Karriann Graf » Video

LinkedIn Adds Video

KarriannGraf — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:32:56 +0000

The LinkedIn social networking service is best known as a place where professionals meet. Many of those professionals, no doubt, have videos that they would like to share with individuals that may already be their colleagues or with individuals that may need their services and just not know it yet. The LinkedIn social networking service has recently added the ability to include videos on your profile and this should be of use to many different types of users on the site.

Ease of Use

The video upload feature is very easy to use, really having no differences compared to uploading other forms of media onto the social networking site. In fact, uploading video to LinkedIn is easy enough that anybody who has already uploaded the pictures or their slideshows will be able to figure it out simply by looking at the interface. The video upload feature is most powerful because of the potential it holds for users whose profession involves public speaking, giving seminars or for users that have a particular product to offer for which they have already created a marketing video.

By uploading a video, users can make it accessible to their entire network and make sure that they get the maximum value out of the video marketing materials that they paid for. This feature should find itself being heavily used by people who want to advertise the services of the corporation for which they work and by users who are trying to get out there and market themselves as consultants.

Compared to Other Services

While there are already plenty of other video sharing services available on the web, having this capability on LinkedIn have some advantages that those services do not offer. For instance, because LinkedIn is a professional site and because the people who use it are largely doing so because they want to expose themselves to the world in a way that emphasizes what they can do, you’ll be dealing with a more professional audience. Compare this to YouTube where your video may end up with inappropriate comments that reflect badly upon your business or upon your offerings. Of course, on LinkedIn you can control who actually sees the video by restricting it to your network, so you can be sure that you’re not going to end up with random people, or competitors, deliberately sabotaging your video in the comments section as they potentially could on regular video sharing sites.

There’s quite a bit of potential with this new offering from LinkedIn and it will no doubt be put to use for posting commercials and other advertising materials very quickly. Those businesses that want to show off their more personal side, however, can also put the service to use as a way to connect with their network in a less formal way. Given the thrust of the social network and the potential of video to make a very lasting impression, this could be a very powerful tool for many different types of businesses and the various entrepreneurs on LinkedIn.

Have you uploaded a video to LinkedIn?

How To Embed YouTube Videos

KarriannGraf — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:06:08 +0000

So have you wondered how to embed your YouTube video to your blog? Whether you want to embed your video, someone else’s video or your playlist into your website the steps below should work with most videos and websites.

Step 1: Get the Embed Code

The quickest way to grab the embed code is while you’re viewing a video. Directly below the video, you’ll see an Embed button. Simply click it.

Step 2: Customize the video & player

Once you click the embed button, more options will appear.
• Include related videos
• Show a border around the video
• Enable privacy mode (no cookies are set by YouTube)
• Use iframe embedded code (used for playing with YouTube’s HTML5 and Flash players)
• Select a player color scheme that will blend well with your website
• Select the size of the video you want to play – or create a custom size

The embed code will automatically update based on the selections you choose. You can also see a thumbnail preview of your choices as you make them.

Once you’ve made your selections, copy and paste the embed code given.

Step 3: Paste Embed Code into a Webpage

Now that you have your embed code, you will log into the website where you want to add the video. In this example, we’re adding it to a wordpress post.

Make sure you are in the HTML portion of your page.

Step 4: Check the Video
Check the video to ensure it is located where you want and it is playing properly.

What other tips would of been helpful to you in embedding the video? Leave your comments below.

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About Karriann

Karriann Graf is a Social Media Manager/Strategist for small businesses and real estate professionals. Her focus is to help you learn about the best Social Media methods to connect with your clients and customers and increase your revenue.

Customizing a YouTube Channel

KarriannGraf — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:34:47 +0000

When you create your YouTube account you automatically have your own personal channel. Your channel can then be customized to express your own personality, business or whatever you want to express to the world. There are many ways to customize your channel; let me jump in and show you around. Take a look at my YouTube Channel.

Step 1: Tab Options
Once you’re logged into your YouTube account, at the top of the page, you’ll see some tabs. These control your channel settings, themes, colors, videos and more.

Bulletin: The first tab is where you can post a bulletin to your subscribers, friends, home page and channel page. You can include a link to a YouTube video as well. Just enter your message and press “Post Bulletin”.

Settings: The settings tab shows you your channel URL. Here you can enter a title & keyword tags for your channel, select the type of channel it will be and set whether or not it is visible to others. See the following page for images…

The image and information below shows the channel types that you can choose from and the customization options that each type allows.

Save your changes before moving on.

