We have been seeing a lot of questions from small business owners about advertising on YouTube and how beneficial it could be. Is it smart to advertise your business on YouTube?

Advertising on YouTube would reach a large market audience. However, I have read that it is harder for professional businesses to promote using this broad of a medium, meaning I wouldn't rely on just YouTube to share your video. There is so much opportunity out there when it comes to online video marketing and not to mention it being much friendlier on budgets. It's crazy there aren't many small business owners taking advantage of this new marketing trend. The popularity of video will only get bigger, as well as video search.

There are new options for businesses to advertise on YouTube. Advertiser's now can:

  1.  Create their own Brand Channel
  2.  Sponsor a Brand Channel
  3.  Use Participatory Video Ads

For more information about how businesses can advertise on YouTube other than just posting a video, read the article, "How to Advertise on YouTube" at Random Culture.

There are many other video sharing sites businesses could post their video on, not to mention "How to" video sites are becoming more and more popular. Even the search term "How to" and "How to Videos" is a widely used keyword searched by many on the search engines. Girl Shop Spot is one perfect medium to post a video for your business. Although posting to all video sharing sites with the same video may be a little redundant, post to as many you feel are relevant to your business and the video community found on that given site.

Whatever you do just remember to make your video marketing piece useful and to the point. Some of the most successful videos or should I say mostly viewed are less than one minute long. Have fun, be creative, and do your research. Look into similar types of videos you wish to create and compare the most viewed with those that haven't been so lucky. What makes them more intriguing, unique, and informative? For more helpful tips you can visit the article, "Video SEO Can Give Small Businesses An Edge," by Glenn Pingul on Search Engine Land.

	Video is BIG and growing even BIGGER. Video search continues to grow at a rapid pace.
	An estimated 73% of U.S. Internet users view online videos.
	You can stay ahead of the game and your competition.
	Videos stimulate the senses and can engage your audience on another level.
	Videos create more traffic, increase the length of visits, and overall converts a browser into a buyer.

Where can You Post a Video?

Below please find a list of helpful video solutions and sharing sites, including "How to" video posting sites if you plan on creating a "How to" video for your customers. A few of these sites will even help you edit and market your video.

	Girl Shop Spot  Resource for Modern Women
	MetaCafe  Best Videos & Funny Movies
	Viddler  Record, Upload, Share
	Vimeo  Video Sharing for You
	ZippyVideos  Free Video Uploading and Sharing
	Eyespot  Personlize You Video...Mix, Host Share
	TurnHere  Video Strategy Development & Production
	Dailymotion  Share Your Videos
	Jumpcut  Be Good to Your Video
	TubeMogul  Free Video Distribution with Tracking
	Fliqz  Instant Video, Custom Video Solutions
	OurMedia  Channels of Creativity
	vSocial  We Power the Most Successful Promotions
	GoogleVideo  It is what It is...Google
	Revver  Video Sharing Network
	VideoEgg  Video Advertsing. Easy.
	VideoJug  Life Explained. On Film.
	Helpfulvideo  Share Your Knowledge & Skills
	5min  How to, Instructional and DIY Videos
	ExpertVillage.com  How to Videos & Free Video Clips
	eHow.com  How to Videos
	Howcast  Cool How to Videos and Guides
	MindBites  How to Video Marketplace