From my First YouTube Video to "Video Marketing Queen!"

Ok, I admit it. I'm now thoroughly hooked on YouTube.

After last week's post (see last post), wherein I DID NOT QUIT and successfully uploaded my very first YouTube video (about assembly a Party Tent), I got to thinking about Video Marketing.

Turns out that Video Marketing is big. And, I need to begin using this fascinating medium. It's one of the things that I have been learning as part of the strategies taught by the folks at Mike Dillard's place, which is a great learning platform for online marketing.

During the week (in which most of it was spent indoors since it was freezing down here at Cherry Grove Beach - no, it really WAS freezing - in the 20's and 30's) I had time to think about how I could begin using video marketing as a tool to drive more traffic to my website.

I knew it works, because the other day, I had a call from some guy out of the blue who saw my video on YouTube, and he was looking for a specific portable shelter from my Portable Garages and Shelters website.

Who would have thought that someone would find me that way?

I learned how to embed the video from YouTube into my website, and now someone can watch the assembly demonstration.

Today, I experimented further, and came up with YouTube video number 2, which primarily introduces the viewer to my Portable Garages website, and encourages them to visit. We really do have some great deals, and I am so fond of the folks up at the MDM Rhino Shelter warehouse in Milford, CT, that I just want to bring in more orders. The customer wins by getting a good deal, I win by getting an order, and MDM Rhino wins by getting the order through me.

So, by tomorrow, my home page at Portable Garages and Shelters will feature my latest YouTube creation, and customers will see the actual face behind the site.

I got to thinking even more... As my regular readers know, I'm hooked on entrepreneurial pursuits. I love working from home - actually, let me rephrase that: I love working from home ONLINE - because it is that "working from home" and "internet based business" stuff that has enabled us to be here in this magnificent beach community for the winter.

So, why not start doing some short YouTube videos to promote my other online business opportunities? I can introduce myself briefly - again, so people can see that there is a real person behind the site and opportunity - and offer little training segments, as well as words of inspiration and motivation.

This is getting more exciting by the minute, and again - I'm glad I didn't give up! :)

Stick To It and Don't You Quit!

Ok. Today I am living proof of the belief that as long as you don't quit, you'll eventually succeed. First, I am an admitted techno phobe - It was all I could do to begin a blog, only because I didn't understand what a blog was, and it all sounded fairly complicated to me. Of course, now here I am merrily "blogging" away.

The point is, once I realized that blogging and article writing were important parts of today's internet marketing strategies, especially the affiliate marketing system that has been teaching me these strategies, I knew I would have to learn how to participate.

And, the interesting thing is, once I got the hang of it, I began not just writing my own blog, but visiting and learning from other peoples' blogs as well.

But, today's post is about YouTube. It was about a year ago that I stumbled upon YouTube. I was looking for information about an old TV show or movie online, and stumbled upon this online TV gizmo called YouTube, where - lo and behold - there was a segment of what I had been searching for!

After that, I was hooked. But only to WATCH YouTube - mind you, never to actually use it myself.

Then, as I learned more and more about internet marketing strategies, I began to hear the whispers... "video marketing" for affiliate marketing systems and terms like that. Like the typical little kid who doesn't want to hear that it's bedtime, I went around with virtual earplugs in my ears, singing "La la la la...I don't hear you... I don't hear you!"

Because there was NO WAY I could figure out how to put videos on the internet.

Until this last week.

You see, as an experiment this last summer (August 2008) John and I had started putting up one of the party tents that we sell on our Portable Garages and Shelters website, when it occurred to me to video tape the process in case someone wanted to see the procedure at some point. I thought maybe I could find someone who understood how to do these things, and put the video on my website for me.

Well, it became increasingly apparent that "if it's to be, it's up to me." So, I tried without any luck whatever to transfer this video file to the website. It was just too big. Then, the people who host my site suggested that I upload it to YouTube and then embed it in my site.

The day I thought could never come came upon me. I bit the bullet. I signed up for YouTube. Piece of cake. Uhh...except for trying to find a user name that wasn't taken. Once I finally got in, I glanced around and breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't look that hard after all. Just click "download video" and away I go.

Or not. The first try lasted over an hour. I cancelled the download. I tried again. Still nothing after an hour of "whirring" around somewhere between my computer and YouTube.

I searched their forums. Ah ha! Perhaps the file is too big! Perhaps it's in the wrong format.

After a few more tries, I called it a night. "Tomorrow," I thought, "this will all be clear."

When tomorrow came, the same thing happened. I tried cutting the video back, removing frames here or there to shorten it. I saved it to different file types, and tried uploading it - in fact, at the end of day two (Friday), I was thoroughly frustrated.

I emailed my sister who has all sorts of videos on YouTube. While she had some good suggestions, she used certain terminology that went over my head. Stuff like "firewall," "uploaders" and "m4v" - but I got the gist of it.

