Over the course of the past six years, I’ve followed a lot of people’s blogs, tweets and posts but have always received the best advice from a select few people.  I’d like to share my list of virtual mentors with you so you may also benefit from what they have to offer. Here we go..

Gary Vaynerchuck

garyvaynerchuk.com

Gary is probably the one person to help me realize what social media is all about and how to incorporate it into today’s new era of business.  Gary recorded a presentation that he did for inc.com that was nothing short of inspirational and I continue to share it with anyone who will listen.

Pat Flynn

smartpassiveincome.com

Pat is the epitomy of the guy who lost it all and bounced back. He is the reason why so many marketers are successful online because of his simplistic and honest approach to marketing.

Amy Porterfield

amyporterfield.com

If you’re looking for information on how to market your business on Facebook then look no further than Amy. She consistently keeps me up to date on all the latest trends on Facebook as well as step by step instructions on how to implement them. Her warm hearted demeanour translates through her online persona to make you feel comfortable, trusted and informed.

Chris Ducker

chrisducker.com

Chris is a relative newcomer on my radar but I have read and watched all I can find on his websites. Chris continues to offer amazing advice on outsourcing and marketing. I love is sense of humour that he ads to each and every on of his podcasts.

Derek Halpern

socialtriggers.com

Derek is a no nonsense kind of marketer that cuts to the chase of what he is discussing. There is no fluff added to his blog, just simple information that people can begin to use immediately.

Michael Stelzner

socialmediaexaminer.com

For some reason, Michael exudes trust. I have yet to put my finger on it but you just can’t help trusting what he has to say. He is your go-to guy for anything social media related.

James Wedmore

jameswedmore.com

James is my video guy. When ever there is something new being rolled out in the video world,  I can count on James to write a post on how we can implement the new changes. He offers a ton of great advice both on his blog and his YouTube channel. If your using video (and you should be), James is your guy.

Rand Fiskin

seomoz.org

Rand is my number one resource for everything “seo”.  His white hat approach to seo has always been spot on and easy to implement. If you’re looking to do search engine optimization the right way then I recommend following Rand and his Whiteboard Fridays..

Please feel free to leave a comment letting me know who your mentors are. I could always use a bit more advice.

Scott

Well as I write the post, I am knee deep in tax preparation. I’ve been in contact with my accountant and am in the process of getting him all my financial information. I realize every year at this time how important it is to have a good accounting program in place to make the tax process as painless as possible.  I realized that writing a post about my accounting software makes sense.  So hear you go….For the past six years, I have been using a company called Freshbooks.

Freshbooks is a cloud based accounting software that llows any small business owner send out invoices and keep track of all your revenue and expenses. I’ve used the big boy accounting software solutions in the past but have never needed the majority of their features and certainly did not need their high price tags. Freshbooks comes in nicely to give you just the features you need at the right price.  Their pricing ranges from $19.95 to $39.95 per month which is primarily based on how many customers you have and of course they have a 30 day free trial.

Add-Ons/Integrations

One feature that I love about Freshbooks is the amount of add-ons and integrations that they have completed over the years. They are integrated with crms, project management software, other accounting programs, time management software, lead generation companies, marketing programs, credit card processing services, workforce management and Google just to name a few.

Mobile App

The also have a convenient mobile app (albeit just for iphone and ipads at this time) that allows you to manage your invoices, expenses and time tracking on the go.  You can even take a picture of the receipt and upload into the software.

Customer Support

My favorite part of the Freshbooks experience…They have “Support Rockstars” that are second to none. I have never been disappointed with them when I call in to ask a question.  I actually visited their office a few years ago and found out that each employee must take a customer support course prior to starting any other position within the company.

I don’t mean to sound overly promotional in this post but I don’t often come across a product that has never let me down. If your a small business owner and are looking for an affordable accounting/invoicing software, I recommend you give Freshbooks a shot.

Scott

1.) Using annotations to engage your viewers creatively through CTAs not only gives you more exposure, but also influences Google’s search algorithm. The more clicks your video gets, the better off you’ll be.

Annotations can be used creatively in a variety of ways to produce effective CTAs.

You can:

• Drive subscriptions to your YouTube channel
• Link directly to other related videos and content
• Give viewers the opportunity to like, favorite, or share your videos
• Allow viewers to send a private message to you
• Allow Video Responses to your video
• Encourage comments on your video

2.) Brand your YouTube channel - As with every social media platform, the more branded and “lived-in” your profile appears, the more credibility you appear to have… warranted or not. A generic or default design makes you appear fly-by-night.

