This week’s Brandsplat Video report episode 16 covers Twitter clients Hootsuite and Monitter plus more about Golden Grahams. Why do we care about Golden Grahams?  Because we’re winners, that’s why!  Check it out! Or click here for more Brandsplat vids

To hear some people talking, if you want to engage in online video marketing there is really only one option – YouTube. But that’s far from the case.

While YouTube gets the lion’s share of traffic for online video creation, it may not necessarily be the best choice for you in terms of marketing yourself online with video. Or, at the very least, it may not be your only choice.

But let’s take a look at the pros and cons in a little comparison:

YouTube

• OK, YouTube wins the traffic battle hands down
• You can create your own channel and market yourself through that channel, picking up dedicated followers along the way
• Networking and making friends is easy on YouTube
• YouTube has a promotional video program you can join
• YouTube has a rich and diverse categorization procedure

Vimeo

• Vimeo may not have the traffic, but what they don’t have in traffic they make up for in quality
• Better HD – high definition; the quality here is much better
• Vimeo also has channels and networking
• You can create your videos online using Vimeo’s video creation technology
• Vimeo’s categorization isn’t as rich and diverse as YouTube’s, but it is more creative and very well organized

1-for-1 Comparison

If you judge by quantity of bullet points, YouTube wins. But, remember, Vimeo’s superior HD technology is outweighs YouTube’s pros and Vimeo has some of those in common with YouTube. Take out the common pros – categorization, networking, and channels – and all YouTube really has going for it traffic and promotional videos. Vimeo has better HD technology, online creation tools, and a thriving community. That’s why many online marketers are using Vimeo over YouTube.

Thankfully, it isn’t a matter of either/or. You can actually do both. My recommendation is to create your video online with Vimeo then upload your video to YouTube. That will get you the high quality of Vimeo’s technology and the traffic at YouTube – the best of both video marketing worlds.

What makes good content? I can wax on and give you the latest ten tips for making great content, but instead I’m going over simplify it because I’m in that kind of mood. Content is just like art. There’s good art and there’s bad art, depending on your perspective. My perspective is I like the kind of art that takes an everyday object and gives it a twist that in turn gets a reaction out of me. Any reaction will do. Here’s an example; I came across a post that documents unique street signs in Lyon, France.   I’ve passed street signs with the international cross-out symbol like these in my travels abroad and here at home as well, yet I have never stopped to take notice of the design. In a matter of milliseconds, my eyes see the sign, synapses fire off registering it as a sign, I may or may not heed the instruction, then the eyeballs get bored and find something else to feed off of. Poof, forgotten seconds after the experience. But these French signs are memorable. There’s a lesson here. Content should be thought of in the same way. Why not approach your next article, newsletter, video, social media campaign etc., with the same kind of goal? Take the everyday concept and put your own personal spin on it. Recycling the same old information that anyone can find on the intertubes is easy. Coming up with a unique angle on a concept takes a heck of a lot more effort and creativity. Do the latter. If you do it right, people may just stop and take notice.

Eyeballs are drawn to video like bees to honey. Not only that, interesting video content can generate a healthy amount of link juice and serve as a portal to your website. Let’s say you have a great video that you’re proud of, but you’re not sure how to optimize your opus to maximize exposure. Well, just like any content on the Internet, you’ll have to make it findable for the SERPs. But where to start? Check out this recent post on iMediaConnection for 10 SEO tips for YouTube. Good advice if you are going the YouTube route. But is YouTube the best way to publish? Third party sites like YouTube can get you the exposure you may want, but this angle may not be right for everyone. It really comes down to what the strategy for your video is. Step one is to figure out what you want the end result of your video to be. Are you driving traffic to your site? Or are you creating an online reputation for yourself?

Some things to consider when optimizing your video content:

1. Have a keyword strategy and tag your video with meta data,
2. Transcribe your video in text format so it can be seen by meta crawlers
3. Understand the effect of your hosting options (on your site vs. sites like YouTube)
4. Craft a catchy title to lure in viewers
5. Time your videos for short attention spans
6. Allow users to share and spread your video by offering the option to embed and rate your video
7. Brand your video with a logo watermark

To get a better understanding of publishing options and Tips for Optimizing Online Video Content, click on the video below that comes to us via SEOmozBlog’s Whitebroard Friday. Enjoy.

If you’re like many online business owners, you’ve probably looked at your e-commerce site recently and have seen room for improvement. You may have even considered doing something drastic, like adding a social media marketing campaign or video content to spruce up the user online experience. Well, if you’ve thought about video, you are not alone. According to a recent Internet Retailer survey ,

“43.3% of merchants will update their e-commerce sites with video this year.”

But having video on your site without a real strategy for having it, does neither you nor your customers any good. While video content can greatly improve the user experience, it is important to have a thought through strategy before implementing your video content on your site. Video content on an e-commerce site should act as a sales tool that serves to nudge the visitor to your site closer to the “add to cart” button. It may help to think of your e-commerce site like a slick auto showroom with lots of product info, video and a non-pushy sales force to help you along the way. As more and more e-commerce sites become like these slick showrooms, multi-media will play a much more important role in the sales cycle of everyday products and goods that you would normally see on the shelf at your local shopping mart or mall. Adding video can be a rewarding option if you can figure out production costs, distribution and management of your content. Oh, and don’t forget SEO for your videos. For Video Search Optimization Tips from Aaron Wall of SEOBook, click on the video below.