http://bravenewfilms.org/topics/skul 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/61895-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-2 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PwQFBKvAgg&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PwQFBKvAgg&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/61895-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-2"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/76855" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>You need to commit to blogging at least once a day. Once you get the blog established, you may be able to find someone who is already is an established blogger and willing to commit to providing content.</p> <p>Your blog posts do not need to be excessively long. Research shows that short posts about relevant topics will help you break the ice on the conversation.</p> <p>An ideal candidate for blogging is a person who is already adept with the online environment, can consume and effectively present large amounts of information and can recognize industry trends.</p> <p>It is important to design your to fit your target marketplace. (Use the best practices for web design article that I recently published) Create a URL that is uniquely descriptive to your target market discussion and format your blog to align with your overall offline and online reputation strategy.</p> <p>Discuss best practices and relevant information in your industry presented as information or a resource. You should not aggrandize yourself, when you present your expertise in your target area your readers will eventually realize that you comprehend and effectively implement best practices. </p> <p>In order to gain more marketplace visibility you should strategically provide links to other resources that your readers might find of value. Put some thought into this before you implement. The best rule of thumb here is that you r resources point to others that help fill the needs of your readers that you do not. </p> <p>Make sure your blog is easily readable and easy to use. Bloggers occasionally write long, hard to digest paragraphs full of information. In order to e more effective, split the text into smaller sized formats and use bullet points. Use the same techniques for written communication that you do in offline marketing. Use formatting to emphasize and differentiate important points.</p> <p>You should use images, as appropriate, to enhance your content and to help illustrate important points in your content. You should try to be creative with this tactic and not use the most obvious image, think a little deeper and go for a relational idea or metaphor.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/61895-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-2">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/61894-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-3 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sMDhrnDgCV4&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sMDhrnDgCV4&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/61894-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-3"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/76854" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Read other blogs in your target marketplace. This is a great way to listening to what is going on in your marketplace.</p> <p>Proofread your blog for grammar and spelling errors. Use a naturally sensible and conversational tone as if you were actually speaking to your audience in a public setting.</p> <p>Leave comments on other blogs in your target audience marketplace. You should also provide a link back to your blog so people can find your blog if they want to learn more</p> <p>Reward your advocates and loyal contributors with kudos and support for their endeavors. This will help you to strengthen marketplace relationships that are win-win.</p> <p>Develop a strategy to counter your detractors, consider employing the help of your advocates in strategically flanking your detractors.</p> <p>Do not beg for site-links or link exchanges. You should spend your time figuring out ways to get people to link to your blog because of your content.</p> <p>Be diligent in responding to comments and questions from your audience. You goal is to keep the conversation going so you can pull valuable information from your target audience so you can provide them with what they need.</p> <p>You do not need to have the whole world linking to your blog or reading your blog; your focus should be about connecting with your target audience.</p> <p>If you buy or use a free template for your blog style, try to find template that is not too cluttered, sometimes having too many blog features will distract your target audience from your message.</p> <p>Be polite and ask permission from others that you would like to publish on your blog. If someone sends you a great email you may want to publish it, but be careful, you do not want to offend the sender.</p> <p>Do not engage in negative criticism of others in your marketplace. Be thoughtful and pay attention to what you are trying to accomplish.</p> <p>Talk about your competitors. The marketplace will respect you if you can take a dignified approach to showing your strengths as compared to theirs.</p> <p>No one wants to read a boring blog, but cheap entertainment only brings in a few visits. You should be a subject matter expert in your marketplace.</p> <p>Register your blog with indexers. feedster, technoratie, ice rocket, google, yahoo, pubsub, and others.</p> <p>Use analytics to monitor and understand the traffic coming to your site, at minimum, Google Analytics (free) or another server based tool.</p> <p>If you have multiple target audience strategies, you will need multiple bloggers that focus in on each of those areas individually.</p> <p>Once you have some content, let the analysts in your industry know that you are blogging. You can either give them a call or link to their blog if they have one.