YouTube - it's not just for goofballs anymore. Like Facebook, it has crossed into the business and marketing world, which for some (those naturally creative-types) is enormously exciting and for others (those that are not) is downright daunting. On the plus side, it opens a whole new marketing arena where anything you do is fresh and exciting; and on the flip side, it opens a whole new marketing arena... sigh.

As a marketer, I often think of a line from the movie The Shawshank Redemption, in which a man, released from prison in the 1950's after 40 years, observes, "I can't believe how fast things move on the outside... The world went and got itself in a big darn hurry."

It often seems like just when we are rockin' and rollin' with today's "best" marketing tactics, something new comes along that throws a rock into our roll. As marketing dynamics continue to evolve with the growth of technology, smart businesses are having to explore more innovative ways to connect with their target audiences. Social media networking, while still popular, is beginning to seem "so last season". What's next? From the buzz they are generating, it seems that the next hottest marketing tools on the horizon are QR-codes (which was last week's blog) and the ever-popular, YouTube.

Today, I am going to share some ways you can use YouTube in your marketing to engage your target audience, and I'll give you some tips on creating a strong title...

First, here are some YouTube facts you should keep in mind as you plan your videos:

According to YouTube's website, "People are watching 2 billion videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.

Our user base is broad in age range, 18-55, evenly divided between males and females, and spanning all geographies. Fifty-one percent of our users go to YouTube weekly or more often, and 52 percent of 18-34 year-olds share videos often with friends and colleagues. With such a large and diverse user base, YouTube offers something for everyone." Well, I guess that last sentence says it all. Without further ado, here are some ways you can use YouTube in your business to capture that large and diverse user base:In your marketing plan:

• Build your brand by creating your very own YouTube Channel.
• Create a "day-in-the-life" video of your business to showcase your staff and your daily operations.
• Launch new products/services with a video.
• Create a video that shows your products in action.
• Promote your events - before and after.
• Include client testimonial videos.
• Hold a contest.
• Invest in video advertising on YouTube.
• Take advantage of YouTube Insight, which is a free tool that allows you to view detailed statistics about the videos being uploaded to the site.

To establish credibility and earn customer loyalty:

• Create a video that shows unique ways to use your products that the audience may not have realized.
• Upload a video that answers (and even demonstrates) your most FAQs.
• Record and share your public speaking engagements.
• Upload slides from a presentation or webinar.
• Upload interviews with industry leaders or power partners.
• View other business-related videos and engage the YouTube community by posting comments.

So, you've selected a platform and your video is done. Now what? You need to upload it, give it a title and send it into the world hoping it goes viral. In order to create a strong title, I suggest the following:

• Use the word "video" in your title. Most searchers include the word at the end of their query, ex. Shawshank Redemption video. Adding "video" to your title will increase it's relevancy and lead to higher search result placement.
• Be creative and know your target audience. Make sure your title addresses what they might be searching for, not what you are trying to sell; which leads to...
• Conduct keyword research to identify the search phrases being used when people are looking for a video such as yours.
• View what others have done before you. Look for similar videos and analyze the title's of the most viewed and the least viewed. Then compare content.

As we busily prepare for our own leap into the YouTube business world, we'd love to know...

How have you used YouTube in your business? What have you found that works; and what doesn't?

NEXT WEEK: We have a very special VIP blogger! BDG Co-Founder and Guru, Kristi Smith, will share with you how she built her first successful business, our sister company KSC, and how that lead into the January launch of Business Development Gurus.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/people/whiteafrican/