How Can I Promote My Website For Free Using Video on Youtube
81Using Free Video Sites To Promote Your Web Page
I am always on the lookout for interesting ways to promote my webpages, preferably without spending any money and I have been noticing how well videos do in a lot of search results. In fact, there is often a part of the front page of the search results dedicated to videos, even of you do not do a video search. I also see this question asked a lot on the forums here, so I suspect it is a question everyone needs answered, especially if they are just starting out and need a few places to begin. Certainly, generating traffic to your webpages or hubpages is the starting point for making money with them. No traffic = no income. Simple.
So - I decided to do some experimentation and see about making some videos as promotional pieces. I have started with this page - Best Espresso Machines - an article I wrote here on hubpages reviewing and recommending the best espresso machines. It is a good article - if I do say so myself - but has been getting less than stellar traffic, so this seemed a good page to begin with.
Making a Promotional Video
Now, I am no video expert, but I am into promoting websites, in fact - I know very little about making videos and needed to start some where, so took a look around so as to bring these internet marketing tools into my strategy. Eventually, I found this fantastic company called "animoto," who will build a video for you from the basic components. You upload photos, videos, music and text and they will create a video using those components. This is my first attempt.
- Animoto
Check out Animoto here - YouTube - MarkPKnowles
My YouTube Account. - Making Money Online
Step by step guide to making money online - Promoting your blog
How to promote your blog
As you can see, it is fairly basic, and I am really just learning this at the moment. I made it less than a minute long with the sole intention of using it to promote my hubpage. It took very little work on my part - all I did was upload some promotional photos and text, pick a backing music soundtrack and voila! Instant video. Not exactly Martin Scorsese, but not bad for a first effort - especially as I intended it to be a teaser. It is not quite free - the basic membership costs $30, but you can make an unlimited number of videos and the actual promotion with those videos is completely free afterward.
Once the video is made, you can download it or - as I did in this case, upload it directly from animoto to YouTube. The original quality was actually much better than this and I am not sure exactly what YouTube does to them to degrade the image, but they do something. I also uploaded it to a bunch of other video sharing sites after downloading it to my computer, along with a link to the article in question and some text directing viewers to that article.
Instant increase in traffic
I saw an instant increase in traffic to the hubpage in question,
but whether that was coincidence or not is hard to say because I have
also done other promotional work. Like many promotional tools, if you
are using more than one it is often hard to say which one worked for
you unless you get direct traffic, and although I am getting direct
traffic from youtube and vimeo, it is not in any quantity yet.
These
are the sites I uploaded the video to, and there are dozens of other
possibilities out there now, but this should give you a starting point.Some of them rejected the video, but they are all free to sign up to and free to upload videos to.
To an extent, the content will dictate which sites are worth uploading your promotional videos to. Much like the social networking sites, certain content will appeal to users of certain sites. Youtube is a sort of catch-all site but many of the others have a distinct focus and I will have to experiment to see what works well ate which site. Yet another learning curve, but I do not think any one serious about promoting their hubpages or websites can afford to ignore video in the future.
Things to Watch Out For
As I said, I am learning the ropes also, but I already found a few things to watch out for.
Don't make the video too promotional. I think I may have made this mistake with my forst attempt as I had it rejected by a number of these sites - Like hubpages they do not want anything that does not add value to their site.
Don't make the video too long. Upload speeds are an issue if the video is too big. Although this one is only 57 seconds long,. it took quite some considerable time to upload to this many sites.
Animoto
I cannot recommend animoto strongly enough. For a measly $30 you have access to some pretty amazing video production and a range of copyright free music to add as backing. Absolutely worth the money and I will be uploading some of my own video in future. I will keep you posted and update this page when the videos have "aged," a little more.
Animoto
- Click Here To Try Animoto Video
Animoto was designed to make TV-quality video production available to anyone with digital media and a computer. The re-selling possibilities are endless and the conversion rate is fantastic.
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Always interested to hear what you have to say. This is very interesting. Another way to increase the income stream. Keep it coming!
Thanks guys. Susana - Yes - $30 for a year membership and no limits to how many videos you can make.
Couldn't you do the same thing with youtube? Free? What is different about this video site?
Great info. I too think that video has a lot of potential. Bookmarking this!
No - you cannot make videos with youtube. You can only upload videos you have already made.
This sounds good although I have only used Youtube type videos so far. This opens a whole new door. Good hub.
Sounds good. I previously did some videos with traffic geyser and saw incredible results. The difference between traffic geyser and animoto is that traffic geyser uploads video to all the video and bookmarking sites for you, as well as converting them for podcasts and sending to those sites as well. Not only that, but with traffic geyser they submit each video to each different site up to 3 times with different descriptions so each video that you create can appear more than 150 times.
Great site.
Ah - animoto is just the system to make the videos - and then upload to youtube. How much is traffic geyser?
Ignore that question. I looked it up - $3500 for traffic geyser.
Animoto costs $30 and all the sites I linked to are free.
Wow..it sounds so easy to make a video. Thanks for sharing.
This is great - thanks
Did I miss something? How does the video direct traffic to your hub?
You add a link to the webpage you submit the video to. :)
I was sort of skim reading this (no offence please Mark) thinking in a sort of big headed way that I know this. Then I got to the magic part about Animoto - 'copyright free music'. Wow! now that is a selling point.
Thanks for this.
