The cost-cutting actions employers have made to deal with the economic crisis have left businesses with fractured teams of disengaged employees. Studies show that employee engagement levels have dropped significantly since 2008.

According to Gallup, more than two-thirds of American workers are "not engaged" or "disengaged" in their workplaces in response to the brutal economic and workplace changes over the past two years.

"People are disillusioned with the economy and the fact that many of them are having to do more work with fewer people, thanks to layoffs," says Dianne Durkin, president of Loyalty Factor LLC, which consults with businesses on change management, employee loyalty and customer loyalty programs.

"You would think employees would be more engaged because of the economy, but I don't think anybody is."

And a lack of engagement among employees is costly for small businesses, leading to high turnover rates, shaky leadership and a dearth of good ideas.

"What happens is you don't get the creativity and the innovation," Durkin says. "People [who are unengaged] aren't going to speak up about issues they encounter, they're not going to bring new ideas, and productivity really suffers."

So how do you get employees engaged in unsettled times? Here are four ways that have worked for other companies.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-engage-your-employees-when-morale-is-in-the-dumps-2010-4#ixzz0mPIPul5o

Insights into the Most Common Business Plan Mistakes that Setup Entrepreneurs for Failure

Statistics show that entrepreneurs that have business plans succeed at a much higher rate than those that do not.  But many times, entrepreneurs’ business plans are lacking, to say the very least.  I asked for feedback about the biggest mistakes that entrepreneurs make when writing or revising a business plan.  I personally would say that the first mistake is not writing one at all! See below for some of the other major mistakes- you will notice some of the advice is similar in nature and that is because those points are THAT IMPORTANT!

Also, I will be putting some of this very advice into practical reality as I review and dissect a real business plan on the text messaging industry live with Suzanne Caplan on WMNY Pittsburgh Business Radio on Tuesday April 20th.  It streams live at www.wmnyradio.com at 4PM ET/ 3PM CT.

1. Cut That Top-Line In Half!

Startups consistently underestimate the intensity of competition & their burn rate. Top-line revenue projections are often overstated, with actuals well below budget for quite a while. With a construction services firm I worked with, aggressive budgeting created continuing cash problems as the business secured far too little capital for the startup phase. As a general rule of thumb, I tell clients in the startup phase to cut their revenue projection in half and use that as a best case.

2. Plans Are Guides, Not Rails

We work with entrepreneurs around the country; many come to us with great ideas but are afraid to act on it until they have the plan just right. The mistake these people make is that they perceive business plans as "tracks" and not "guides" to help direct activities.

If a plan is too rigid it is impossible to react as every change just brings you farther away from the track. As a guide, you can check the bearing and continue in the right direction but with flexibility to tweak as you go.

3. Ever Think About Making Money?

The NUMBER ONE mistake in business plans - not thinking about how they're going to make money. Most plans talk about "what we do", NOT how we will sell, to whom, how much we will charge and how much profit we will make.
You need to have a CLEAR understanding of what the "pain" you're solving is. This way your product/service is aimed at being the solution. Now you can figure out how much it costs you to provide the service and how much to charge. Then feel free to go ahead and make a profit!

4. Millionaires Hit Singles

I have seen thousands of business plans seek money for their indie films. The one thing they all have in common, which immediately classifies it as “junk”, is that they all believe they are the next "Blair Witch", "Juno" or "Avatar". Trust me on this one. Most of them have illusions of grandeur. The only way to become a millionaire is to go to bat, hit singles as much as you can, and when you fail to hit the ball, increase your practice time and prepare better for your next time at bat.

5. The Plight Of The Entrepreneur

One of the biggest danger signals in a business is being overly optimistic in their sales projections. When I asked a client of a company that was struggling for several years about their business plan and projections their response was alarming, "I simply calculated what was necessary to generate the profit that I wanted".
Never mind that this company did not do a market analysis or really ANY analysis for that matter but took a shot in the dark. Better to be more realistic...

