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A viral marketing campaign requires viral dissemination of information. It's more than just about the video. Some ways of ensuring that a YouTube video goes viral include word of mouth, e-mail, blogging. The sophisticated even create internet microsites to promote their videos. Consider a series of videos on related subjects that can build on the interest being generated. Involve your audience in the topic and ask for input.

Marketing on YouTube can't just be about demonstrating a product or service, you also have to entertain. Being newsworthy is another way of going viral. There's nothing like being picked up on a local station to increase viewers. Additionally, by creating a community that has a vested interest in your videos, you can increase the impact of any one video.

YouTube may not be a big moneymaker, though there are some ways to monetize your efforts. Besides being low budget advertising, you can post links to your videos on your blog site and make some revenue from adsense words. If you don't have your own blog site, check out www.blogger.com. All you need is a Google Account to get started. You can also create a tip jar and ask for people who've liked a video to buy you a cup of coffee, through a service like PayPal, for example. Yet another way to generate revenue is to link your video to advertisements like those offered through www.AdBrite.com. It's a bit like a video version of adsense words.

The real power of YouTube, however, will probably not be from short term ad revenue generation schemes, but from the long-term benefits of community and social networking. The bottom line is that if you want to use YouTube to market something you have to have more than a "if you post it, they will buy" mentality. It's been said that "the best marketing tools are worthless without a plan to use them."

Can a YouTube video backfire? Can your corporate image stand association with a ten minute low-budget piece of filmography? Maybe, if it's done with a sense of fun and creativity. Then you come off as a gutsy entrepreneur. But nothing comes across quite as smarmy as slick marketing types pretending to be low budget film producers.

The other question to ask is whether your consumer base has the requisite sense of humor. Some may consider that some subjects are just too serious for YouTube. Take promoting pharmaceuticals, for example. Downstream purchasers like patients might be attracted to YouTube videos relating to a new drug, but how will physicians who prescribe these drugs react? Ultimately, it's this crowd you have to convince if you are in this business. So not all business platforms are equal in the world of YouTube.

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