</p> <p>Devise a plan for how to handle bad news, a company crisis or blog detractors. You must decide if you will engage, ignore or redirect these issues. Different companies handle this with a variety of public relations methods, plan in advance what the best strategy is for your online reputation.</p> <p>Public Relations are not dead, in fact, they have just started, and blogging is now part of it. Blogs are the new public relations tool of choice. </p> <p>Do not hire marketing firms to help develop your a blog strategy if they are not blogging themselves. If they do not do it, or do it poorly, then how can they help you?</p> <p>When writing in your blog, use the language that your target audience uses; avoid using terms that are too industry specific.</p> <p>Find or train a blogging expert to help guide your blogging strategy. This person may or may not be your corporate blogger, but find someone that can guide, provide best practices, and get the tools in motion. </p> <p>Seek out industry blog leaders, read their work, talk to them and hire them if necessary.</p> <p>Ask offline neutral third party advisors to provide feedback about your blog. Negative feedback as well as positive feedback will be helpful.</p> <p>For long posts, use text editors for grammar and spelling. Edit and reduce your content before posting.</p> <p>Do not disappear for long periods between posts. Your readers will disappear as well. You must post on a regular basis so that it gets readers into the pattern of constantly wondering what they are missing by not reading your blog today.</p> <p>Develop thick skin. People may besmirch your company, your products, your ideas and maybe even you. </p> <p>Be very cautious when starting a blogging program. Take your time and make a plan. Do not just start trying things out. If you make a mistake, you may have to spend countless hours and dollars repairing your errors.</p> <p>Your online reputation depends on your input as much as the input of others.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/61894-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part-3">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/61888-online-reputation-management-blogs-and-blogging 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/txbDLNQjC00&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/txbDLNQjC00&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/61888-online-reputation-management-blogs-and-blogging"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/76840" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Blogs are a great first step after you have a website created to engage with your target market. They are also great ways to establish and manage your online reputation. In order to be effective, you must first understand that a blog is a push-pull style marketing approach. You will push a message out to your target audience and then they will engage you in discussion about it. This allows you to pull information from your target audience that will assist you in presenting future messages that finely target your audience and that fortify your reputation online.</p> <p>You should update your blog with fresh content daily. One new post of at least 100-150 words per day should be sufficient. Splitting one 500-word article into three posts is a good way to handle the demand for new content. The need for constant updating can cause a person to become lax in their attention to detail in order to get something posted. Remember, your blog is where you have a chance to tell your story, talk about your company, present your products, present your services and interact with your target audience. You do not want your target audience to perceive you as lazy or inaccurate when they read your messages. The same attention to grammatical and spelling errors is necessary when publishing a blog as it is when publishing your website.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/61888-online-reputation-management-blogs-and-blogging">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/61889-online-reputation-management-website-best-practices-part-4 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/LVNgnGPPYFw&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/LVNgnGPPYFw&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/61889-online-reputation-management-website-best-practices-part-4"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/76841" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>In general, a website is the most formal and static portion of your online reputation and internet marketing efforts. It is important to ensure that you are correctly perceived by your target audience and have a concrete business goal being communicated. Every time someone views your website, that person should walk away with a clear understanding of what your organization does and how it can help him or her solve his or her problem at hand. Because your website is static, for the most part, you can see how even the slightest communication can have a negative or damaging effect on your reputation that snowballs with time.</p> <p>You should update the information on your website regularly in order to ensure that everything is correct. Do not change your email without updating your website contact information and without informing your contacts. Make sure and update your website bio and photo often, as you will want people to recognize you when they meet you for the first time. If your bio is out of date by more than three months, you may run the risk of misrepresenting yourself. Your website will constantly be communicating with the world about you so make sure that you are diligent about what you are saying to them.</p> <p>You should also follow a set of web design best practices. Here is a checklist of things you need to be doing. If you choose to ignore this set of best practices, you run the risk of presenting yourself to your target audience in a way that damages your online reputation.