6. No Hook + No Lure = No Fish

A business plan must “hook” the reader in the first 90 seconds or it won’t get read; if it doesn’t get read, it won’t lead to the desired action (e.g. funding or a business deal). Many business plans make the mistake of being too dry-- they read like the ingredient list on a cereal box. While details help build credibility, the business plan is also a sales document and must convey why the business is exciting and will change the world. In sum, a good business plan is a page-turner.

7. Be Brave & Shift Gears

The one thing I've learned from the businesses I've started is no matter how hard you work on your business plan, you must be flexible and willing to shift gears when necessary. It doesn't matter if you think you've correctly defined your niche as "x" if your customers are saying it's really "y". Don't be afraid to shift gears if necessary because change is good. Having an open mind and taking action quite often brings success to businesses.

8. Aiming With No Target

The biggest biz plan mistake, the one that gives birth to many other mistakes - failing to define the target market for the business. Without understanding who the potential customers are there is no way to develop the right marketing plan or address the competition. Entrepreneurs get so excited about their idea that they mistakenly believe "everyone" is a future customer. Trying to write a business plan that markets a product or service to the entire world is the same as marketing to no one.

9. Target*Customize*Differentiate

I believe the biggest business plan mistake made is using a template or standardizing. Relying heavily on a business plan template may equate to providing more or less information than recipient(s) need (target and customize). Template users may also fail to create a branded document, which differentiates their company or product.

10. Pain Relievers Vs. Vitamins

When creating business plans and packaging your pitch, focus on selling pain relievers instead of trying to push vitamins. I've written over 70 plans to date - #1 challenge I face is helping entrepreneurs craft a pitch so it is crystal clear they are solving a 'hair-on-fire" type problem. Solve a massive pain point in the market with a critical immediate need in a substantial market. We all forget to take our vitamins, but if we have a headache, we look for pain relief as fast as possible.

11. Blissful Thinking

Entrepreneurs botch a business plan by making up numbers to fit their wishful thinking, or to match what they think funders want. If honesty would show a business is too small, they'll nudge a customer retention percentage here, or reduce an expense line there. They don't do it to deceive, but they can't quite face that their idea may not be the next billion-dollar idea, but only the next $100 million idea. They raise too much money and end up needing to provide impossible returns.

12. K.I.S.S.

Keep It SMART and Simple - Make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound and that your business plan isn't so complex that it becomes more work and takes more time to track your goals than the time you spend in the business itself.

13. Plan For Higher Costs

Starting a business is full of unexpected events. Unfortunately these events usually cost more money. Even the most detailed planner will not be able to forecast these costs. Never budget strictly on the costs you have researched. It is easy to convince oneself that these numbers will all fit in comfortably with your business plan but it will be much more of a pain to deal with after the fact.

14. You're Never "Done"

The biggest “what not to do” that I can think of when it comes to your business plan is to create it because it is the "right thing to do" and then put it on your shelf and call it complete. A good business plan will grow and shift as your business develops. It should support your growth, guide your actions and serve as a compass for your goals. The day you are “done” with your business plan is the day you close your doors.

15. Business Plan Strategic Flaw

One of the biggest mistakes business planners make is spending more time and energy on spreadsheet modeling and tactical planning than on strategy. Strategy development is hard work and takes discipline to do well. Strategic positioning of the business creates a competitive advantage and attracts customers, makes business decisions easier and you will spend less money on tactics that will have more impact on creating customer demand. You leverage strategy for more revenue at lower cost.

16. Make The Right Assumptions

Assumptions in a Business Plan should explain 1) WHY sales reflect selling 2 units of service A + 5 units of product Z, & 2) WHAT actions will cause the sales, including costs. Maybe the company will have an ad in a local paper, or a booth in a trade show, or current clients gave referrals that will close in the month. By knowing what causes sales and expenses to occur, the owner can assess outcomes, and determine whether to continue that thinking when planning the future of the business.

