The other night I decided to fix the gears on my wife’s bicycle and found something shocking that could help you with your business.

The gears had been skipping for over a month and I finally decided it was time…  to fix her bike so it shifted properly, especially because I’m hoping to get her out this weekend for a few more rides before it gets too cold and icy here in Connecticut.

I like to think that I’m smart enough to fix simple stuff around the house and being an avid cyclist, I should know a thing about bikes.

As is often the case when I start a repair, I only had a vague inkling of what I was doing, so I logged onto YouTube to get some advice. I knew that the derailleur, the thing that moves the chain back and forth on the gears wasn’t set up correctly, so I searched on what I thought was an obscure phrase, “adjusting front derailleur” and found a helpful video tutorial loaded by Santa Fe Mountain Sports.

I was a bit surprised to find a video showing me exactly what I was looking for – but I was even more surprised to see the view count. This video had been viewed – over 400,000 times and their video about adjusting the rear derailleur – over 150,000 times!

That’s over a half million times people interested in bikes, people from their target market, had been exposed to the bike shop’s expert advice and branding as a result of two videos they loaded onto YouTube for free!

Even assuming everyone watched the video twice, as I did, that’s still over 200,000 prospects.

Can you imagine if you could get the attention of over 200,000 prospects with just one marketing tactic and show them that you’re an expert in your field and keep their attention for five minutes – and that you could do it for free?

You can!

Of course not every one of the bike’s shops videos were as popular as the above two. Some only got a few thousand views. All in all, I found 33 videos posted by the bike shop totaling over 1,300,000 views for an average of 40,000 views per video.

Want to grab the attention of your target market, build loyalty and sales? Would over 1,300,000 views by your prospects help?

YouTube and social media are hot for a reason.

They’re one of the most cost effective ways to market your business and yourself and attract more prospects and sales.

Discover the easiest ways to tap social media and profit from it >>

Anyone can grow their business in this economy if they know the simple secrets of tapping social media.

To your success,

Charlie
MarketingForSuccess

P.S. In case you were wondering, yes I fixed my wife’s gears and she’s game for another couple of rides as long as it doesn’t snow.

P.P.S. Of course not everyone wants too much to do with their own social media marketing, which is why we will do it for you, if you’re interested.

Just use this form to get started >>

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Bet you can’t start watching this and not see it through to the end.

When Toyota put together this ad, they didn’t mention… the engine, they didn’t mention the mileage, they didn’t mention safety or  a slew of other product features.

Instead they focused on what universally grabs attention, even with the sound off.

They focused on a conflict between husband and wife, ridiculous explosions and the like… which, if you haven’t seen this video ad, grabs your attention.

See for yourself >>

Charlie

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

PC users rejoiced when this ad was released, in defense of their prized computers.

The MAC vs PC commercials were extremely clever. But Laurie McGuinness’ version of PC vs Mac… is equally funny and hits all the right points. And with nearly 700,000 YouTube hits, it’s clear that Mac hasn’t necessarily dominated their market.

By claiming a more responsible user, PC gently mocks the notoriously creative and youthful Mac die-hards.

In your opinion, what should have been done differently in this video ad? What did you like and what did you hate about this ad?

Take a look at the PC vs. MAC commercial here and let us know your thoughts.

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

This past weekend I decided to fix the gears on my wife’s bicycle and found something shocking that could help you with your small business.

The gears had been skipping for over a month and a grey Sunday prompted me to decide it was time to fix her bike so it shifted properly, especially because I was hoping to talk her into a ride in the drizzle.

I like to think that I’m smart enough to fix simple stuff around the house and being an avid cyclist I should know a thing or two about bikes.

As is often the case when I start a repair, I only had a vague inkling of what I was doing, so I logged onto YouTube to get some advice. I knew that the derailleur, the thing that moves the chain back and forth on the gears, wasn’t set up correctly. I searched on what I thought was an obscure phrase, “adjusting front derailleur” and found a helpful video marketing tutorial loaded by Santa Fe Mountain Sports.

I was a bit surprised to find a video marketing piece showing me exactly what I was looking for – but I was even more surprised to see the view count. This video marketing piece had been viewed – over 400,000 times and their video about adjusting the rear derailleur – over 150,000 times.

That’s over a half million times people interested in bikes, people from their target market had been exposed to the bike shop’s expert advice and branding as a result of two videos they loaded onto YouTube for free! Even assuming everyone watched the video twice, as I did, that’s still over 200,000 prospects.