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/61889-online-reputation-management-website-best-practices-part-4">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/61887-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part1 2008-12-02T22:44:50Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6znKl0fllcw&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6znKl0fllcw&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/61887-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part1"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/76839" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Blogging best practices center more on the target audience and conceptual pretenses. You do still have to worry about the way the blog looks and how its audience sees it. For the most part the blogging software takes care of many of the concerns that we faced with website best practices. If you have questions about the best practices for putting together a website then please refer to my article on website best practices. I have listed several best practices and ideologies for blogging. Implementing these will help you to create the type of online reputation that you desire and aid you in managing your online reputation.</p> <p>Understand and be able to deal with the concept that your target audience is taking charge <br />Understand and be able to leverage that most people trust other consumer opinions over all others <br />Understand that your marketplace is going to be talked about even if you choose not to engage in the discussion <br />Blogs are not special or new. In fact, blog tools are often easier to use and understand than most free email services. <br />A blog is just another tool to help establish and manage your online reputation. <br /> Everyone, especially target market consumers, can quickly publish their opinion, and others can easily find it quickly <br />Business blogging is publishing a message (pushing) and engaging in the conversation with your target market (pulling). <br />Listen to others in the blogosphere. Start listening to what is going on in your marketplace, or consider hiring a company to monitor and report on the blogging in your target market. There are varieties of tools that can help you do this, but this part of your online reputation management is a full time job. <br />Create an atmosphere of conservative creativity within your organization and define what is acceptable to blog about and what is not. Create a public disclosure policy and disclose it to your employees. Even if your company is not going to engage in blogging, you need to communicate what is acceptable and what is not acceptable to employees.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/61887-online-reputation-management-blogging-best-practices-part1">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/59889-online-reputation-management-part-1 2008-12-02T22:44:51Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/zTf5YGCxr_g&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/zTf5YGCxr_g&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/59889-online-reputation-management-part-1"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/73810" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>The words online reputation management seems very intimidating and confusing if you are new to online marketing. As daunting as the phrase may be, you should not fear this term. The simple fact of the matter is, the term online relationship management is the control and management of all of your online marketing efforts. It also consists of controlling and monitoring what others say about your efforts as well. <br />Your online marketing efforts may include a website, a blog, social network profiles, articles and videos. All of these marketing mediums are open to scrutiny and the opinions of others. Your performance as a business is up for scrutiny do to this type of exposure too. All of these concepts and efforts teamed with marketplace opinions add up to you online reputation. <br />Once you have an understanding of your online efforts, it is easy to understand how people perceive you and what your online reputation is. You also must naturally conclude that managing this reputation is just as important as managing your offline reputation in your local marketplace. Let us look at a few examples of online media that help to form your online reputation. <br />A website is one example of online media that helps establish and reinforce your online reputation. Reflected upon logically, a website is comparable to a business card or a brochure even though their application in your overall media campaigns is different. When you set out to design a business card or brochure you want it to look professional and convey your brand effectively. You also want people to be able to read your materials with ease and have them be free of spelling or grammatical errors.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/59889-online-reputation-management-part-1">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49492-getting-the-most-from-social-bookmarking-websites 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dmESbc7Dazg&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dmESbc7Dazg&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49492-getting-the-most-from-social-bookmarking-websites"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60021" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>No matter where you go on the web, you will see social bookmarking links next to articles, videos, and other web content. If you own a website and have not yet convinced yourself to dive into the Web 2.0 realm, you should explore the potential of social bookmarking websites to gain increased exposure for your site. Here are some tips on how to do this effectively. </p> <p>In essence, social bookmarking is an extension of standard bookmarking on browsers. However, when you set a bookmark on your browser, you save the page on your own computer so you can come back and view it at a later date. But, by adding social bookmarking links to your website or blog you give visitors the opportunity to bookmark your pages on the web, essentially giving it a thumbs up and sharing it with everyone else on the web.