YouTube has been the revolution in the Internet for sharing videos covering different topics. There are 24 hours worth of video uploaded every minute on YouTube making it the second largest search engine in the World. It has become vital for business to gain market value over the Internet and YouTube has the right mix with its varied topics.

YouTube has a reputation of being the place to look for funny videos. It is the second place to go after probably ‘Googling’ it. Most videos generate a one-time audience response, as very few people look for the same video again. Since YouTube plays such an important in search results and ranking, it cannot be overlooked. To reach out to your audience and to keep them coming back to view the videos again, here are some rules to be followed :

1. Creation of a channel specific to the videos
2. The video has to be optimized with the desired keywords and involving in the community discussions is vital
3. It is also essential to upload new videos frequently
4. It important to keep in mind while creating the videos that viewer would come back to view the videos only if the videos are informative, original and interesting
5. Share the video across the social networking channels like Facebook and Twitter using the sharing options provided by YouTube using the share option provided. This helps increase visibility and better search engine optimization
6. Embed the videos in the blog. This generates higher views for the blog as well as reaching out to the desired target audience

YouTube has become feature rich with its recent launch of trending topics, to provide more real time value and ease of use for the user in finding information on trending topics. This new addition has made YouTube all the more attractive making it vital for business to get a share of voice in the online market as the volume of search in YouTube is growing at an increasing pace.

Contributed by Vishnuram Muthukumarasamy

Social media is the most potent tool to influence people on the web nowadays. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc. allow you to get directly in touch with potential customers. There is no limit to the number of ways you can promote your site or business through some of the social media channels mentioned above. Only social media has the reach that can get online attention and huge traffic to your site at virtually no extra cost.

Why you need social media:

1. Your competitors are using it

Most of your competition, some of whom you were not even aware of, are using social media to promote themselves. You might notice them on search engine results. The reason they show up there is because they leverage social media to build awareness of their brand and popularity that gets traffic to their website.

2. Your customers are using it

Your customers and target audience use social media almost every day. This is as true for organizations as it is for individuals. The freedom of expressing your thoughts online for the world to read, sharing experiences on products they have used is a powerful make or break situation for any business. On sites like Facebook and Twitter, you can find users expressing their views and experiences through status updates on their profiles.

3. More Social = More Search = More Customers = More Business

Where would a person nowadays go when he or she searches for information for a particular product? They “Google” it. As a result, it is essential for you to show up in those searches if you want to be ahead of the competition. As a brand, if you have a presence in the first few pages of the search result, the target audience will come to your website. This will yield more traffic for your site and possibly more customers.

4. It is an engagement point

Companies are now becoming aware of the fact that they need to have conversations with their customers to get their feedback and suggestions. This can help build a relationship with clients or address negative comments that some customers could share on social networking sites.

Contributed by Pooja Giri