There are 6 channels types for you to chose from YouTuber, Director, Musician, Comedian, Guru, and Reporter each one of these channels still offer the same basic features on YouTube like uploading, commenting, sharing, video responses, etc. The specialized channel types offer different customization options. Be sure to check out each account to see which one fits your business needs.

Theme & Color: Here you can choose from a variety of preformatted theme colors. Alternately, you can click the “advanced options” link and customize your theme to match your business or website theme. Click Save Changes or your selections will not be saved!

Modules: Modules control what is shown on your channel page. Simply select the modules you want displayed and unselect the ones you don’t want displayed. You can see that on my channel you can view comments, subscribers and recent activity.

Save Changes before moving on.

Tip: You can change the order in which your modules appear on your channel. To do this, go to your channel page & locate the directional arrow buttons in the upper right-hand corner of each module. Click the button(s) necessary to move the module to its new location.

Video and Playlists: The Video and Playlists tab is where you set what to display and highlight on your channel page. You can set the layout (player view or grid view), which video to play first when someone lands on your channel page and whether the video should autoplay or wait for the visitor to press play.

Don’t forget to save your changes!

Step 2: Edit Remaining Items

Once you have everything laid out the way you want, it’s time to edit the details of each area. To do this, simply click the “Edit” link in each section and fill in the missing details.

Check out my Channel and be sure to leave a comment below….Did you know that you could make all these changes to your YouTube Channel?

Warm regards,

Karriann

Related Posts:

Ready to Create Your YouTube Account

How to Upload Your Video to YouTube

KarriannGraf — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 16:59:56 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

In our previous post we covered how to Create a YouTube Account. YouTube has grown to be one of the most popular video platforms today and video marketing is still on the rise for huge opportunities. Now lets talk about uploading your video to YouTube. First create your video using your cell phone, web camera, or video camera. After you record your video if it needs to be edited you can use programs such as Windows MovieMaker, iMovie (Mac) or one of my favorites is Screenflow there are a number of other programs.

YouTube will allow you to upload a variety of video formats but with this being said each video can be no more than 15 minutes in length or 2GB in size.

Uploading the Video from Computer

Step 1: Log into your YouTube account and at the top of the page, click Upload.

Step 2: Now that you’ve clicked upload decide if you want to Upload a Video or Record from your Webcam.

Step 3: If you choose Upload Video, a new box will open this is where you search for your video on your computer after clicking on it then click Open. (I am on a MAC so a PC is just a little different)

Step 4: Fill in the blanks below with your video information and privacy settings.

•   Video Title
•   Description
•   Tag (keywords describing the video)
•   Category
•   Privacy

Click Save Changes – Now you are ready to share your video. Just copy the URL info to share the video on your blog, facebook, facebook fan page etc.

Tips for faster upload…

Uploading a video can take minutes or hours, depending on the size of the video, how you’re uploading and your internet speed. A few things that can help speed up the process:

1. Decrease the file size by switching from HD to standard or shrinking the size with a compression program. Caution: Both of these methods will lower the quality of the video.

2. If you turn off all other programs running in the background of your computer that might help with your video uploading quicker.

3. Try to avoid high traffic times. Wait to upload videos during the late evening or early morning hours when less people are using the service.

4. If all else fails, edit the video to remove some of the length (and size) or rerecord a shorter video.

What other quick methods do you use to upload your videos? Share your comments in the section below!

Ready to Create Your YouTube Account

KarriannGraf — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:30:29 +0000

In the next few posts we will be sharing how to get started using YouTube. YouTube has become one of the most popular websites for marketing your videos. Video is in high demand and for you and your business to become the expert in your niche in the coming years you will definitely want to be using video marketing. So lets get started with creating our Account!

Step 1: Navigate to YouTube.com Create an Account

Go to YouTube.com and click the “Create An Account” link at the top of the page.

Step 2: Enter Your Account Details

Enter a username
Enter your location & postal code
Set your date of birth from the drop down options
Select your gender
Choose whether or not you want others to be able to find your channel if they have your email address.
Select whether or not you want to receive email communication from YouTube & their sponsors
Fully read the terms of use.
If you agree to the terms and everything else is correct, click the “I Accept” button.

Step 3: Your Email Address Associate with Your YouTube

If you already have a Google account, you can associate it with your YouTube account simply by entering your Google email and password in the box on the left.

If you do not have a Google account, then you will need to add a different email address, enter a password (twice) and enter the CAPTCHA word verification.

After completing this, click on “Create New Account & Finish”

Step 4: Getting Started

Now after creating your account you are ready to sign in. Once you log in you will see a confirmation message with your account details, links to get started using YouTube and links for finding your friends on YouTube.