</p> <p>There are a number of popular social bookmarking websites. Sites like Delicious, Digg, Ma.gnolia and StumbleUpon. Once your page is added to any of these websites, it has the potential to be viewed and shared by millions of viewers. Many social bookmarking websites allow users to vote for or against your pages. Positive votes will increase exposure while negative votes will quickly "bury" your pages.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49492-getting-the-most-from-social-bookmarking-websites">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49491-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-2 2008-12-02T22:44:52Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RznTeqjwfPI&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RznTeqjwfPI&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49491-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-2"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60020" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>In the first part of this article, we looked at some of the marketing opportunities available on FaceBook and MySpace. In this part, we will examine at some of the opportunities that social bookmarking websites have to offer. </p> <p>Social bookmarking websites differ significantly from social networking websites. Basically, social bookmarking websites allow users to bookmark pages online, thus increasing their popularity on that particular bookmarking website. They do, however, have a community element as users can share bookmarks and vote for and against pages. Here is a brief look at some of the most popular bookmarking sites and how they can be used for marketing.</p> <p>Digg</p> <p>Internet marketers have been using Digg to gain exposure for their pages for quite a while now so competition is tough. If you have a web page you think people will like you should place a Digg button on it and submit it to Digg. Every time your page is 'Dugg' the higher it will rate on Digg. If your page makes it onto the coveted front page of Digg you could see thousands of new visitors coming to your website.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49491-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-2">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49479-social-network-marketing-basics 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/go8M5vN-sMo&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/go8M5vN-sMo&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49479-social-network-marketing-basics"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60003" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Establishing and maintaining an active presence on social networking websites has emerged as an effective way to promote products and drive traffic to websites. These and other Web 2.0 technologies are changing the way we approach internet marketing. In this article we look at how to make the most of social network marketing. </p> <p>There are many terms for this form of web promotion, including social media optimization and social media marketing. And there are also different types of websites and methods that can be used.</p> <p>As with any form of internet marketing, successful social network marketing takes patience, know how, and some hard work. Social network websites are essentially online communities where people can meet, communicate, and share ideas. How you should approach your marketing campaign on these websites will depend on the size and nature of your business.</p> <p>Many large companies and corporations have already established a presence on these websites. However, for smaller companies and home-based web businesses a more subtle approach is probably the better option. Rather than blatantly marketing your product, you should try to become a member of the community by making friends and joining relevant groups on websites like Facebook and MySpace.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49479-social-network-marketing-basics">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49477-successful-social-network-marketing-in-two-easy-steps 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qXS6o3jtPxE&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qXS6o3jtPxE&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49477-successful-social-network-marketing-in-two-easy-steps"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60001" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>The key behind social network marketing is to consistently generate fresh leads day in and day out. If you have a consistent flow of leads coming in, you will have success in the long run. While it's certainly not easy to generate leads, it's not impossible either. The power of social networks has proven that anyone with tenacity and a thick skin can make it successful. </p> <p>Every entrepreneur faces the challenge of funneling new leads into their network. Unfortunately, there is not one right—or easy—way to gather quality leads although there are a few essential things you can to do make it happen. </p> <p>There are several ways you can bring in new leads using social network marketing, which are free leads. Even though the leads are free, they don't come without a time cost. Putting in the time and effort required is what will set you apart from the other, less than willing, marketers. Below are two steps to help you get started in social network marketing.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49477-successful-social-network-marketing-in-two-easy-steps">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49478-top-tips-for-effective-social-network-marketing 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VCCpvEi457Q&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VCCpvEi457Q&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49478-top-tips-for-effective-social-network-marketing"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60002" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>If you sell a product online or simply make money through traffic to your websites, marketing is probably an essential part of your business. Social network marketing offers the opportunity to reach millions of people at little or no cost. Here are some tips for using websites such as FaceBook and MySpace to boost your online profile. </p> <p>The first thing you will need to do when you embark on your social network campaign is to register with a number of social networking websites. I mentioned FaceBook and MySpace but there are many more—a list of social networking websites is included at the end of this article.