17. Where's The Plan?

The biggest mistake with business plans is taking the time to make a plan, and then forgetting about it. Recently, an organization hired my company to bring a more strategic approach to their marketing. In our first meeting, I asked if they had a business plan. They did – locked away in a filing cabinet, and no one had the key. Business plans are the foundation for all company activity, and should be consistently evaluated and adjusted to ensure maximum effectiveness and ROI.

18. Too Big? Let Go!

Don't forget to plan how to grow and with whom.

Who doesn't write down - Earn 10 million in profit in the next five years - as part of their goals and plans? What we fail to do is take into consideration how many other people are needed to make "Really Big", happen. As an inventor, a creator, the boss, the one thing to remember is, as you grow, add people. Add people who compliment your strengths and then (drum roll) let them do the job.

19. Keep It Simple Stupid

The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when writing a business plan is failing to keep it simple. They end up making the plan so complicated in an effort to impress investors and to seem more experienced, when in actuality, a business plan should be clear and simple. The quality of a plan is not measured by its length or ability to impress the reader; it's measured through its implementation. Therefore, a good business plan should be straightforward and actionable while also being thorough.

20. Too Aggressive -- Too Soon

The biggest mistake when writing a business plan is when entrepreneurs become too aggressive too soon.
While it's great to have lofty goals, overextending yourself too quickly will create burnout and risk failure.

21. Build A Flexible Plan

The biggest mistake that entrepreneurs make is once they have written the business plan, then they never look at it again. You created the business plan for a reason; this should be a working document that your business operates from on a daily basis, not another binder to sit on the shelf and collect dust. Build a business plan that is a flexible, workable for crafting your business vision. The key is to use it. Hold yourself to one hour a day, 5 days a weeks to work on your plan.

22. Stick To One Page

Don't try to plan every detail of every day in your business plan. Stick to key areas of focus (hiring, sales, systems, etc) and then create mini-plans each week as you go in those areas. If you go too deep, too fast you'll create a behemoth of a plan that 1) you won't use and 2) will limit your ability to react to opportunities that come up later in the year. If your plan doesn't fit on one sheet of paper, it is too detailed. With just one page, you are likely to look at and use it daily.

23. Feeling Without Sensing

Imagine you are writing your first business plan. You sit at the table feeling great about your idea and you are going to rule the world... surely the best setting?

Nothing could be further from the truth! Sure, be confident, even a little 'big headed' but always make sure you introduce an element of realism to the plan, your future as an entrepreneur depends on it.

Make sure you always have it checked by someone who isn't emotionally attached.

24. Sell Or Else...

My biggest business plan mistake was not to have a detailed marketing plan. Once I started my business, I operated almost on the "I hope they'll show up" principle and did minimal marketing. This strategy brought me to the verge of bankruptcy. It took time and some support from experienced businessmen to "grow up" and create a solid marketing plan that finally resulted in consistent sales and repeat customers.

25. The Pricing Dilemma

Incorporate a tiered approach to your pricing (2-3). Calculate and project your Year 1 success based on the lower price. This will help prevent a financial strain early on. In order to determine your pricing strategy, take the time to evaluate your target customer. When identified, do additional research about your competitors for that target to get a pricing benchmark. Don't price lower than your competition - this creates the negative perception of your company not being a qualified supplier.

26. Always Raise More Money

Skimp on overhead, not on funding. Business plans never ask for enough money up front and then find themselves in a world of pain when reality sinks in.

The early stages of a business are about survival and rarely make anyone rich. Make sure your business can survive through several worst case scenarios - I wouldn't invest in a business that couldn't.

27. Overstating Expected Revenue

Every business plan I have ever read has overstated expected revenue (sometimes wildly), and understated ramp-up time to sales and ancillary expenses. The world is a far different place when you later take off the rose-colored glasses that you - and everyone - wore when writing your business plan! But to be fair, even a seasoned entrepreneur only has so much knowledge - the rest is a calculated risk. With that in mind, perhaps we should adopt the term: Business "Scenario", rather than "Plan"!

