The A/V Magazine

Thanks for waiting so patiently for this episode!  And apologies it took so long to record it. I've been delayed by a major home repair project, and I wanted to provide a how-to video to explain the process I describe in this podcast. YouTube created a template to assist people in creating a customized banner for their YouTube channels.  If you use this template your banner will look good on desktop and mobile platforms.  If you don't, it won't. Here's a link to a copy of the template I uploaded to my website: http://www.carlgitchel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/YouTubeBannerTemplate.jpg To use the template, download and open the Paint.Net image editing program.  To learn about Paint.Net and how to use layers to manipulate the template and your imagry, see this video: http://youtu.be/WT8H7TJBsAQ Finally, here's a link to a video I produced showing exactly how to use the YouTube banner template with Paint.Net to generate and save great looking banners: http://youtu.be/qApNyw2eZGQ I hope this episode was worth the wait!  Until my repair project is done there will be some more gaps in my production schedule.  But I'd rather take the time to make good podcasts than just open the microphone and generate low quality gibberish! Until next time...

(In case you're doing a double take, yes, I changed the name of this podcast from the A/V Academy to the A/V Magazine.  I felt a magazine was a little more "fun" than an academy would be.) It's time to get on board with YouTube.  Seriously.  The online video revolution is underway and the longer you wait to get started the farther behind you'll fall. Yes, it takes some effort to create video.  But it only takes this six minute podcast to claim your YouTube account and set up your YouTube Channel.  Once that's done every video you upload will have a multiplication effect on your overall online marketing. You see, YouTube not only hooks in with Google (its parent company,) it allows you to link your website, contact email, and social media through your Channel page.  You have so many irons in the fire and your YouTube Channel can become the hub which connects them all! This episode is a step-by-step instructional; to follow along as you set up your YouTube account go here: https://www.youtube.com/ Toward the end of this podcast I bring up information on how to make your company's website banner work with the YouTube Banner Template.  Here is a link to that template: http://yourtubetheme.com/2014/02/new-2014-youtube-channel-art-template-size/ Also, to see what I did to make my banner work within this template, here are links to: My banner My banner overlaid on the template The next episode will go over how to create a (or edit an existing) banner for YouTube by using the Open Source (free) Paint.Net graphics program.  Here are links to: Download the program Watch a video to learn how to use it Oh, and start thinking about the content for your first video (or series of videos.)  The sky's the limit!

With this episode we begin a lengthy series devoted to YouTube and how to use it as a marketing tool. There are several advantages to employing YouTube.  First, it's the second largest search engine in the world behind Google.  Establishing a profile on YouTube can greatly enhance your web exposure. Second, the trendy new mobile devices you hear about all the time are much better suited for video viewing than reading text.  And people are watching videos in ever-increasing numbers.  YouTube is almost custom made for mobile video. In addition, you can take content from YouTube and embed it on your website.  Instead of worrying about the storage capacity your website's host allows you the whole load can be shifted to YouTube.  And it's free!  With very few restrictions. In this episode I give a broad overview of how youTube works and a general idea of how you can market your business with it.  This is beginner level stuff you may already know, but I want to set the foundation so we're all talking the same language when we start diving into details. In the coming weeks I'll go over the steps to set up your YouTube presence, take charge of your YouTube channel and start making YouTube work for you. If you haven't spent a lot of time surfing around YouTube I invite you to get a feel for how other people search for videos.  It's a little different than a Google search.  Play with it a bit, but be warned: it's pretty addictive!  But that's the point.  Get videos out there and others may become addicted to you!

This is the final important step to get your podcast "out there!"  Once you know how to submit your podcast's permanent RSS link (which we went over in Episode 010,) to podcast directories or distributors each new episode you upload to your host will be sent automatically to these places. I refer to iTunes here because that's the Number One podcast directory.  Once you know the basic steps to submit your podcast to iTunes you can take your act just about anywhere else and know what you're doing. So, go here to download iTunes to your computer. If you need a refresher on RSS feeds, listen to this. Here are two places to start looking for more podcast directories: http://www.podcast411.com/page2.html http://thepodcastersstudio.com/best-podcasting-directories/ Finally, if you want to get deeper into the world of podcasters to learn more about the craft of podcasting, advanced tutorials or equipment upgrades, I highly recommend Cliff Ravenscraft, The Podcast Answer Man. I hope you've enjoyed the series on podcasting.  I will certainly add more if I find something I think you "oughta" know about. Next, we start getting our hands dirty with what is potentially the most powerful online marketing tool yet: YouTube!

Fact: You want people to always be able to find your podcast. Another Fact: Over time, things change.  People move, phone numbers change, new service providers replace old ones. An RSS feed compensates for that. Through a simple process you can generate a unique web address through which your podcast will always be found by your listeners.  If you change your podcast's host you can route your new host through this stable permanent address. You can also use this address to automate the distribution of your podcast.  Every podcast directory you submit your podcast to (like iTunes) will automatically grab it from your host every time you upload a new episode. For a fast paced video on how to set up an RSS feed, click here. Click here to sign up for the Feedburner RSS tool.