</p> <p>You could potentially end up creating accounts with a large number of websites so you may want to set up a special email address to do this. This will prevent clutter in your inbox and allow you to focus on multiple social network marketing campaigns.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49478-top-tips-for-effective-social-network-marketing">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49476-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-1 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ojE6p0RzIJQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ojE6p0RzIJQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49476-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-1"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/60000" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Social network marketing is the new buzzword in internet marketing circles. However, every social networking and bookmarking website is different and requires its own marketing techniques to make the most of it. In this series of articles, I look at the big social networking websites and tell you how you can make the best use of them. </p> <p>One thing that is common with all social networking and bookmarking websites is that it is always free to create an account. In fact, your social network marketing campaign can be completely free, though it will take more of your time.</p> <p>Also bear in mind that social networking websites are like communities. To market successfully on them you will need to make a genuine contribution to these communities by making friends and helping people out. Blatant marketing doesn't go down well on these websites.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49476-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-1">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49475-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-3 2008-12-02T22:44:52Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eSjcGDECJbk&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eSjcGDECJbk&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49475-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-3"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/59999" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>In the final part of this article on social network marketing, we will look at how websites like YouTube and Flickr can help you promote your product or your website. </p> <p>Over the past few years a number of websites have emerged that allow you to share images and videos online. Of these, it is video sharing websites that have really captured the imagination of internet users around the world. There are quite a few video sharing websites on the internet now, but none even come close to the popularity of YouTube.</p> <p>YouTube</p> <p>Digital cameras and modern mobile phones make it easy for anyone to make digital videos. Throw in a computer and an internet connection and these videos can be broadcast on the internet for absolutely free.</p> <p>Many people do this as a hobby and others sell their content while an increasing number of people are using web video and video sharing websites to market their products and their websites.</p> <p>There is no tried and trusted formula as to what makes for good marketing material on YouTube. In the past people have had marketing success with all different kinds of videos.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49475-the-art-of-social-network-marketing-part-3">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/49465-a-study-on-aggregate-data-and-social-network-design 2008-12-02T22:44:53Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/w42acH1-o9c&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/w42acH1-o9c&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/49465-a-study-on-aggregate-data-and-social-network-design"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/59985" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Duncan Watts, a sociology professor at Columbia University, conducted a fascinating study on how aggregate data influences the way people interact and make decisions on social network sites. </p> <p>Aggregate data—also known as a plug-in or widget—is a common element of social network design. Examples of this data include items like top 10 lists, most-emailed articles, most read articles, etc.... The study was attempting to determine how much this data influences people and the decisions they make because of the data.</p> <p>For the sociology experiment, the researchers built two websites. On one site, users were shown a list of songs. They were given the opportunity to rate songs and download any songs—whether they did any rating or not. On the second website, users were also shown a song list. However, on the second site, the number of times each song was downloaded was displayed to the users—as aggregate data. The first group was known as the independent group and the second was called the social influence group. The social influence group was further divided into 8 different sub-groups to see if there were differences over time</p> </div> <a href="/blog/49465-a-study-on-aggregate-data-and-social-network-design">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43273-new-to-web-audio-get-the-right-gear 2008-11-07T16:30:16Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LNx3yP3kVY&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2LNx3yP3kVY&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43273-new-to-web-audio-get-the-right-gear"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/49471" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>If you really want to add life to your website, you should consider including audio content. Audio content can range from simple background music to your own seminars or tutorials. You're only limited by time and creativity. </p> <p>Adding quality web audio to a website, especially streaming audio, used to be a complex process. But now there is excellent software available to lift the audio publishing burden. There are also many services that will host your podcasts and allow them to be streamed or downloaded directly from your website.