LOl None taken. They have a big choice of music - all copyright issues taken care of. Check them out. :)
You are on ein a million. This is such a helpful hub and very kind of you to share it. Thank you.
Very interesting. Videos do seem to be getting a lot of attention—it makes sense to me to use them.
Mark-I always learn something from your hubs. Thanks for the information. You keep me intereted - no easy task!
This is a great idea and for $30 yearly it can't be beat...Animoto & you produced a great piece of work...
A lofty dream for me, but I always appreciate your unselfish desire to help fellow hubbers with your promotions for their growth and productive hubbing.
Very interesting. I may have to look at using this site! Thanks!
Thank for the very informative hub.
Hi mark,
I have experience with video promotion and i have already posted in my blog about SEO. It works nicely.
Time consuming is worth.
Thanks
Jyoti Kothari
Thanks For this hub
I've heard of animoto before, but I prefer using the free video services out there, like Youtube, revver, metacafe and others, because all the investment is your time, but I do recommend tubemogul to upload to a few video uploading sites at a time, although that takes awhile to set up if you aren't a member of eaach video site listed, but hey!
Can you actually make a video using youtube then? I seem to have missed that.
No, sorry I forgot about that!
I use windows movie maker to edit my videos from a flip camera (usually drawing videos, I might add!) with the video timeline and I can add titles and credits to it, and then yes er... I upload to youtube!
Ah. Animoto actually makes the video for you. You upload images, video, text and music - or use their library of music - and they make the video for you. Then you can upload direct to youtube from their site.
Great info Mark - Animoto looks amazing. I noticed there's a free option and a $249 option which would allow you to include clickable links in your video.......cool.
Thanks. I am very impressed with animoto.
Another great hub Mark. You already have me thinking how to do this with some of my sites.
Cheers
Thanks Paul - Try them out. I am amazed at how simple it was.
Excellent hub! I love using videos to increase traffic. Thanks for sharing...
~David
Great info. Thanks for the tips. I think I will create some videos to promote my website as well. :)
I like your video. I use Animoto too, and love it. Thanks for the additional sites to post on. I also use some of those sites, and will check out the others. Great hub!
Thanks for the great hub!
You inspired me to try making a video with Google Picasa - it's free and I'm too cheap to pay $30!
It was so easy I wrote a hub about it...
Thanks for the inspiration and another excellent hub!
Great hub! Excellent! I am working on videos - will bookmark and reread. Thank yoU!
it seems so easy to make a video. Thanks for sharing
Thank you Mark - looks very interesting. Just signed up through your link.
nice hub really long and informative
That would be an amazing help for my product hubs! Thanks Mark!
Thanx for the 411, my friend. Great hub : )
Excellent information about making a video with animoto, Mark. I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the research.
Try traffic swam
you need a good text add to use traffic by the way
This directs traffic only and does not help you rank because most video sites have nofollow links. http://hubpages.com/hub/Dofollow-and-Nofollow-Back
Ah - well you wouldn't want any traffic now would you? LOLOLOLOLO
Thanks for the great info!
You would want traffic Mark of course but i think the only way to have the best amount of traffic is search engines..Having these options are extra bonuses and can help if your site lacks search engine optimization or you get wipped of search engine rankings..Its good to know these options as well it makes you think a little bit more and directs traffic instantly
That is a really great idea! Thanks!
Thank you for the tips!!
thanks Mark, eager to try this out...
This is a re-read for me. I am trying to make a new move for traffic. This seems promising. I am still confused on some points but I will work more before I ask questions. Good job with promoting new ideas.
Thanks
Nice job on this hub! Videos are definitely a great way to increase exposure for your brand.
thats a very informative ideas by this user i apprecite u techniques and mind
Animoto is one of my favorite sites, I use it for making marketing videos for clients and they love it. Of course, uploading by hand to that many sites is a big waste of time... I use Traffic Geyser.
Animoto is great and easy to use. It is designed for picnics, special occasions and such. However if you use it to promote your products or affiliate marketing products you are required to purchase the commercial license for $250/yr. I have switched to Windows Movie Maker. It works the same way except you have to provide the music. It has more transition options but less manipulations of the images. Plus it comes with Windows and Animoto can not take down your Youtube videos for violating Terms of Service.
You have to be really careful about what you put on youtube. I know a video editor, she makes lots of videos that are professional quality. She got her whole youtube account suspended because she used a song that belonged to warner music group. She had thousands of hits and traffic to her site as well as youtube..All gone for using that one song.
thanks mark, i have just visited animoto, but yet to try the video making. $30 is for 1 year and i believe there will some kind of animoto branding on the video made, as they have another membership package which cost $249 (pro package) with more feature. hope to give it a try soon. if you gurus know any other alternate (specially in terms of price) please share.
Great hub. Very interesting article.
Let me recommend something in addition to your text. - Well, if you´re going to upload your video to each of these sites its pretty much work, isn´t it? Why not using technology to upoad only once and spread automaticly to all of these free video sites? You should have a look at TubeMogul. This is pretty awesome. Its easy. Its optimizing your work. And its free.
Cheers!
Andreas
Susana S Level 2 Commenter 2 years ago
Wow - I must say that is pretty cool! So have I got this right - animoto will create as many videos as you like for $30? I'm not there yet with video promotion but maybe in the future, will bookmark this for later use. Thanks :)