28. Building Down From Revenue

Instead of starting with desired cash flow and profits and building up to expected revenue, you start with your sales revenues and volumes and work down to net income. This mistake can lead you to overstate your sales and show unreasonable profits early in your company's life. You want to start with desired cash flow and profits, build to the revenue you would need to meet those goals, and determine whether that amount of revenue is reasonable.

29. Optimistic Pro Forma

Basing a business plan on an overly aggressive and optimistic pro forma is a big mistake. Hockey stick growth is not likely for most and being more pessimistic in establishing your budget is best for forecasting cash flow and in setting investors' expectations. You can always come out pleasantly surprised and ahead of budget if you plan for the worst.

30. Road Test Your Team

You don't know what mistakes are in your plan. I didn't. So before you launch, bring all the players of your team together. Let them hash things out for you while you sit back and listen. Bring in your attorney, accountant, insurance actuary or whoever else you have chosen to collaborate with. Have them review and critique your plan and render their own opinions. The mistakes you missed are likely to get caught during this process.

How many of you use video to market your business? Have you thought about all the ways you can use your videos?  Thanks to my Entreprenette Experts, here are 57 ways to use  video to market your business and possibly get them to go viral…….that would be awesome right?  I am working on my own videos now and getting ready for a big launch over the summer ……. we devoured all these tips and I am sure you will too!!

1. Keep It Short

How to use video for marketing: Most viral videos are under a minute in length, and for good reason. People literally have millions of videos on Youtube to choose from and if you can't get to the point and get your message across in under sixty seconds, they are on to the next one. No matter what your video's message, keep it short and easy to understand. Ten minute viral videos are a rarity for a reason.

2. YouTube Still King

How to use video for marketing: Putting your product videos on YouTube is great, free and effective! Video titles, the first paragraph of descriptive text and tags are very important, so make sure they describe your product well and link back to your website for more product information. Make videos short and fun, if possible; but most important, don't forget to ask your customers how they heard about you because if you don't ask, you'll never know what is working for you.

3. Be Honest

How to use video for marketing: People are tired of seeing sales pitches. Just talk to them as you would to your best friend. Tell them who you are, why you're doing what you're doing and what you're passionate about. This will help you connect with your potential clients on a personal basis and earn their trust.
Of course it doesn't hurt if your honesty happens to be hillarious :)

4. A Parting Shot

How to use video for marketing: I'd had my YouTube channel for more than a year before it started to take off (one of my 94 videos now has more than 87,500 views and a half dozen have more than 10,000). One simple thing made a huge difference: at the end of each video is a screen that suggests viewers subscribe. Subscriptions and views increased dramatically after I started adding that screen.

5. My Fiance's Iphone!

How to use video for marketing: With the Iphone, you can live stream with Ustream.tv. So I catch things as they happen (& Ustream will let you tweet it out, post it to Facebook and put it up on YouTube instantaneously). Also, Ustream records it, so you can use it anytime and anywhere. If that doesn't give you all the options for viral, I don't know what does!

6. Embedded, But Not Undercover!

How to use video for marketing: HGTV featured me in my studio working on a project for a segment of "That's Clever". My Web Mistress embedded it into my "About the Artist" page on my web site. Potential customers can get a bead on me and my work...remembering ,of course, that TV is for entertainment value.

7. I love Animoto!

How to use video for marketing: Over thinking what do with a video prevented us from getting around to doing one. Enter Animoto, we uploaded 12 photos, a couple of lines of text, chose a track we liked from their extensive library & 5 minutes later we had a super fast loading video, best of all it's FREE!
We plan to upgrade to a paid account but for now the cheap & cheerful is working really well.

8. Fashionable Videos Make Sales

How to use video for marketing: Videos creates an intimate, more personal feel. Customers love to see what goes on, learn new tips, and how to's. We began creating fashion tip videos only 6 months ago and since, have seen a considerable increase in sales. Customers love honesty and want to feel connected, and with live video, they do! Be yourself, show the REAL reality and make it fun.