</p> <p>When you are choosing audio publishing software, be sure to look for the following features:</p> <p>You should have several editing options. Options that allow you to add background music, lead-ins, fade outs and full voice recording options.</p> <p>It should allow you to stream content directly from your website. This can be an automatic start when the page loads or the user may opt to press a play button.</p> <p>It should also help you find the best balance between sound quality and file size so visitors to your site can listen without interruption. You should also be able to export files to suit various media players.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43273-new-to-web-audio-get-the-right-gear">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43266-using-web-videos-to-promote-your-business 2008-10-28T14:34:04Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JCjO2u-DE-M&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JCjO2u-DE-M&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43266-using-web-videos-to-promote-your-business"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/49462" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Web videos offer internet marketers an excellent opportunity to reach out to their prospective customers and showcase their expertise. It is a skillful combination of the advantages offered by TV advertising with the interactivity of the Internet.</p> <p>With the potential of increasing traffic and revenue by as much as 300%, online videos are helping businesses reach beyond traditional marketing horizons. Web videos offer marketers a cheap and fairly easy opportunity to generate additional website visitors. </p> <p>Three vital aspects to take into consideration if you plan to add videos to your web site include: </p> <p>Your video should be powerful enough to capture the attention of the viewer in the opening seconds</p> <p>Your video should be convincing enough to get the viewer to take positive action.</p> <p>Your video should be relevant to your brand and should appeal to your target audience</p> <p>All three elements are equally important if you want your video marketing campaign to be a success. A video that is very amusing and holds the viewers attention but is irrelevant to your product, may succeed in getting the viewer to sit through to the end, but it will not convince anybody to buy anything.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43266-using-web-videos-to-promote-your-business">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43265-cook-up-a-viral-video 2008-10-28T14:34:04Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/l4wa0lj4jus&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/l4wa0lj4jus&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43265-cook-up-a-viral-video"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/49461" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>It's every internet marketer's dream to produce a web video that hits viral overdrive. But, there's more than just making and submitting a video. In this article I take a look at some of the factors that can help make a web video go viral.</p> <p>A viral event happens when a product receives publicity naturally through online word-of- mouth. But, there's a difference between viral and word-of-mouth. Viral is exponential; a user will tell 5 to 10 others and each one of those users will tell 5 to 10 more. Word-of-mouth is simply telling 5 to 10 others who may or may not pass the information on—a much slower process. </p> <p>For a business, the time factor is even more critical. That's why social media sites and your web videos can combine into a powerful marketing duo.</p> <p>Social media websites like FaceBook and Digg, and video sites like YouTube fuels the viral movement. Web videos in particular can gain massive popularity and be viewed by millions of users in a short period of time.</p> <p>Below are a few basic techniques to help you create your own viral web videos.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43265-cook-up-a-viral-video">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43060-tips-for-producing-great-video-content 2008-10-30T03:30:58Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RN443OK_qe0&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RN443OK_qe0&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43060-tips-for-producing-great-video-content"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48639" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Producing quality video content for the web has never been as easy as it is today. Recording equipment and editing software is now widely available, at reasonable prices, so nearly anyone can make the jump to producing content.</p> <p>The phenomenal popularity of YouTube proves that web video is a great way to increase website traffic or market products directly. Many companies have gained massive exposure to millions of potential customers by uploading and sharing video content.</p> <p>However, with millions of videos circulating the web, you need to produce something that's interesting, informative, or entertaining to get noticed. As with most marketing techniques, it takes persistence and a willingness to adapt to feedback.</p> <p>Preparing to create video content will take more time than creating text only content. That's because video can't be edited real time, like text.