So, this very morning - on day three - I jostled a few more things around, and tried uploading again. Nothing. Then again. Nothing. Then... just when I thought I should give up - I stopped. I'm a student of self development, and am always telling myself to keep on keeping on and see things through. So, I thought - "how about just one more time..."

And it happened. The video uploaded! It took a while, but it uploaded. And now, I can tell you that I'm no longer dreading using YouTube. In fact, I have my next website swirling around in my head, and guess what! On every page, I can see my little YouTube videos welcoming my visitors to the site.

I didn't quit. And I am now on YouTube. Just don't ask me how I finally got the thing to load, because I have no idea. And I still haven't figured out how to embed it into the website. That will be cake after this ordeal.

But, I know I can do it. I'm one step closer to leaving Techno-Phobe-Land.
So, don't quit! I don't care what you're trying to do. Don't quit.

Oh - if you are at all interested, here is the weasley little video that I was struggling with that whole time: Kathy's Very First YouTube Video!

Oh... By the way. I'm on a roll. Notice the little picture in my post - the TV set? I just learned how to do that, too. Ha! What a day... Hope you have a great one too!

Why I’m So Proud of My Portable Garages and Shelters Site!

A lot of people thought I was nuts when, in August 2007, I announced that I was launching a website dedicated to marketing portable garage and shelter structures. After all, I had been a writer, career coach, and resume writer for years! Many folks just didn’t see the connection between those former careers and marketing carports, party tents, and other such items.

You, too, may be scratching your head, wondering what the connection could possibly be. I mean… portable garages and shelters? Given the name of my blog – Truth & Integrity in Business – I assure you that there IS a connection.

To understand this, we need to go back to when I was about 7 years old, when my Dad asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I answered that I wanted to be either a fairy princess or a writer. My Dad, wise man that he is, assured me that being a writer would probably work better for me.

So, I have always had it in my mind that I would indeed, be a writer.

Being a writer is what initially enabled me to help others develop their resumes. I had studied copywriting (Yes, I’m one of those people who – if I were hired to do so – would be behind the catalogs and mail order offerings you all receive. I refuse to call it junk mail.), and used those skills to write winning resumes.

The problem I had with resume writing is that many of the people where I lived (in northern NH), were either out of work or going to be out of work and didn’t have a lot of money to pay for such services.

But, as I started looking around at how else I could market my writing skills, I came to realize that every website contains the written word. As I a little deeper, I further understood that my copywriting skills, along with my new-found knowledge of search engine optimization, are critical components in internet marketing.

I soon realized I could turn my skills and my values into marketing products online myself, and began searching for something to sell.

What is also important (at least to me), is that I really care about others. And I had to work with a company that cared about others the way I do.

I stumbled upon the good folks at MDM Rhino Shelters (who are the company behind all the products on my Portable Garages and Shelters website), and we hit it off instantly. A little more research on my part indicated a growing need for affordable, portable storage solutions. So, I became one of MDM’s dealers, and promptly began building my website.

I loved developing the site, because it was the perfect place for me to put my web copywriting skills to work while developing a stream of income.

In addition to loading the site with as much information as possible so that my customers could find answers, I also made it my goal to make my customers feel valued, and like family. In order to give everyone as much value as possible while still earning a few bucks, I took a hit on shipping charges and kept the product prices as low as I could.

This strategy evidently works, because I have amazing customers! I get calls from customers who will buy from me simply because they know I care about them. Sure, they save money and get good value for their dollar, but just as important, I value each one of them. I’ve helped get motorcycle shelters out to soldiers overseas (yes, we ship to APO and FPO addresses), mini greenhouses to families who have kids who want to learn about gardening, party tents to churches for their functions, portable garages to contracting companies who need shelter for their workers and equipment… The list goes on and on.

I have had the site up since late August, 2007, made my first garage sale by the first week of September, 2007, and today my business gets sales on a regular basis. I’m not knocking the cover off the ball yet, but I’m definitely getting on base! I will soon be adding our largest structure – a commercial 40x60x18 Domed Truss building – to the site so that I can serve an even wider, commercial clientele.

My customers get great service not only from me, but also from everyone at MDM – from the owner to his mom (it IS a family business!), to all the account managers, to all the guys loading the trucks day after day in the warehouse – everyone at the facility (and especially my own account manager and true right-hand man, Dave Clayton). Everyone there treats my customers with the same care and respect that I do. They are a family business, and they treat me like family as well.

So, aside from the products we sell – from the popular “evergreen” 1-car round top portable garage to the new “Cycle Shelter,” which is a cool tent-like shelter for motorcycles to the large commercial buildings – the fact that I’m dealing with a company of great integrity has resulted in a growing business for me. I’m proud of my website and my affiliation with everyone at MDM Rhino Shelters.

It all makes perfect sense to me!