Facebook vs YouTube: Is a Battle Brewing?

Facebook vs YouTubeA battle royale may be brewing between two internet juggernauts over video. Facebook said it is introducing new YouTube-like features in an apparent effort to capture more of the video market.

Starting today, Facebook users can now see how many views a video has received on the site once it has been uploaded to the social networking site. This is something that’s been part of YouTube’s service for years. Facebook says its is to help users discover new, popular videos.

Facebook is also testing a feature on mobile that displays related videos after users finish watching a clip. This feature has also been on YouTube for a long time. In addition, Facebook also has future plans to allow users to embed Facebook videos on third-party sites.

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5 Ways to Repurpose Blog Articles to Get Leads

repurpose blog articles One of the first blog articles I ever wrote was called 4 Ways to Leverage Your Blog Content to Get More Leads. Since it’s been a number of years since that article was published, I thought it was high time for an update on how to repurpose blog articles!

I love blogging. It’s hands down one of the most effective marketing tools for a small business owner (besides email – but more on that later). The more often you blog, the more traffic your website gets, and the more potential leads you get too.

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Why Your Social Media Strategy Must Include Video [INFOGRAPHIC]

sm video infographic

When was the last time you watched a YouTube video? If you’re like most people, it was within the last week. If you have a product or service to sell, video must be part of your social media strategy. Gone are the days when you needed a high-priced camera to shoot a video. Now, anyone with a smartphone or tablet can shoot a video, and upload it to YouTube in a matter of minutes. The resulting video can be embedded on your website, blog and included in an email marketing campaign.

If you’re still not convinced, QuickSprout has put together an infographic with some compelling statistics including:

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How to Repurpose Content in 5 Easy Steps [INFOGRAPHIC]

repurpose content One reason small business owners have trouble keeping up with social media is that they have trouble coming up with new content to share. The secret to successful social media and content marketing is repurposing! That is… taking the content you’ve already created and turning it into a different type of content that can be shared on social networking sites.

This infographic from Blue Crow Studio illustrates five easy steps you can take to repurpose your content:

1. Write: Create an original, concise and compelling article with actionable tips, and then spread the message by publishing it.

2. Blog: Your content should be published as a blog article first, since this is the hub of your social media strategy. Every time you share this content, traffic should be directed back to your website and company blog.

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Are You Making These Mistakes with Your YouTube Videos?

YouTube videos can be a powerful marketing tool for small business owners, as long as you do things correctly. A new client has been uploading videos to his YouTube channel, but he’s not getting the benefits he should be because I noticed that he’s been making several crucial mistakes. Here are just a few missteps you need to avoid if you want to be successful at video marketing:

Video Marketing Missteps

1. Videos aren’t optimized – YouTube is the second largest search engine, after Google. But your videos are going to be tough to find through a search, if they’re not properly optimized. Make sure you include keywords in the video’s title, description and tags, as well as in the video content itself.

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Gloria Rand’s 25 Best Marketing Tips

25 Days 400_edited-1During the month of December, I’ve been sharing marketing tips each day on my Facebook page. If you’ve missed them, here’s your chance to read them all in one place:

Tip #1: Facebook & email — plan ahead. Create a content calendar and provide content your customers really care about. Try focusing on some popular U.S. shopping days, such as Cyber Monday (Dec. 2nd), Green Monday (Dec. 9th) and Free Shipping Day (Dec. 18th). For further info, go to http://gloriarand.com/facebook-email-holiday-sales/

Tip #2: Video marketing — make your first impression count. The new YouTube channel layout allows you to feature a trailer that plays only when non-subscribed viewers land on your channel, encouraging them to subscribe. Take advantage of this prime real estate! For further info, go to http://gloriarand.com/youtube-one-channel/

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Making the Most of the New YouTube One Channel

YouTube logoVisit one of the many YouTube channels lately and you’re going to notice a new layout. The video site has revamped the look to make your branding work across a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets. You can show off more content to fans, and you can reach out to non-subscribed viewers.

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Why Consistency Matters in Business

time money effortJust got off the phone with one of my clients, who sent me an email saying she’s thinking of trying something different with her business because she’s really struggling to get clients. It’s a familiar story that many small business owners share. However, she’s only been going after this particular target market for 9 months – and her marketing efforts have been sporadic.

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7 Common Pinterest Mistakes

pinterest graphic for blogPinterest can be a very powerful marketing tool for your business, if it’s used correctly. Now that the social networking site is allowing company pages, it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re not making mistakes that could cost you followers and potential leads for your product or service.

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