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43060-tips-for-producing-great-video-content">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43059-how-to-publish-your-business-video-online 2008-10-30T03:30:58Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UKOMF-u-XSI&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UKOMF-u-XSI&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43059-how-to-publish-your-business-video-online"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48638" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>If you produce your own videos, or you will be in the future, you need to publish them online. In this article I look at some of the options you have for publishing your video content.</p> <p>When you finishing the video editing process you will have to make several important decisions. First, you will decide how large your video will be and the data rate. 320 x 240 pixels is a common size used for web video. The data rate will depend on how fast you think your viewer's internet connection speed is. Just because you have broadband doesn't mean everyone else will. In the mean time, 512kbps is a fairly safe choice that should allow most readers to stream your content.</p> <p>You will also have to choose a format for your video files. QuickTime and Windows Media are the most common video formats. Any decent editing software should allow you to convert your videos to either format.</p> <p>If you wish to self publish your videos on your own website, you need to have a hosting service that will stream video and that can provide enough bandwidth. Remember, a simple 5 minute video can end up being 10mb or more as a final production. All of the sudden, 10GB of bandwidth seems small. My advice, especially if you plan on producing a lot of content, is to get a dedicated server. You won't need to extra space or bandwidth up front but you'll thank yourself later when your audience grows.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43059-how-to-publish-your-business-video-online">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43058-benefits-of-video-marketing 2008-10-30T03:30:57Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qs59CkjX16M&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Qs59CkjX16M&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43058-benefits-of-video-marketing"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48637" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Video marketing is a relatively new trend in the area of ever-changing, innovative marketing strategies. It's at the intersection of digital video and traditional internet marketing strategies. </p> <p>Video marketing cannot and does not replace or substitute existing internet marketing strategies — strategies like affiliate marketing, article marketing or pay-per-click campaigns. However, it adds great value and can significantly leverage these existing marketing techniques. </p> <p>Traditional internet marketing, or Web 1.0 marketing, involved product and service marketing through static interaction, primarily text based web pages. "Brochure-ware" pages were just an extension of the traditional advertising model. Web 2.0 has turned this concept on its head. Potential customers are no longer restricted to reading static text about products and services. In other words, potential customers can interact with you—and the content you publish. </p> <p>Enter video marketing, which plugs video into the interaction — giving Web 2.0 a whole new dimension. Despite the social characteristic of web 2.0, it still lacked the all important face to face interaction. This is where video marketing comes in. It allows you to blend your message and personality into the consumer's online experience, influencing the consumer in their buying decisions.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43058-benefits-of-video-marketing">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43057-leverage-your-business-with-web-video 2008-10-28T10:34:00Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EuY8f7D75wQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EuY8f7D75wQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43057-leverage-your-business-with-web-video"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48636" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Online videos offer internet marketers one of the best platforms for engaging an audience and building a solid clientele. </p> <p>This innovative new marketing medium allows marketers to communicate with their viewers on several different levels using music, visual imagery and visual text.</p> <p>Online video allows you to reach out to the global audience with a minimal investment, thus increasing your ROI tremendously. Moreover, it requires no technical expertise to set up or use. Adding a basic video to your web site only requires that you have access to a computer and a webcam or a digital camcorder. </p> <p>Of course, knowing how to edit the video and add special effects by way of graphics, music and specialized text would give you the competitive edge over other businesses that use online videos for marketing. </p> <p>Although there are no restrictions as to the kind of video you may produce for the purpose of marketing, remember the main aim of the video is to generate more business by keeping the customer engaged. With this in mind, it's critical that the video should be riveting enough to hold the viewers attention and yet it should remain relevant to your area of business.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43057-leverage-your-business-with-web-video">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43056-making-web-video-work-for-your-business 2008-10-28T10:34:00Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/O5xt-TYG0zA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/O5xt-TYG0zA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43056-making-web-video-work-for-your-business"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48635" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>If you want to make take advantage of web video, and make it work successfully, you have several options. From simple promotional videos on your own website to a viral information marketing campaign, web video can be used to augment products sales or drive targeted traffic directly.