With your account created, you’ll automatically have a “channel” in which you can customize and showcase your marketing videos. Take a look at Karriann YouTube Channel. Stay tuned for more on creating your YouTube Channel, Embedding and Uploading Videos and Creating a Playlist.

What other topics would be helpful for us to share on YouTube? Tell us about them in the comments section below!

How To Disable Facebook Places

KarriannGraf — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:55:16 +0000

Facebook has made another important change with their new Places feature. We have had a lot of people in our community ask how to disable Places. So we decided to create a step by step video showing you how to disable this feature. If you decide to use it later then you can adjust your privacy settings.

So lets get started!

We sure hope this was helpful….we’d love to hear from you.

Host a Webinar on a Site Like Ustream

KarriannGraf — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:32:59 +0000

: Image via CrunchBase

Video marketing can be used to host a live webinar online for your customers. A webinar is a presentation where you talk and teach and then open up the floor for questions or feedback from the viewers.

Of course you could invest in an expensive system that’s private or use a free webinar tool like Ustream to get the job done. Hosting a webinar online using video lets you brand yourself as a true expert with nothing to hide.

It’s very easy to sign up with minimal information. Then you click Create a Show. You’ll give it a name so that your subscribers can easily find it on the Ustream website. You can save the show for a later date that you schedule or broadcast it immediately.

Once you name your show, it’ll give you the option to add customized details, like a logo for the show. You’ll choose a category and enter tags (keywords) that are relevant to your topic. And you’ll give a brief description of your webinar show.

You can choose which previous clips get saved on the site for others to watch. You can enable or disable comments, enable chatting during the webinar, and appoint moderators to oversee the discussion.

You can even choose to present your webinar with a co-host if you have an available expert you’d like to help field questions or deliver the hot topics to your viewing audience.

Once finished, you’ll be given proper links and codes to promote the event and share it with others. Before you schedule it, make sure it’s at a time when you can have the most viewers.

Have a plan in place as to how you’ll present the information. You want it to be structured, but maybe not as rigid if you enable chatting where you’ll be responding during the presentation.

Some viewers will prefer that you deliver the presentation first and let people chime in afterwards, so that they can see the whole topic unfold and then leave if they want when the discussion opens up.

And perhaps the most important tip that can be shared with you is this – don’t sell, share. A webinar video event isn’t where you hard sell to an audience. It’s where you provide great value and showcase your expertise and then follow up the presentation with a call to action that serves your bottom line.

Video Affiliate Marketing Exposed

KarriannGraf — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:46:05 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Have you been hearing all the buzz about Video Affiliate Marketing? It’s been a HOT topic and many internet marketers are using this to increase their profits. So Laura Rubinstein decided it was time to talk to someone that has done Video Affiliate Marketing. We interviewed Pam Brossman of Social Media Women and our webinar was jam packed with great tips and how to’s. Here are some of the questions that we asked Pam:

Why should we be using Video in our Business? One of the main reasons is because places like YouTube have become the most watched medium online and people really feel connected because they can watch your body language and see the true passion in your eyes. Online Video gives a total different dimension compared to reading print. Want to learn more about Video Affiliate Marketing go HERE.

What kind of recommendations do you have for someone who is a little camera shy? If you are camera shy it maybe a bit of an excuse because you can create videos using PowerPoint, screen capture videos, Animoto and lets not forget OneTrueMedia. These are just a few of the resources that we recommend for getting started.

So what is Video Affiliate Marketing anyways? Affiliate Marketing is the ability to sell other peoples products and if someone purchases you get an affiliate commission. Most business love this arrangement because it gives them an army of people that are advertising for them for a fee which is a commission. Commissions can be from 25-75% they can be any range but kind of standard practice is 50% but this really depends. Now Video Affiliate Marketing is when someone wants to use video to market your businesses products to receive a commission.

What types of businesses can benefit from affiliate marketing? Almost any business can benefit from affiliate marketing whether it be joint ventures with another company or just people promoting your products to their own list for a % of the sale.

If you interested in hearing the recorded call with Pam Brossman go listen now….only available through Monday its 90 minutes go to Conscious Social.

Exclusive Report – 500 Million User’s Can’t Be Wrong! Unlock the Unlimited Earnings Potential with the Latest Craze…..FACEBOOK! Fact: If you’re not tapping into a worldwide 500 million person “List” … You’re Losing Money!

About Karriann

9 Ways to Use Video to Promote YOUR Business

KarriannGraf — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:38:22 +0000

If you own a business and have a website, then you’ve likely considered video marketing. Once you learn and are determined to implement video, the next step is to decide how to use videos to promote your business. Here are just a few examples:

1. Testimonials – Ask your customers or clients to give you quick 1-minute videos of their feedback. You can also interview them about your business for a more structured testimonial.