9. Get Creative with Animoto

How to use video for marketing: To make a video viral, collect some high resolution pictures - related to your business, if possible - and add some shocking, intriguing, or funny text to them on PowerPoint. Then save each picture as jpg. [click Save As, on the dropdown at the bottom choose JPG format, Save Current Slide]... Then upload them to www.Animoto.com, where you can upload your own music [that you have rights to] or pick one of the great songs available in their database.
Have fun with it!

10. Engage your key influencers

How to use video for marketing: Who do your customers listen to? Experts? Celebrities? We have found that people who come to our site via u-Tube have a very low bounce rate of 7%. Wow, we are going to be doing so much more video. But in the meantime, makeup artisits have been doing reviews on our mirrors. Some even do their tutorials in our lighted vanities ... that soooo works for us.

11. Choose the Best Keywords

How to use video for marketing:
Whether you're putting your video up on YouTube or into a press release, blog or website, my tip is to choose your keywords carefully.

Use WordTracker (http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/) or another keyword search tool to find the most popular words or phrases that someone might use if looking for your type of product. Then use them in your title and description (and meta tags for websites).

12. Just Demo It!

How to use video for marketing: We have started using video for the purpose of doing reviews and demos of the products we sell. It is fun for us and for our customers to see the product in use and see more about the people behind the products. Here is an example of the latest one that we just produced as an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ9684VzYrE&feature=player_embedded

13. Tags- The Key to Passive Promo

How to use video for marketing: I often shoot videos of patients and artwork to share on my blog. And the cool thing about is how the youtube tags bring the video to the front page of Google. Two years later under video results. I have one video of paintings that pops up consistently when people search for 2 generic painting terms.

It's passive promotion. I don't have to do a thing.

14. Be You!

How to use video for marketing: I bring my flip everywhere I go & chronicle the little things we do for the shop. From informal product shoots to picking out giveaway winners. It looks a bit silly sometimes but our customers often tell us they love it. I think more than anything else, people wants to be connected. They want to know there's a real person behind the company.So, as cliche as it sounds, just be genuine and be you!

15. Seeing Is Believing

How to use video for marketing: We started doing short vlogs and have noticed and almost immediate increase in traffic. People like to see things in action and often will understand concepts of items when you show them up front and personal!

16. The "10-4" FAQ Traffic Formula

How to use video for marketing: Use my "10-4" approach by setting-up a video FAQ section on your site about a common customer topic.

First the "10": Write down 10 questions & answer each in a separate video. Be sure to include the URL of your site at the end of every clip!

Now, the "4": Upload to 4 places: 1) Your site (a new page per FAQ clip!) 2) distribute via TubeMogul.com (auto-sends to dozens of sites, free) 3) Facebook Fan page 4) Embed them into your LinkedIn profile page

Watch the traffic come in. "10-4"!

17. Viral Video Tip

How to use video for marketing: A viral video can open a business to the whole world. A viral video should include contact information and a company’s website if it should have one. Contact information should be shown multiple times as repetition will help customers remember the business. Be sure to promote videos through social media platforms. Also keep it short with a clear message. A long video could take long to download which will cause customers to move on without seeing the video.

18. Video goes to the dogs!

How to use video for marketing: I have partnered with another company and together we are marketing our video on Google, YouTube, and Facebook. We kept our video simple and to the point-and even included her dogs in the video to add some humor and warmth. We offer a discount if they can name the dogs from our video.

19. waiters performing

How to use video for marketing: At 1785 Inn & Restaurant we take videos of our waiters doing interesting things such as our signature flaming drinks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRIj6HfkYhI
and post them on YouTube and Facebook with links from our wegsite

20. Use Viral Video to Promote

How to use video for marketing: Entrepreneurs can use video to send out with their e-mail marketing campaign send a short video to your potential customers about what your business is about. The short video should be no longer then three minutes.

21. Small smash hits

How to use video for marketing: Not every video can get millions of views but a well-targeted video can still be a smash hit for your company. Let's say you're a daycare center in a town of 30,000 and 1,000 parents watch your video. That is the same percentage as if Nike got 10 million video views nationally! Make your video content relevant to your target group and you will win big.