</p> <p>The type of web video you produce will depend on your target audience and skills. Take a look at the following video types to determine which one, or combinations, will work best for you.</p> <p>Instructional Videos</p> <p>This is by far the most popular type of video. If you can produce quality instructional videos that show viewers how to do something specific, you will increase your exposure dramatically. For example, if you sell software you could — and should — make instructional video for your software. In fact, entire websites, such as www.vtc.com, are dedicated to software training videos, charging users monthly subscriptions to watch them.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43056-making-web-video-work-for-your-business">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43007-great-content-the-key-to-social-bookmarking-success 2008-10-30T03:30:58Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AegJeRDQxRA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AegJeRDQxRA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43007-great-content-the-key-to-social-bookmarking-success"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/48574" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>If you visit an article submission site, you'll find out right away that most of the content is shallow. The content is designed to "tease" readers into clicking a link in the author's resource box. While it's a good way to get traffic, this process, writing and submitting articles, is more about quantity than quality. In effect, it places little value on the content itself.</p> <p>Creating great content is, by far, the best way to get qualified traffic. But, creating great content for inclusion on social bookmarking sites is critical. Why? Because you actually have to deliver something worthwhile — something readers will value and likely vote for.</p> <p>Social bookmarking sites naturally appeal to a younger audience. This audience is technically savvy and extremely anti-marketing. If they sense a piece is too commercialized, it will be ignored at best.</p> <p>Don't confuse the term social bookmarking, or networking, with social marketing. You don't market directly on social media sites unless you're buying advertising directly. What you are doing is establishing yourself as an authority on a subject.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43007-great-content-the-key-to-social-bookmarking-success">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39461-social-media-marketing-an-overview 2008-10-29T03:29:46Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y6lrfnbUyfA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Y6lrfnbUyfA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39461-social-media-marketing-an-overview"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44544" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Word-of-mouth marketing has become one of the most exciting marketing opportunities on the web. The Web 2.0 revolution has allowed web users the ability to reach across the globe to voice their opinions, connect with like minded users, and vote on the best content.</p> <p>Users like good content. In fact, they want good content. Therefore, you can quickly gain buzz if you can reach above the crowd and make yourself stand out with good content.</p> <p>Below is a quick overview of some of the tools available to generate buzz in the social media sphere.</p> <p>Social Networking Sites</p> <p>Social networking and bookmarking websites have taken the internet world by storm in the past few years. Sites like FaceBook, MySpace and Digg are now among the most visited in the world and opportunities are emerging for smart and creative marketers.</p> <p>Rating Sites</p> <p>If you have a good product, especially software, you can submit it to a rating site. Editors of these sites can rate and recommend your product to other visitors.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39461-social-media-marketing-an-overview">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39440-social-media-marketing-strategies 2008-10-29T03:29:46Z David Skul <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kwW8A6yR0f8&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kwW8A6yR0f8&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39440-social-media-marketing-strategies"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44522" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Below are several social media marketing strategies that will help motivate you to consider Web 2.0 as a viable marketing option:</p> <p>Reach Out First. The key to successful social media marketing is determining where your target audience is and then reaching out to them...where they are. You may have to start out in smaller communities, building brand awareness. Remember, social media isn't about interruption. You have to prove that you can engage your audience.</p> <p>Listen First. How do you reach out? By listening first. Traditional marketing focuses on hitting a market with products and services that may or may not be relevant. It's easier because it doesn't require the up-front work. But, if you want to be effective and relevant to a social media crowd, you have to listen first. You have to locate the psychological hot spots.</p> <p>You are the Brand. As opposed to traditional marketing where the focus was on the product, web 2.0 marketing focuses on the promoter. That's why interruption marketing doesn't work in social media. People don't care about the product until they can trust, and eventually care, about you. Your audience doesn't buy your product, they buy you.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39440-social-media-marketing-strategies">Watch the video</a>