I recently wrote about how YouTube is making it easier for businesses to get exposure by releasing the YouTube Creator Playbook. A basic “How To” guide to getting your video higher search engine rankings. By following the playbook, your video can not only rank higher in Google searches, but also YouTube searches, Bing searches, Yahoo searches and others.

In Part I: Programming & Producing, I outlined the steps suggested for producing your content. In this part, I will cover what to do after you have finished your video and are ready to post it.

1. Metadata.Metadata are your titles, tags, and descriptions. It helps YouTube index your content and is critical to building views. Make your tiles compelling. This is your headline or your hook. Your title should be concise, informative and, at times, entertaining. Unlike headlines, the title to your video should include keywords that should be repeated throughout your tags and description. Put the keywords first in the title and your show title or channel name at the end.

Write keyword tags that are a combination of specific and general terms that are relevant to the video’s content. An example for this article would be video marketing, YouTube marketing, video SEO, as well as video, marketing, SEO. An example for a video that we recently produced for a local clock store named Clockworks would include general tags such as clocks, watches, antiques, repair and specific tags such as the brands and styles of watches that they carry. If you have a retail store, include the towns where you are located. Select a reasonable number of tags that most closely reflect your video content.

Write your description for both the viewer and the search engines. You can also include additional info that was not covered in the video. Your description is an opportunity for you to let new viewers know about your channel. Outbound links to your main channel or website, subscription to your channel, related content, your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc) will also help the YouTube algorithm for SEO rankings.

As in your title, the order of your tags is also important. You should repeat your keywords in the same order in your tags and your description. When using phrases in your keywords such as “video marketing” or “local business”, use quotes instead of commas.

2. Thumbnails – You can’t always be lucky enough to have one of the three thumbnails that are provided by by YouTube to be the perfect image that reflects the content of the video as well as engage the viewer. If you need to create your own custom image, it should be clear and in focus at a minimum of 640px by 360px. It is also recommended that the image be bright with high contrast, be visually compelling, close up on the subject, well framed and looks good whether it’s view either small or large.

The thumbnail image is one of the most important attributes of your video because it will appears in the search results and will be one of the determining factors of whether the viewer clicks on your video or someone else’s.

A good practice to get in to is to look for the thumbnail image while you are shooting or editing. Another option is to take photos during the shoot. Most photo software will let you resize, enhance or even combine images for your thumbnail.

3. Annotations – Annotations are text overlays that you can position on your YouTube videos and are seen as the video plays. They can be used to supply additional information at specific times in the video. They can also be linked to allow the viewer subscribe to the video, channel or interact with the video. One of the best uses is to attract new interest and interaction to old videos.

When creating annotations for your video, be sure not to obstruct critical elements of your video. This also includes the lower third of the image where, if you are monetizing your content, the ads will appear.

One of the most effective uses of annotations is to create an “end card” that appears at the end of your video for 15 to 20 seconds that links to your other related content. You have most likely seen this already when the YouTube algorithm posts links to related videos.

This video shoot was a great chance to use our Redrock Micro M2 Encore Indie Bundle lens adaptor attached to our Panasonic P2 camera. Where most filmmakers are going the DSLR route, we have found that we prefer to stick with dedicated video cameras. Not only are the cameras a little easier to work with, but we find the post-production workflow to be smoother. The video for this shoot will be posted soon.

Recently YouTube released their new Creator Playbook that outlined best practices for producing marketing videos for YouTube. Here are six main points for small businesses who want to create compelling and effective marketing and informational videos.

1. Engage: Create content that engages your viewer more than sells to your viewer. Your message should offer solutions rather than pitch your product or service. They should get their attention within the first 15 seconds. Many TV programs start the program immediately after the end of the previous program. The view gets invested in the program before they have a chance to change the channel. Only after 2 or 3 minutes do they go to the opening title sequence. Try this on your video. Open with a quick teaser to give your viewer an idea of what is ahead before going into the opening titles.

2. Strength in Numbers: Create a series of videos. It’s difficult to find a needle in a haystack. But image if you put 100 or 1000 needles in the haystack. And then tie a string from one to the next. It becomes easier to find that first one and follow the links to the rest. Granted you may not be able to produce 1000 videos on your budget. But instead of posting a single video that runs 60 minutes, you can post 20 videos that run 3 minutes or 10 videos that run 6 minutes.

3. Consistency: Create a consistent schedule for posts. Produce a series of related videos that you can post weekly or every other week. And post them on the same day each week at approximately the same time. In this day of time shifting TV programs, you really don’t have to know when your favorite program comes on. But if you get into the habit of coming home from work on Tuesday and watching a program that was on sometime on some channel on Monday, if that program isn’t there, they may loose you as a viewer. Another important factor is to keep the length of your program consistent. 3 – 5 minutes is best for those with short attention or tight schedules. If your content needs to be longer, create a 2 -3 minute trailer that gets them engaged and interested in watching the longer video.

