

Just like article marketing, the more "seeds" you can get out there, the more chances some winners will present themselves. This gives you an important foundation to build upon.

Matt

Here's another example of a video that's gotten over a million views...in just eleven days!

[WARNING: She shows YouTube comments within her video...YouTube comments are notoriously profane and may harm small children, puppies, and elderly trees. If you are offended at locker room talk or the F word, turn away now!]


I've seen her videos before and the ones I've seen are all the same...just her talking about a quirky topic for just a few minutes. And instead of shutting down horrible comments, she playfully interacts with them in her videos.

Notice the editing, teaming up with friends, and light use of music and even sound effects. Quirky, but for me at least, a pleasure to watch.

Now...if she only had a list to build...

thanks for posting... but about keyword research...

what kind of keywords are we looking for? high searched volume keywords only that is related to your video?

or the same as PPC Keyword research?

Thanks

Hey Tim, first off I need to say thank you... I am finding your input to be quite valuable and inspires thought. I just finished reading you posts and I did follow the link from YouTube!

I have been implementing you tactics on YouTube. I'll let you know how that goes!

Cheers,

Jeff

Thanks for this...I'm about to embark on a huge Youtube campaign...I'm having around 200-300 videos made for me over the next 2 weeks...fingers crossed it'll bring in some traffic :-)

Here's another tip for video marketing on YouTube that I haven't seen mentioned here yet:

When you are writing the description of your video make sure to include the full address of your website (ex. http://www.mywebsite.com). When it's posted, this will automatically generate a link to your website. Then video watchers don't have to type your website address into their browser, they can just click the link.

For example I usually put at the end of my video descriptions:
Video courtesy of http://www.mywebsite.com

BTW, that's not really my website.

Do you edit your own videos? I do have camtasia but I never really used it. I actually thought it was a bit too hard for me to use. I might hire someone to edit it for me or maybe learn just for the fun of it.

What do you say? If you have an editor, can you recommend your editor? You think it'll be easy to learn?

And another question... When you do keyword research do you do regular keyword research or are youtube video keywords any different? I know there are different keyword searches you can do on youtube but iw asnt sure if you meant that or the google keyword search tool.

Btw, your post was very helpful.

Thanks,
Chris

I think we are talking about high search volume keywords.

Just wanted to post here to let others know who are reading this that there are a lot of marketers out there who are also using video refreasher programs that automatically refreash a page making their video count go up and in turn making their videos rank higher in the You Tube search results and eventually get their videos ranked well in google organic.

Also some marketers are developing their own in house proprietary refreasher applications for the "ninja trick"

Frank Bruno

tgilberg - Do you post your videos on other video sites? I have heard some people do this and I wondered if it was really worth it as YouTube is owned by Google and would really be the best one for traffic.

The biggest mistake I see in video marketing period are that people do not make enough videos and do not do good keyword research. That is usually the two biggest mistakes I see anyways. It is kind of like article marketing. People do not write enough articles and do not do good keyword research.

So it is simple, use Google keyword tool and make sure your search is for the exact phrase. Do not do a broad search. Second, make a lot of videos. You have to write a lot of articles in article marketing and you need to make a lot of videos in video marketing. Do not just make 10 videos and wonder why it is not working. It really is that simple.

Tim,

I saw the thread before it was deleted. Maybe it got deleted because it sounded too self-promotional. You may not have meant it that way, but it almost sounded like a pre-launch for a wso.

Debbie

Can't say, Tim. I've seen people complain before that some threads get deleted while similar threads by others stay put.

I don't really know the reason. It was just an observation, not a fact.

Debbie

I agree with Ron, Tim. Why not repost it on your blog?

Also, on the matter of refreshing the YouTube page to increase views...it doesn't work. At least it didn't for me.

Tiffany Dow just released a brand new video...I was the third viewer. I hit refresh a few times, but the counter stayed at three.

Unless these guys are switching proxies and clearing cookies with every refresh, I don't buy it.

Google is smart enough to eliminate fraudulent clicks from Adsense, so I think they're smart enough to limit page views to just one browser session, or even calendar day.