OK, it’s no secret that we’re in the scariest financial times since the Great Depression, so how do you find smart ways to get through it?

Ironically, I am getting more calls than ever from finance companies asking for help with their marketing. Professionals are looking for new ways to reach more qualified clients. Traditional advertising such as direct mail, television advertising, and hosting seminars are expensive, unmeasurable, and not as effective as they were in the old days. I shared these new ideas and strategies last month while teaching MBA students at the Wharton School. A smart marketing strategy is essential to maximize your returns. So what are some smarter options for you?

First of all, I want to share with you some amazing statistics about the new trends in the online and social media world. If you’re new to social media, these are sites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, YouTube, and many others that you constantly read about. Social networking is about making connections online, similar to networking at industry conferences and old-fashioned Chamber of Commerce meetings. Create a profile, find friends and colleagues, share stories, contacts and continue the conversation, but it’s online instead of in person. LinkedIn is the #1 website for professionals and I recently heard that a new person signs up every second, and they have over 30 million users. If you haven’t signed up yet, I suggest you take an hour to set up your profile and make connections. You’ll also find online groups to join that might help you better connect.

I recently attended a YouTube presentation where the demographics revealed some eye-opening numbers. I think you will be very surprised to see the numbers as well. YouTube is now the #1 website for video searches and the fourth largest website in the US, according to Alexa, a leading traffic ranking service. This is where it gets interesting: people search for “how-to” videos (such as educational and/or instructional videos) by topic. That topic can be your particular specialty or area of ​​expertise.

But YouTube isn’t just about crazy videos our kids make. So who else is watching these videos?

• YouTube gets over 100 million video views per day
• The average age of viewers is 33 years old.
• Sixty-nine percent have a college education
• The median income is $74,000
• Seventy-one percent are employed
• Even the Queen of England enters YouTube

So what does this mean for you? Think about your own behavior when you are researching or buying anything. Go online first to find what interests you. Now, more and more people search on “videos” and YouTube has an active search box where you can enter your keywords to find a related video. Also, Google (owner of YouTube) and Yahoo love videos, so your topic and website can rank high in an organic search (as opposed to pay-per-click ads).

viral video marketing

This is another way for you and your video message to be seen and heard on the Internet, and that’s where everyone is these days. Viral marketing is a term used when a lot of people spread the word about something in particular, like a video, a blog, or a rapidly spreading virus. An example of a very successful viral video campaign is the “Will it Blend” video, a $50 YouTube video featuring the CEO of BlendTec, a company that makes blenders. The video showcased the strength of the blender and how it blends anything including rakes, cell phones, wood, and other challenging items just to make the point about its ultra-strong blades. This video generated a 700 percent increase in revenue and was viewed 2,831,157 times through viral marketing – other people shared the video link and talked about it everywhere. BlendTec’s CEO and VP of Marketing are now keynote speakers around the world, explaining how a $50 investment and creative thinking fueled the success of a traditional consumer products company.

But getting back to you and your industry, what can you do to stand out? Here’s a great tip: make your video informative, impactful, and/or funny to quickly get attention and get other people to share your videos. This is how you get that “viral” effect

Consider producing short educational video clips and posting them on YouTube, AOL, Google and other sites.

Starting

Here are some ideas to get you started. Why not take three to five minute videos of you discussing what is happening in the market today and what people should know? Whether it’s long-term care, annuities, retirement mortgages, or some new product, explain how you can help people make things better, especially now. I said make your videos shocking as a way to get attention. Well, the numbers in the financial markets are shocking and scary these days. Fear and pain are the main motivators for people to act. When you can offer relief for their pain, you’ll get their attention. Think about this for a few minutes and be creative.

An example I often hear is: “Are you worried that you will outlive your money?” You can use your video to demonstrate how to avoid this. You could even use real people like clients or friends/family in your target market as your cast. Illustrate a common scenario and how you can alleviate their fear. Online videos are most successful when they are unedited and illustrate real people in real life situations. Internet authenticity rules. You don’t have to spend a lot of money for a professional video shoot, as you can achieve the same results with a good camera, good lighting, and a little imagination. In fact, I use a Flip camera, made by a company in San Francisco that you can buy on Amazon.com for less than $150. It’s lightweight and super simple to use. It has a built-in USB adapter and plugs directly into your computer. The software is inside the camera and automatically loads onto your computer. After viewing your video clips, you can instantly upload them to AOL, YouTube, or even email them. It’s the easiest way to shoot video on the go, just be careful the lighting isn’t great at night and you need to be close to capture sound. Other than that it’s fantastic and I’ve shot over 100 videos in one weekend. I take impromptu videos whenever the opportunity arises and when clients offer testimonials, I’m ready. It only needs two batteries, so you don’t even need cords, chargers, or cables, and it’s great for the tech-savvy.

You can also post videos of your clients, although some of you have restrictions on testimonials. If not, people love to see and hear other people’s stories and experiences about products and services. TripAdvisor is a prime example of how powerful travel reviews from fellow travelers are. Studies show that people will trust the expertise of others beyond a company promoting its products or services. When you promote your own products, as long as you do it in an educational format, it will be much better perceived. People also subscribe to your channel, which is another way to build a dedicated list of qualified prospects. Tell them to subscribe to your channel so they can sign up. According to a study I read a few months ago, more than 57 percent of people will accept an offer if you ask them. Remember to ask.

Now you are probably wondering who will see your videos and how you will spread the word. Here are 10 ways and three additional tips:

1. Submit a cheap press release online to leading sites like PRWeb and Business Wire.
2. Create your own YouTube channel with your brand: it’s free and easy.
3. Include your video channel and links in your email signature, like “Watch our videos on _____’s YouTube channel,” which you just created.
4. Add this to your voicemail when someone leaves a message
5. Announce your videos on your “hold” recording if you have one
6. Send an email to your contact list
7. Include your video links in your online newsletters
8. Post your video link on your blog and website with a graphic or screenshot of your video
9. Tell your entire professional network to watch your video
10. Include your video links in your marketing material

Bonus Tip #1: Offer your video to the top bloggers in your field, as they are always looking for content. They’ll also link back to your website, and that’s great for improving your search engine rankings.

Bonus Tip #2: Put your city and state on the map section, if your geographic area matters. This will also help you to be found faster online and to attract more prospects online from your video.

Bonus Tip #3: Get a free account on the microblogging website, Twitter.com, and try to post once or twice a day. Do not spam the system. Educate your audience and provide them with links to your blog, website, and YouTube channel for more information. Also, post interesting news that is relevant to your audience.

This works? Yes! I started a brand channel on YouTube for one of my clients in May and they’ve gotten over 2,000 views, up from 50 in the first month. A branded channel means that I selected a name on YouTube for the client and published their company profile on their dedicated page, along with many other features that I used, including search engine optimization. This is another way to use a social networking site to market your services profitably. The ideas and strategies I have provided in this article are free, easy, and effective, so why not give them a try?

Final thought: Imagine, President-elect Obama raised $200 million online using social media and had over 60,000 Twitter followers about halfway through his campaign. Everything I’ve mentioned is measurable, so you can track and see the numbers on it right away. I was surprised to see that 70 percent of my viewers were women between the ages of 45 and 55. Baby boomer business owners are my target market, so it wasn’t surprising; however, I thought more men would be interested.