Can you imagine if you could get the attention of over 200,000 prospects with just one marketing tactic and show them that you’re an expert in your field and keep their attention for five minutes – and that you could do it for free?

You can!

Of course not every one of the bike’s shops videos were as popular as the above two. Some only got a few thousand views. All in all I found 33 videos posted by the bike shop totaling over 1,300,000 views for an average of 40,000 views per video.

Want to grab the attention of your target market, build loyalty and sales? Would over 1,300,000 views by your prospects help?

YouTube and social media are hot for a reason. They’re one of the most cost effective ways to market your business and yourself and attract more prospects and sales.

Discover the easiest ways to tap social media and profit from it >>

- Charlie

P.S. In case you were wondering, yes I fixed my wife’s gears and despite the grey sky we made we went out for a 26 mile ride and only ended up cycling through a few rain showers.

P.P.S. Anyone can grow their business in this economy, if they want to fix their small business marketing and leverage social media.

Here’s how to profit from social media >>

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Youtube is hot: thousands of videos are uploaded and millions are viewed every day on the video channel. Do you think Youtube is only for bored junior high school kids? It’s not! Many small businesses are creating videos and uploading them to Youtube. Why?

I think it is a combination of the popularity of Youtube and the ease of  using Flip Cams and other small, point-and-shoot cameras. Today, videos don’t even need editing or fancy soundtracks to become popular.

Della Mendenhall, whose family owns the Indianapolis florist Gillespie Florist,  thinks videos are great for showing her every changing and beautiful stock. She often takes her video camera into the flower cooler to show what flowers are available that day, and posts the video on her Facebook page and at her Google Local site.

Another benefit of video: you can use it in multiple places, not just Youtube. And Youtube videos and easily be embedded into your website.

The Roger Smith Hotel in New York often posts videos on their Website, Roger Smith Life. Videos a feature footage of different events at the Hotel. They’ve created so many videos that they developed a Roger Smith Hotel YouTube channel, further extending their reach into the social media world.

One video of the Hotel dog Harry making his bed, generated a huge amounts of hits on YouTube. In fact, the Hotel believes that the Harry video was their first ‘viral’ success.

What does this mean, to “go viral?”

Basically, it means that after you post a video, it spreads around the Internet like wildfire by being reposted at other peoples’ blogs and websites, and from people emailing the link to their friends.  Beth Colla and Tim Ferguson own a food truck in Los Angeles, and created videos of their kittens to generate excitement about their new business.

The videos  generated a huge response on YouTube and, in a stroke of viral luck, were posted at the popular website “The Huntington Post”. Now, customers expect Beth and Tim to bring the kittens in the truck, and are often disappointed when they find that the kittens stayed home.

Like our other business owners, the food truck owners and the hotel marketers have no idea why their videos become so popular but think it might have been due to a few things: the videos are fairly short (about a minute or so long), they are humorous (kittens wearing hats and eating ice cream, dogs making their beds), people tend to connect with animals, and the videos make people laugh.

Your customers also create videos: some businesses sponsor contests, and others just enjoy the free publicity. One drive-through coffee shop owner told me that customers often record and upload their experience at the service window. Since the shop’s focus is on service, the owner feels these videos can extend their core value to many potential customers.

There are a few cautionary tales about using video. To do well, they need to have a professional look. While editing is relatively easy if you have a basic knowledge of your computer’s software, it can also take time away from other activities. Most businesses focus on short, simple, one-shot videos to overcome this problem.

There’s also becoming an  ‘American Idol’ mentality of video marketing: businesses can spend so much time trying to create the one video that will explode onto the Internet when  that energy might bet better spent on other communications.

Finally, it is very difficult to get a videos removed from YouTube, so if for any reason your video has a short ‘shelf life’, you  might consider other options for it. But think about trying video. And if you have used it, why not share the link in the comments section?

- Kim

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Do you have a TV?

Then you know the power of video. Put images together with words and it grabs your attention. And if you want to help your prospects get to know you, trust you and want to do business with you, there is nothing better besides a personal call or meeting than a video introduction. But…

I don’t know about you, but I’m terrified of making videos to market my business. Normally I think of myself as relatively intelligent and verbally proficient but I’m afraid that when I turn on the camera I’ll turn into a blubbering idiot or that people will think I’m ugly or the lighting will be wrong and a host of other irrational excuses.

At the same time, a big part of my brain (the rational part) is telling me, along with my marketing colleagues, that video can double lead generation rates and sales conversion rates. Which is why…

Today, I’ve tracked down and persuaded Perry Lawerance to talk with me about how to help you (and me) get over our fears about using video to generate more leads and sales.

