Google | jamesongbrown

by: Jamey Brown

Earlier today I read a great article by Robert Hof that tapped into the struggles Google has conveying to its users “why they should care about Google+.” And to be honest, there isn’t a clean cut answer to this. Google cannot even answer it directly. But, my question is, at least for now, is this a bad thing?

Right now Google has one of the best long term visions compared to any other major company. What is this vision? Well, it’s to slowly corale each internet user (so basically, everybody) to think of Google not as only a piece of the internet, but the internet. Facebook has done a great job of building a large social house, but it is still having trouble expanding outside those walls. Now I know it has over 1 billion users, but that number can only be sustained for so long with the correct advancements. Google is taking things from a much more outward to inward approach, thus making it take more time, but in the end it has the potential to be much more of a universal tool than Facebook (who is taking the inward to outward approach).

Google+ was the “social network” that was introduced to not just be a rival to Facebook. No. It was created as a piece of the puzzle that will in years to come make more sense than it does today. How will it “make sense”? Once Google gets comfortable with the development aspects of Google+, users will then be able to really get used to its functionality. After this step, the essential tie between content on Google+ and that same content in Google Search will be a very attractive aspect. But see, these are just two pieces of the pie. The Google real estate that includes Earth, +, Search, Glass, Ads, YouTube, etc. will eventually become its own universe entirely. That is the plan, but the final question that begs to be asked is will it work? The plan is there. The digital real estate is there. But can the execution be done well enough to convince regular users? Time will tell.

by: Jamey Brown

YouTube reaches 1 billion people per month. Let me repeat, YouTube reaches 1 billion people per month. That’s almost 15% of the world. YouTube is dominating the world, literally. So how can this massive reach be activated correctly? Even as a social marketer it is still hard to sometimes wrap my head around how YouTube can generate leads, create brand awareness and encourage or produce sales. It is still seen as a nesting hub for multimedia content for brands – not all, but many. Here are 5 ways that YouTube can be creatively used to further brand awareness, create good word-of-mouth and generate sales.

1. Include CTA’s in the video itself – ask your audience to take action in the comment thread below. Or better yet, in real life. You’ve made the effort to produce this video content, so get as much out of it as you can. Activate your audience visually. Trust me, it sticks.

2. Create branded playlists – YouTube hosts all genres of videos. If applicable, create playlists for specific purposes of your brand. For example, if you are a bakery brand that bakes a diverse group of foods it would be smart to have quick “how to’s” playlist of each food (ie. cakes, breads, etc.) By doing this you will create a hub that your users can continue to come back to and use as a source. Retaining users and being seen as a leader in your industry are huge wins.

3. Properly brand ALL aspects of your channel – everything from your skin to your channel picture should be sharply branded. Along with this, make sure your channel is integrated with ALL of your other social platforms. This information lives in your Channel Art photo and will allow users to browse your other branded networks with just once click.

4. Tag, title and link each video… correctly – this is the “no-brainer” of the group. Always make sure your keywords are applicable to the video. Make sure they are ACTUAL words users type in to search your product – put yourself in the seat of the average person searching something within the ballpark of your product. Also, title your video with good keywords that people will actually search. Put your creative ego aside and title your videos for results, not shininess.

5. Don’t be afraid to engage - when subscribers (or non-subscribers) start commenting, engage back! Keep the conversation going just like you would on Facebook or Twitter. A brand voice needs to exist on all platforms, not on only certain ones.

Create a catchy trailer video (Bonus) – when users land this will be the first thing they see. So, make it concise and make it connect.

What are some other ways YouTube can be harnessed effectively?