3.) Choose “Player View”as your layout - Unlike the Grid View, the Player View features one big video that can be set to autoplay. Because total views can positively impact your visibility, you want to make sure your featured video is set to autoplay.

4.) Create playlists - Playlists are a way of organizing videos on YouTube. Although you can create playlists of any video—whether you made it or not—for your channel, consider creating a playlist of your most popular videos, or ones that best represent your products and offerings.
For example, if you offer bicycling tours of New England, you might create a playlist that consists of “Bike Tours of Maine,” “Bike Tours of New Hampshire,” “Bike Tours of Vermont,” and so on.If you own a pet store, you might have a Care & Feeding playlist with such hits as “Taking Care of Your Iguana,” “Feeding Tips for Your Parakeet,” and “What Will Your New Pet Snake Eat?”Just as you have a home page on your website and silos of information for your different products and services, you can replicate this on your channel through clever use of the Featured Video and Playlist.

In case you missed my previous articles in video marketing, you can find them here:

• How to create an intro and outro
• How to create great video
• How to edit your video
• How to optimize your video for the search engines

Before you upload our video to YouTube, I recommend that you do a little keyword research. You’ll want to decide at this point what term would you like your video to show up for in Google. For example, if you were creating a video about a used 2010 Chevrolet 1500, should you name the video 2010 Chevrolet 1500 – B34677  or 2010 Chevrolet 1500 Vancouver (assuming your dealership is in Vancouver)? You’re going to want to set yourself up to succeed and not fail as a result of competing with every video ever made for that vehicle.  Adding your city and even the word “review” will greaty impact your optimization efforts.

Now that you have a keyword phrase picked out, I recommend you go back and rename the video file that you saved on your computer to the exact same keyword phrase. For example, let’s say the video file was named 02.23.2013 video1, you’ll want to rename the video to 2012chevrolet1500vancouver. Doing so has proven time and time again to directly impact your results.

Ok, go ahead and upload your video if already have not.

Next your going to want to name the title of your video with your keyword phrase in it. Continuing with our example, you could name the title of the video “2010 Chevrolet 1500 Vancouver” or “2010 Chevrolet 1500 For Sale in Vancouver”. Both will work however the first iteration of the title should produce results if someone was to search for the second keyword.

The next step is to add a link for your website to the first line of the description box. Tip: Make sure you create the link with  http://www.yourdomain.com as this is the only way for the link to be clickable. Not including the http:// will result with your link not working.

In the description section, I recommend that you explain your unique value proposition for the video as well as adding any links to content that you might have referenced in the video.

Finally, add descriptive keywords in the tags section to assist both YouTube and Google with finding your video. Tip: go to other videos on your subject and see what other’s used for keywords in their description.

Time to get views:

I’ve found that if you are able to get a few views to your video within the first 48 hours, it tends to rank a little better than getting views over a longer period of time. So I recommend you post your video on your blog, facebook page, twitter account, newsletter and anywhere else you feel you can get some good distribution.

In the continuing series of Video Marketing, we are going to discuss Tips and Tricks To Get More Conversions.

In case you missed my previous articles in video marketing, you can find them here:

• How to create an intro and outro
• How to create great video
• How to edit your video

Scott

I am going to assume for a moment that you have already have a video that is ready to be edited. If not, grab your smartphone, your video camera or your screen capture software and make a quick video to test.

Ok, there are few paid and free software programs available on the market that can serve our purpose for editing.

• Adobe Premier Elements – Paid
• Apple Final Cut Pro – Paid
• Camtasia – Paid
• Windows Live Movie Maker – Free with Windows
• iMovie – Free with Apple Computer

Quick Tip:

I personally recommend you begin your video with you explaining what the video is about and how it will benefit the viewer followed by your intro. Doing so will quickly capture the audiences attention.

For now, I would not worry too much about getting professional lighting. I do recommend you record indoors and away from direct sunlight. You can play around with a few table lamps without shades to try to create a nice effect. Placing two in front of you (a few feet away) and one behind usually works the best.

Now if you are courageous enough to put yourself on video, you don’t need to break the bank to get a good quality video camera. There are many on the market today for as low as $150. As long as the camera takes HD video 1080p and has an output for an audio jack, you should be all set. Obviously you can spend a little more money and purchase a higher end video camera but please don’t feel like you have to.