2. Product Demos – One of the biggest drawbacks to buying online is that you can’t actually test the product. Bypass that objection and demonstrate your product on video to help increase sales.

3. Case Studies – If you’re involved in some kind of before-and-after (website design, fitness, SEO, etc.) case studies are an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise. Seeing an example helps the potential customer understand exactly what impact your service or product can have on their business.

4. Product Reviews– Video brings an added element to product reviews, particularly if you’re reviewing a physical product. But hearing you talk about a book or piece of software is effective too.

5. Education – Use video to educate your market on the use of your products. Lead them towards the sale by answering their most frequently asked questions and objections.

6. Entertainment – People love to be entertained! If you can entertain in your video and combine that with a call to action, you’ll have a winning combination.

7. Webinars – If you provide webinars or other video presentations to your market, capture them via video and offer a replay to generate leads or even sell as a product.

8. Commercial – Done correctly (meaning compelling with a clear call to action), commercials for your product or service can be very effective.

9. Business Overview – One of the first things many people look for is who they are buying from and what they stand for. Let your potential customers learn about you and your business through a business overview.

As you can see from the list above, there are many ways to use video to promote your business. Just creating video is not the only step to effective marketing. You must craft a video that responds to the wants and needs of your market. They are looking for solutions to problems and questions. It’s your job to figure out how to use a video to solve issues, answer questions, provide the right solutions and lead them to the next step.

7 Benefits to Marketing YOUR Business Through Video

KarriannGraf — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 16:35:47 +0000

Are you looking for a more effective way to market your business? You have probably already heard that with the use of video marketing, you can see pretty incredible results. Many people dread the thought of creating the video and then figuring out how to put your video online. Do the benefits of this marketing strategy outweigh the work that goes into it?

The answer is simple, Yes! Don’t get me wrong, it does require quite a bit of work. First, you have to shoot the video. After shooting the video you will need to do some editing, formatting, and then you have to upload the video to an online platform such as YouTube. (After uploading to YouTube then you need to ensure you have the proper title and description attached). The benefits can be incredible!

1. Greater Connection. By creating videos you allow for greater personal connection with your audience. This is especially important if you have an internet based business. Through video marketing, your potential customers are able to connect with a real person, not just words on a page. Many people will feel as though they have actually met you. This can go a long way to turning a potential customer into a long-term customer.

2. Seeing is Believing. Many people need the personal connection to believe what you are saying. Have you ever heard the saying, “Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see”? With many people, this holds true, especially on the internet. With all of the scammers out there, it is hard to know who is “real”. Through video you are putting a face behind your words, which makes you not only more believable but trustworthy as well.

3. YouTube can Increase Traffic. Want more traffic? Do you dream of increasing your traffic to your blog? On YouTube alone, people view 2 BILLION videos every day. If you aren’t using video marketing, you could be potentially missing out on a lot of traffic.

4. Video Platforms. The best part is, most video sites are free and simple to use once you spend sometime navigating the platform.

5. Using Great Audio. Have you ever noticed how sound can make an impact? Think back to the last time you watched an action flick or horror film you experienced the impact of the audio. Remember when the intense or creepy music began what happened to you? You were on the edge of your seat right? Just waiting to see what happens next! It’s the same with your video use incredible audio to match the powerful video you created. It can be far more compelling than the words you put on a page.

6. Videos are Mobile. People can watch the videos on the go. With all of the devices available, such as iPhones, Smartphones, and iPads, it is easier to watch videos wherever you go. If your videos are downloadable it will make it even easier for people to view them and as often as they’d like.

7. Demonstrating your Product. Video gives you and your business the opportunity to demonstrate your product(s) for potential customers. Here’s an example: Seeing a picture of a set of knives with a description is not nearly as effective as seeing those same knives in action. That’s why infomercials are so successful; people get to see exactly what the product can and will do in just a matter of minutes. It allows the buyer to connect and imagine how the product could be beneficial to them.

8. Increasing Sales. There are many reports online that show how video marketing can increases sales. When someone watches a video, you have his or her full attention. While article marketing is also effective, most people will skim through it. With videos, they are more likely to watch from beginning to end.

Video Marketing is can be very effective in your business. In the coming years video will continue to grow, why not be an early adopter. Just remember, there are many forms of marketing. The more you diversify your marketing strategies, the more effective your efforts and the more people you can reach.

Share some of your ideas in the comment box below.