4. Bonus Material: One of my favorite sections of movies on DVD are the extras and behind the scenes. Add additional videos to your channel of how the video was made, out-takes or trailers. The behind the scenes video can include interviews with those both in front of as well as those behind the camera. If your business is trying to gain media exposure, the additional material can be included in your Electronic Press Kit (EPK).

5. Seasonal Events: Produce your programming to coincide with an event or holiday. When interest increases around a special time of year such as St. Patrick’s Day, the beginning of Spring, 4th of July or Halloween, create a themed program that capitalizes on people who are searching for those keywords. Some businesses such as clothing or automotive have special times of the year when the new fashions come in or people get their car ready for winter or summer.

6. Call To Action: Just as the opening is important to get your viewer involved. After they’ve watched your video you need to tell them what you want them to do next. In advertising this is the Call To Action. You can use the content of the video or annotations to ask the viewer to respond to your video. Do you want them to subscribe to your channel, +1 your video, share the video or view other videos on your channel? Do you want them to visit your website, pick up the phone and call you? Without the call to action, they may just go to next video without doing anything.

Every other year the towns of Lake Forest & Lake Bluff (& Knollwood) produce an original musical called “Community Capers.” It is written, directed and performed by non-professionals from the villages. “No Business Like Local Business” is a celebration of independent retail operations in small towns everywhere.

In addition to the live performances that poke fun at the status quo, it also includes a few video interludes. In 2011, Blue Sky Video Productions produced two videos for the musical. The first was “Kidlaw” a follow up to a video that we produced in 2009 called “Pet Law Emporium” In “Pet Law” a prominent local attorney, because of “hard times” decided to branch off of his traditional representation of humans to take on animals as clients. The pets included dogs, cats, birds and more. In “Kidlaw” the defender of justice took on kids as clients to defend against the boogey man, bullies and negotiated with parents for allowances. In “No Business Like Local Business”, you will see a quick shot of the lawyer behind his desk with a parrot on the computer screen behind him. This shot was taken from the “Kidlaw” shoot.

The other video that we produced for Community Capers was this music video that was conceived & written by Chuck Helander, owner of Helanders, Inc., a local stationary & gift store. It features his wife MaryLee, his son, Casey and his daughter-in-law, Stephanie, who also assisted with the choreography.

The video was shot in 3 days, and featured many of the local business owners who had never been on camera before. When first approached, they had no idea what they volunteer for.

The very first shot for the video was the last shot of the video where at a business after hours meeting at Lake Forest Bank & Trust we handed out Shop Local bags and had every one hold it up. I think we got it on the 6th take.

We started at Helander’s, a stationary shop that has been a staple of Lake Forest since 1922. They had recently moved from their original location in the historic Market Square to their new location a block away. The concept was simple, a customer comes in to buy 1 paper clip and when Casey doesn’t charge her for it, Chuck commends him on his customer service and then breaks into song about how there is no business like local business. I shot about 5 takes with the Helanders that covered the entire song so that if I could not find a business that could represent a verse, I could cut back to them singing and dancing.

The executive director of the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce contacted a number of the chamber members to see if they were interested in appearing the video, stating that it would be great publicity for them. What she, neglected to inform them was that they would have to possibly sing & dance in the video. I went through the song and matched up the businesses to the verses, so I would know what coverage I would need when I started shooting. Because we were short on time, by assigning just 1 or 2 verses per business, I could get in and out within 30 minutes and not have to shoot the entire song at each location. In the locations where the shop owner or clerks had to lip sync to the song, my iPhone came in very handy.

In other locations, the retailers only had to do a simple dance step, point or just smile.

The original video ended in silence with the chamber members holding up the “Shop Local” bags. We felt we needed something more. So after screening the nearly complete version at a chamber luncheon meeting 3 weeks later we asked all in attendance to do the “Shop Local” shout out.

I had a lot of fun shooting and editing this video. It gave me a chance to see chamber members that I had not seen in a while and to meet new business owners. And I thank all of those who participated in the making of this video.

Please add your comments. And if you appeared in this video, please add your experiences in the making of this video.

WEVA News: VeriSign pt 1 from WEVA on Vimeo.

These days it’s a matter of trust and businesses online have to be trusted in order to do business. There are a lot of threats out in the world today and consumers are really looking for some type of indicator that that website can be trusted. Not all websites can be big brand names like Amazon and Wal-Mart. In fact that the vast majority of websites are not. So companies that are small start-ups or online businesses can show the VeriSign Trusted seal on their website which that tells customers that they’re safe, as well as having an assurance that their information is safe.

Also there are benefits to the website owner themselves. You get increased traffic because that VeriSign Trusted seal shows up in search results. But then also you get the increased conversion rates. VeriSign has seen that when websites show the VeriSign Trusted seal on their site, that on average there is about a 24% increase in conversions over site that don’t show the seal.