In the beginning, your video will probably be pretty raw and that’s ok. It takes a lot of practice in front of the camera to feel confident so I recommend to try and keep the video no more than five minutes in length. Doing so will should keep the viewer’s attention and not wander off.

Try to determine what your goals are for creating the video. Are you looking to increase viewers to your website, capture a lead or maybe trying to increase your brand awareness?

If you’re not sure what to topics to discuss, try going to YouTube and search for some of your topics. If there are a lot videos on the subject, chances are that people have an appetite for the topic. See what others are doing and go through their comments to see what they could have improved upon.

Recipe For Success:

1. Tell the viewer what they are going to see and how it will help them.
2. Add your intro
3. Deliver your content
4. Recap with a conclusion
5. Offer a call to action based on your previous video goals
6. Finish with your outro

Quick Tips:

• Use a tripod to avoid shaking
• Try not to be a talking head. Add in other media to take the focus off of you
• Use a microphone if possible to offer the best sound
• Tell a story to create engagement and differentiation

So now it’s time to move onto our next post in our Video Marketing series, How To Edit Your Video.

In case you missed my previous articles in video marketing, you can find them here:

• How to create an intro and outro

Scott

• How to create an intro and outro
• How to create great video
• How to edit your video
• How to optimize your video for the search engines
• Tips and Tricks to get more conversions

So here we go.

How To Create an Intro and Outro For Your YouTube Video

Step 1: I would like you to go to Videohive.net.  Videohive is a fantastic resource for finding professional looking video graphics for both intros and outros.  Once there, you will be able to browse through their library for the perfect video that compliments your brand. I recommend clicking on the After Effects Project Files in the navigation/header of the site and click on “Openers” from the drop down.  There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind here. One is we want the intro to be short, preferably no more than 5-8 seconds. Any longer than that and you run the risk of losing the interest of your viewer.  The second thing to keep in mind is that these video clips can be changed and altered to a certain degree when it comes to the audio, text, length and the logo. We are going to discuss how to do that in a moment.

Ok, do you have your video picked out? Perfect! If not, take some time to find one and come back. Save the link of the page in your bookmarks for later or go ahead and purchase it. If you bought it, download the files to your computer for now. Let’s move on to step number 2.

Step 2: At the top of the Videohive website, you should be able to see their logo. Beside the logo is a little drop down icon. I would like you to click on the icon and then look for audiojungle from the menu. Go ahead and click on it. Audiojungle.net is a related site where we can go to find the perfect music for our intro. Thought it took a long time to find the perfect intro video? You might be here for awhile too.  The audio will depend on the style of video you will be creating as well as your brand. Think about your customer’s demographic first before purchasing the high beat rock song.  Once you have your music picked out, you can go ahead and save the page to your bookmarks or feel free to purchase it and download to your computer.

Step 3: On to the outro. The outro can be simply using an image with a strong call to action. As you become more familiar with video editing, you’ll be able to show multiple video links inside your current video (you can get pretty creative here). The other option is to go back to videohive and either try to use the current template or search for another one that works for you.

Step 4: Now comes the fun part. We have to put it all together. My recommendation is to outsource the project to someone qualified. There are a number of websites you can go to get this done but I recommend fiverr.com. Fiverr is a great outsourcing website where people are willing to do projects for you for $5.  Once you’re on fiverr, do a search for “After Effects”.  You should be able to find someone who can put your intro together for you. A few tips here: Try to find someone who has good reviews. You’re going to need to be very specific when requesting the order. For example, what text do you want in the video? How long should it be? Also remember to give them your logo in a png format if possible or if required.

The turn around time for the project to be completed varies however my projects usually took 46 to 48 hours.

Now in case this seems like a lot of work, I have an easier solution but does cost a little more money. You can go to splasheo.com. At Splasheo, you can download one of their free video intros and outros or have them create a custom “video booster” on your behalf. They have some great examples complete with audio files that you can choose from. Simply send them your logo and text and they do the rest.

In the continuing series of Video Marketing, we are going to next examine how to create great video.

Scott

Picmonkey.com

When you go to picmonkey.com, you can simply drag a photo directly to their homepage to get started. Once your image is there, you are ready to begin editing. You can do all your basic editing right from here:

Once you have cropped, resized or sharpened your image, you can move on to the fun stuff like adding text with different fonts, changing the effects of the image, touch ups and adding graphics.

You can have a lot of fun with this app and if you are really ambitious, they also offer a premium level of service.

All the best, Scott.