Listen in today by registering >>

Perry Lawrence is one of the top authorities on video marketing. He’s the “Go To” video expert for the top names in Internet marketing such as Yanik Silver, Carrie Wilkerson, Barry Dunlop, Ryan Lee, Dean Hunt, and many others.

More important than all his top-drawer credentials are what he shares in today’s call. While Perry has made videos for the big ad agencies with tens of thousands of dollars of equipment, he reveals how you (and I) can get going using video marketing for a total equipment investment of less than $200.

Perry details the essential steps to making good marketing videos, steps that anyone can use (including yours truly).

Make sure at all costs to listen in as Perry reveals:

•    Why you can’t ignore video marketing

•    The most important advantages you’ll gain with video marketing (Instantly boost profits by 10% overnight!)

•    What you need to start video marketing today for free or almost free

•    Which types of businesses that benefit most from video marketing

•    Video marketing 101 made simple so anyone can do it

•    How to maximize the number of people in your target market who watch and respond to your videos

•    Why Google loves videos and how you can use videos to generate tons of new traffic

•    What gear you need to create quality videos on a low budget

Listen in today by registering >>

•    Why you don’t need a slick presentation to benefit from video marketing

•    How to make your videos stand out and produce results (How to peel away customers from your competitors!)

•    The key steps to making successful videos

•    3 video marketing models you can use this week

•    How much editing you should do to get your video online fast

•    How to use your videos to act as a force multiplier on other social media sites

•    Which topics you should cover when you create videos

•    How to make your video go viral on the Internet

•    The most common video marketing mistakes and how to avoid them

How would you like to listen in as Perry Reveals The Secrets to The Fast and Easy Way to Create Powerful Marketing Videos today??? You can. And it won’t cost one red penny.

Register at >>

What if YOU Don’t Have Time to Listen Today?

Whoa! It’s Friday and you’re already busy? Booked solid?

That’s ok, because I came up with a solution for you.?? When you register, you will be given a 1-time opportunity?to buy the recordings of all of these social media expert?interviews.

I’m giving you …

1. 8 MP3 recordings. Listen while you drive, exercise or work! (Easily worth $97 as a stand-alone product.)

2. 8 fully formatted PDF transcripts. You’ll be able to go through the entire transcript at your leisure and visually see, step-by-step what to do.

That’s 8 hours of the best social media mastery teaching in audio and printed form. But you won’t pay $197 for it … instead; it’s all yours for just $97!??Today is the last day to attend the telesummit – register now while you can.

- Charlie

P.S. WARNING: The price increases to $197 soon so act now!

Register at >>

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

I’m a big fan of using youtube and videos to grab attention, entertain your target market, generate leads and market products and services. And I’m always looking for entertaining small business marketing videos.

Here’s one that came my way. Personally I think it’s over the top, and harder to use than a well laid out website. Functional or just flash? Maybe they just did it because they knew how.

Post your comments and your suggestions of the best small business marketing videos.

- Charlie

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Quick before the summer ends, unkink the hose, get leads flowing into your pipeline and power up your marketing. And let me know your thoughts on this video. Or if you think you have a great idea for a funny video ad about small business marketing I can use, add a comment and let me know how to contact you.
- Charlie

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

What’s one of the most effective ways of getting people to your web site and your business? With a great viral video ad, one that your target market will share and help people learn about your products and services.

I just added 5 more videos to the list of the best video commercials. Take a look and let me know if you have a favorite you’d like to see included.

1. Is this ad the answer to the Apple airbook. See this video ad for yourself >>

2. Sometimes exaggeration works to demonstrate your product. Take a look at this video commercial >>

3. What’s the best way to demonstrate your product’s capabilities? Here’s how a good example of how to use fantasy in your viral videos >>

4. It’s all about demonstrating the problem. That’s what this video ad does with humor >>

5. And finally how to use a celebrity in your ads and make it funny too. See this video commercial with an unexpected ending >>

Have more videos you’d like included. Let me know and we’ll review them.

- Charlie
Small Business Marketing That Gets Attention and More Business

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..

Recently I was reviewing ads to see if I could find more great ones to ad to video ads. As I perused them I kept finding ones that made me laugh but “objectified women” were racist or in some way offended someone. Of course that’s why they were funny and got hundreds of thousands of views.

Am I right?

Are the funniest and most watched ads politically incorrect?

What do you think?

- Charlie
Marketing Ideas That Get Attention

©2012All Rights Reserved by Charlie Cook or Blog Post Author..