Everyone knows Google as the world’s largest and most popular search engine with Bing, Yahoo and Ask followed close behind. So today I pose the question …”Do you know what the second largest search engine is after Google?” If you said Yahoo you’d be incorrect. Bing you say? Nope, wrong again. It’s YouTube!

Yes, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine! Think about it. Let’s say you want to find out “How to Change your Oil,” … yes, there’s a video for that. Or, maybe you’d like to see how to “Properly Cut a Pineapple” … there’s a video for that too! Fact is there are more than 100 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute! And they’re not all stupid pet tricks.

YouTube began in 2005 as a place where folks, just like you or I, could upload videos of our friends, family and yes our pets and share them across the web.

Okay, nothing special here you might say? So what the “Charlie Bit My Finger” video has been seen over a million times … big deal right? Well it is a big deal.

Let’s face it, if you can watch someone teach you how to change your oil instead of reading how to do it, you’d choose the watch the video right? As humans we are naturally visual creatures. Studies have shown that when looking at photographs or watching videos humans have a greater retention rate of specific details as opposed to reading the written word. Yes, it is sad but true. Hey wait a minute … you’re reading this aren’t you? Excellent work!

So now the details are out of the way, what does this mean for you?

Okay, let’s say you’re a local florist and you know that in addition to having the best prices in the area on bouquets you know how to arrange and display that bouquet so perfectly that upon arrival the recipient sheds an immediate tear … dramatic, huh? Well, did you ever think of recording an instructional video on how YOU do it and uploading that video to YouTube? Sure, it may be a trade secret but if your customers see you showing them how it’s done you immediately gain credibility and stature in the industry. After all, you’re the ONLY person who can arrange them the way you do. The goal is to have customers begin to TRUST that you are the only person they can purchase those Bouquets from … (Heck yeah, I want my mom to immediately start weeping when they arrive!).

That’s just one example now let’s try translating this principal to your business.

Maybe you own a small café and you make the best bacon-grilled-cheese sandwich in all of Suffolk County … go ahead head to the kitchen and fix one up, record yourself doing it and upload it to YouTube! If you make it look appetizing and irresistible they’ll come running-in to taste it … guaranteed!

Now, knowing what we know now about the power of video let’s talk Search Engine Results. Being owned by Google, YouTube will always get the royal S.E.O. (Search Engine Optimization) treatment. Oh yes, Google shows preference (some would call it favoritism) to folks utilizing their search engines and it will show in search results when folks are looking for your business, your product or your service. Of course, just making a video doesn’t guarantee boatloads of cash or a swinging door for your business … but this simple and VERY inexpensive strategy, combined with other SEO tactics, will help drive search results and increased awareness to any business.

So grab your iPhone, your digital video camera or your SLR camera and start shooting! Once you’ve uploaded it to YouTube promote it on social media and share with everyone you can! It will help your page rank, your businesses presence and most of all… your wallet!

Don’t have someone to videotape your creations? Don’t know where to start? No worries just leave a comment below or email sociallyexceptional@nullgmail.com and we’ll point you in the right direction.