One of the Social Media outlets that makes marketing VERY fun is the online video king YouTube. You can really get the creative juices flowing by using this method. Many entrepreneurs rely on free methods to advertise, and YouTube is the perfect example of free advertising. PMI coaches will suggest that their students use this method in almost every case, because it just works!

“YouTube is a community where people are entertained, informed, educated and inspired through the sharing of video. Did you know that 71 million DIFFERENT people throughout the world visit YouTube each month?!

Online Video isn’t the future, it’s the present: 75% of Americans watched a video online last month. And YouTube is far and away the leader in this space with hundreds of millions of videos viewed daily.

YouTube offers a unique opportunity to connect with your audience in a personal and targeted way — and the ability to do so at massive scale.”

Now, you’re probably wondering… “Can I REALLY make money with YouTube?” You’d better believe it! Wow…there are many different techniques to help you make money by using YouTube. So many that I’m certain I won’t be able to list them all, so I’ll introduce you to the main strategies that are out there right now.

Create great videos. If you’re creative, or have an idea…you can make great money. You never really know if a video is going to take off or not, but you should be prepared! I see videos that are getting thousands or more hits daily…but the owner hasn’t linked them to any ads! It’s crazy! For example, the other day I came across a video some lady at a block party in Milwaukee recorded of a tiny 7-year old dancing that had TONS of views…but she didn’t have a single ad! All those opportunities for revenue…gone. I just checked again, and it appears she’s since added some links, so I’m glad she figured it out.

The video is a perfect example of something out of nothing! Yet, for all those who have great videos like this one, but haven’t added anything to help them profit from it yet, I just think of all the money or potential lead generation they’re missing out on…and I honestly feel bad for them. Well…I’m jealous of their hits, but also feel bad that they don’t know what they’re missing. Maybe I should become an Ad broker for these types of people and introduce them to the opportunities available…then split the profit?!? Well…the secrets out. There’s another way to make money on YouTube!

Affiliate Marketing

Here you can show watermarked URL’s in your videos or post links in the description area to the right of the video. These are excellent ways to drive traffic to your personal or business website, or direct people go to buy products that you earn affiliate commission from. Of course, this is contingent on your video being found…but I’ll discuss more about getting your video found in a bit.

You can even use Video annotations to help viewers understand your video, which will help to promote it. Video Annotations is a new way for you to add interactive commentary to your videos! Use it to:

• Add background information about the video
• Create stories with multiple possibilities (viewers click to choose the next scene) (choose your own adventure)
• Link to related YouTube videos, channels, or search results from within a video

You control what the annotations say, where they appear on the video, and when they appear and disappear.

YouTube Channel

You can have your very own customized channel. Color, background, layout, etc. You can hold contests, promotions, or just become a popular site for people like you! Do this for yourself, your business, or anything else you want to spread the word about. If one of your videos catches on, and you’ve put the proper steps in place then you’ll start seeing the profits roll in and be glad you did something about it!

Advertising

It doesn’t matter if you’re a top 50 advertiser or a local business, because YouTube has a way you can advertise that won’t break the bank! YouTube has made it possible to get your Ad seen by a particular group of people.

They have created incredible ways to get in front of your audience! You can place an ad just about anywhere on the page! Notice the red marks on each thumbnail. Each one of those represents an area where you can post your video Ad. Depending on which method you choose, people either view your ad right there, or are taken to another page to view your ad. YouTube is creating all sorts of methods to advertise to suit just about any situation.

YouTube Overlay Ads (My Personal Favorite)

People can watch an ad if they click on a transparent overlay ad that pops on your video. You get paid per view…and your video is paused while they watch. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-q5zZ1p2eM

These YouTube Promoted advertising Videos help you get more views for your videos, and they link to your Google AdWords account. They’re PPC, not pay per view. You can create your own advertisements and YouTube will send put them in front of the audience you choose!

Insight

Within your account you can see detailed statistics for your videos with something called Insight. It’s basically Google Analytics for YouTube, and it’s really cool to see. I found all sorts of interesting information that will help me to know the best times to place ads on my videos as well as the demographics of my audience for different videos. Incredibly useful information! Just think of what you could do!!

Here’s a list of some more ways you can make (or save) money with YouTube. All of these topics are discussed within the Videos and Articles within this website, so keep learning, find the methods that would be most beneficial to you, and get them rolling!

• Save money by hosting videos on YouTube rather than your own site
• Create your own commercials or advertisements and post them for Free on YouTube
• Become a YouTube Partner (if you have frequent popular videos)
• Start a Video Blog
• Use Video Captions. (Similar to Video Annotations)
• Put Premium YouTube Partners videos on your website
• Use Social networks such as Facebook, Digg, & StumbleUpon to promote your videos

It makes sense to tap into YouTube. The YouTube community views hundreds of millions of videos everyday! That’s more than any TV network, Cable network, or social network COMBINED! It provides an incredible opportunity to get in front of your audience!

I want you to check out this page on YouTube to learn more about the incredible opportunities that are available to make money with YouTube. It’s an inspiring video, so check it out!! http://www.youtube.com/user/advertise