Video Transcript

10. Ghosts – Although this is more of a docu-drama and not strictly a documentary. Filmmaker, Nick Broomfield (Kurt & Courtney. Biggie and Tupac, Sarah Palin: You Betcha!) brings his documentary expertise to the story of a young Chinese girl is smuggled into the UK so she can support her son and family in China. The use of non-professional actors brings a cinema-verite fell to the film. http://nickbroomfield.com/

9. How the States Got Their Shapes – Based on the book by Mark Stein. America’s first century was defined by expansion and the negotiation of territories among areas colonized by the French and Spanish, or occupied by natives. Amazom.com

8. Sicko – Michael Moore had the most number of films on the “50 Docs” list (Roger & Me, Bowling For Columbine & Fahrenheit 9/11). Sicko is a documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories. Whether or not you agree with Moore’s philosophy, his filmmaking style worth noting. This movie as well as Capitalism: A Love Story should also be added to your list must see docs. http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/sicko/

7. Word Wars – In this character-driven documentary, filmmakers Eric Chaikin and Julian Petrillo follow four “word nerds” through their fastidious preparations and smaller tournaments that lead to the national championship Scrabble tournament in San Diego in 2002. http://www.wordwarsmovie.com/

6. I.O.U.S.A. – Filmmaker Patrick Creadon (Wordplay) interweaves archival footage and economic data to paint a vivid and alarming profile of America’s current economic situation. The ultimate power of I.O.U.S.A. is that the film moves beyond doomsday rhetoric to proffer potential financial scenarios and propose solutions about how we can recreate a fiscally sound nation for future generations.
http://www.iousathemovie.com/

5. The Cove – Academy Award® Winner for Best Documentary of 2009, THE COVE follows an elite team of activists, filmmakers and freedivers as they embark on a covert mission to penetrate a remote and hidden cove in Taiji, Japan. The team uncovers how this small seaside village serves as a horrifying microcosm of massive ecological crimes happening worldwide. The result is a provocative mix of investigative journalism, eco-adventure and arresting imagery, adding up to an unforgettable story that has inspired audiences worldwide to action.
http://www.thecovemovie.com/

4. Afghan Star – After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, Pop Idol / American Idol has come to Afghanistan – people are risking all to sing. www.afghanstardocumentary.com/

3. Wordplay – An in-depth look at The New York Times’ long-time crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz and his loyal fan base. Featuring Jon Stewart, Ken Burns, Bill Clinton & more. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0492506/

2. Where in the World is Osama Bin Ladin – I think this film is more relevant now with 20/20 hindsight. Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold) travels to Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan amongst others to try and locate the man who eluded the American army for nearly a decade.
http://www.whereisobl.com/

1. We Live In Public – Winner of the 2009 Sundance grand jury prize for U.S. documentary. Ondi Timoner’s documentary chronicles a decade in the life of Internet pioneer Josh Harris, who instigated an “artificial society” experiment in which more than 100 artists lived under 24-hour surveillance in an underground compound in New York City. www.weliveinpublicthemovie.com/
Currently available on Hulu

What docs are on your list?

Best known for its online service, there is a store open to consumers at the company’s Lake Forest address.

The Popcorn Factory has been part of the unincorporated area of Lake Forest for more than 30 years, residing at 13970 W. Laurel Drive.

Over that time, the company has expanded to incorporate two buildings covering 140,000 square feet of production space dedicated to producing popcorn.

Video Transcript

For more information, call 1-888-216-0235 or visit their website.

Rashid Ghazi (Director) of Fordson (USA)

Interview with Rashid Ghazi (Director) of Fordson: Faith, Fasting, Football (USA) a feature length documentary film that follows four talented high school football players from Dearborn, Michigan as they gear up for their big senior year rivalry game during the last ten days of Ramadan, a month when Muslims traditionally fast every day from sunrise to sundown.

Fordson premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival 2011 at Park City, Utah.

Executive Producer/Host: Mike Smith
Producer: Sue Lawson
Camera/Editor: Bruce Himmelblau

Shot on the Panasonic HVX200A

Göran Olsson (director) of The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Sweden)

Interview with Göran Olsson (director) of The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (Sweden) a feature documentary film that screened in the World Documentary Competition of the Sundance Film Festival 2011 and at the Berlinale Film Festival.

The footage was shot by a group of Swedish journalists whose footage had languished in a basement for 30 years which has been constructed into a mesmerizing journey through the Black Panther activities during that era.

Executive Producer: Mike Smith
Producer/Host: Sue Lawson
Camera/Editor: Bruce Himmelblau

Indie Film Nation Video Podcast #045: Interview with Lilly Scourtis Ayers(director) and Danielle Bernal (associate producer) of Last Fast Ride (2011), USA, documentary feature film recorded during the film’s world premiere in the documentary competition of the Slamdance Film Festival 2011.

Last Fast Ride chronicles the life and times of Marian Anderson the would-be rock star who was one of the Bay Area’s most provocative and controversial lead singers of the ’90s punk scene. The fetish model and dominatrix quickly became known for her wild and lewd live sex acts during performances, which often involved other women and bananas. Narrated by pop-culture icon Henry Rollins.

Producer/Camera: Mike Smith
Co-Producer/Camera: Bruce Himmelblau
Host: Sue Lawson
Interview shot on Panasonic AG200A & Sony NEX-VG10, edited on Final Cut Pro