Before I dive into why I believe all car dealers should be blogging perhaps it might be easier to understand why they don’t:

• Do not know how
• Not enough time
• Do not know what to blog about

Even though all of the above reasons are very common, it still does outweigh the benefits of blogging. Consider this, most dealers today have a Facebook page, a Twitter account and maybe even a YouTube channel and are focusing all their social media efforts using those tools. The major disconnect that dealer’s often overlook is the fact that not all of these social media websites might be around in the next few years. Simply look at MySpace as an example, albeit they are trying to make a comeback. Why would a dealer put so much effort into a web property that they don’t even own.

I’m not suggesting that dealers stop using the social networks that their customers are on but I am merely suggesting that they build up their best social media tool first – their blog and then syndicate the content to the appropriate social media sites. Why not build your own web property first which you control and will always own the content.

Now lets look at debunking the reasons why many dealers don’t blog.

Do not know how – Most web providers that dealers use can add a WordPress Blog to your website. If they cannot, you might want to consider using another provider. In the beginning I would not be too concerned about the look and feel other than I strongly recommend you add your website’s navigation header to the blog theme making it easy for customers to be able to get to your main website’s content. Getting started can be as easy as watching a five minute Youtube video tutorial or asking your web provider for assistance.

Not enough time – The reality is you have to make time by scheduling it into your daily routine or designate someone at your store to do it for you. Because using WordPress to blog as so many positive search engine optimization factors, it is just one of those marketing initiatives that can’t be overlooked. I have found that it is always easier to create a blog schedule and include ideas of what to post.

Do not know what to blog about -
Let’s begin by writing about what’s new with your manufacturer. Not sure what’s new with them? Visit their blog or Facebook page for inspiration.
You can write about products coming down the pipeline. Being the first to blog about a vehicle can typically get you a lot of eyes on your site.
You can post testimonials, commercials on YouTube, video walk arounds, and my favorite, what’s going on in the community this weekend, month or year.
You can post images of people you sold cars to. When I sold cars, we always had a board on the wall with pictures of satisfied customers.
You can talk about new employees, promotions within your dealership and of course current sales and incentives.

Now let’s take a look at the technical side of blogging. I promise not to bore you.
Consider this. Search engines love fresh new content on a website. Adding new content on a regular basis will send a message to the search engines to visit your site on a more regular basis making your site more crawlable. A question I get asked alot is “Can I copy an article off another website and post it on my blog” The answer is absolutely yes providing you keep the links intact and you indicate who the source of the article is. I like to encourage dealers to at least write a brief summary of the article in addition to the post to assist with seo. Consider this, people share content on Facebook and Twitter all day long. Your blog is no different.

When you create a post, you can take a screen capture, and use that as your image to upload to Facebook. We all know images will draw the user’s attention. Include a description of the post and a link to your blog and you now have more visitors to your site. Once they are there, you’re going to want to try and convert that customer into a lead, right? But what kind of lead? If they are not ready to buy, how can we get them to come back? The answer is creating an opt-in form which gives people the ability to sign up for your future posts and newsletters. You’ve probably heard marketers say that the money is in the “List”. It’s no different for the car business. We want to capture as many email addresses as possible to keep them engaged over time so when they are considering purchasing a vehicle or know of someone who is, we want them to think of you.

If you would like to receive more information on the benefits of blogging, feel free to subscribe and I’ll do my best to share as much knowledge as possible.

Scott

Pinterest has come a long way in a very short period of time to become a major player in the social media circles.  In fact, Pinterest has already received over 11 million unique visitors faster than any other independent website in history.

• It is now driving more referral traffic to websites than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined.
• It is driving more referral traffic than Twitter.
• It offers more revenue per click than Facebook and Twitter.

Tips for Using Pinterest For Your Business

1. Make sure you have the Pin It button on every page of your website.
2. Link your website or blog in the profile section of Pinterest.
3. Use your best images as they tend to get pinned more often.
4. Add text to your image to describe the content behind the image.
5. Pin your own original content (videos, infographics, blog posts) and link to your own site.
6. Edit your Pins to change the link so people can find your website’s content (be specific)
7. YES, you can use Pinterest if you are a service based business.
8. Use video, tips, tutorials and advice for service based companies.
9. Take any information and put it into an image based format. (You can use Fiverr for this).
10. Use optimized keywords in your description for seo as Pinterest used do-follow links. Each pin and re-pin is a backlink!
11. Add a link to your content in the caption description.

I hope this helps you with your Pinning and if you ever have some free time, why not follow me on Pinterest or my wife (her boards are way better )

Thanks,

Scott