22. Interactive Viral Videos

How to use video for marketing: I would have to say my BEST tip is to offer some kind of reward or prize to make the participants want to create a video with your product. Customers LOVE to showcase their talents using things they bought, all while getting their 15 minutes of fame. In turn those videos become permanent advertisements or e-billboards which will attract more customers & make them want to interact by creating videos using & promoting your products as well. That is the definition of Viral Video Marketing!

23. Be "Out There"

How to use video for marketing: To get noticed you need to be unusual. Having a strange setting, an out of the ordinary character or even flaws. An early video we made went way viral because of its flaws. Paranoid biker type and accidental background noises gave the bloggers plenty of fodder to joke about. It was made fun by literally hundreds of blogs. That was ok with me. It even won a best viral video award at Marketing Sherpa.
Another we filmed was exercising a public restroom, toilets flushing and all.

24. Viral Videos for Musicians

How to use video for marketing: As an artist, the more content you have, the higher chance it will show up on youtube and search engines (google owns youtube) which means you get more views and more exposure. Once you make a video, you need to incentivize people to share it. I currently give people a free friendship bracelet that I mail out to them after they post it ot their facebook wall.
You can see what I mean here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XZaMaW7M4E

25. Owner

How to use video for marketing: My advice is to answer your prospect's concern in a video. My company gets calls from prospects who want to know "How much does video production costs?" So, we created a video that educates people on the cost of video production. We worked with a company to get the video high in online searches. Now, when a person puts "Marietta Video Production" in an online search, our video on pricing comes up first. Now, we have solved a problem for prospects, provided an answer, and given them a resource.

26. Stroke some egos

How to use video for marketing: For our new video New Dork (Entrepreneur State of Mind), we wanted to be featured on Techcrunch, Mashable, Gizmodo, Geekologie, and Valleywag so we flattered them by featuring them in the video. And it worked. All of them covered the video and helped it reach nearly 1 million views in 2 months.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exmwSxv7XJI

27. YouTube = Customer Service

How to use video for marketing: As a company creating digital content, we know our customers are in the digital space. So we've created "how to" videos (http://bit.ly/cZW4Nn) as a tool for our customers to better navigate our site or iTunes App Store. The benefit is twofold for us: 1. We keep happy customers by providing readily-available answers to their tech questions & 2. It offers an additional path to get us "out there", even accidentally as folks are searching for "how to" videos, or any video on YouTube. And it's free!

28. Captivate Your Audience

How to use video for marketing: Videos are a very powerful way to tell your story or introduce a product. Videos, including flash & animated videos capture the audience's attention more effectively than just text and static pictures. For product intros, think of a video as a trailer to a movie- point out the sizzle, but leave them wanting to return for more! We use flash videos to tell our story in a fun, entertaining way & use this same concept when making presentations. Videos in email campaigns are also becoming popular.

29. Think outside of Youtube.

How to use video for marketing: I recently made 3 videos about my company using industry standard editing software. I posted the video to both Crunchbase and Vator.TV. The video messaging has worked great on Vator.TV as I am generating an organic following of over 30 people per day.

30. Smile Machine

How to use video for marketing: Hotchkis Performance makes suspension components. One of our challenges is figuring out how to share the excitement we feel about cars. Videos have helped us share our message. At an event, we'll give rides in our Hotchkis-equipped demo cars, share the action through real-time Facebook, Twitter and website updates and allow people who weren't at the event to have the experience. Later, for their own car build, they can watch our install videos and see the fit and quality of our products.

31. Catch 'Em and Keep 'Em

How to use video for marketing: When it comes to satisfying any crowd that reaches a mass media market, consistency is key! Reaching your market target audience is important and video messaging is becoming a more popular way to interface with those you wish to touch. Always loop in subject matter of interest with your target message. Set your video releases on a regular schedule. Market your videos through social media sources and watch your statistics soar! Remember, consistency is key!

32. A CTA for Every Video

How to use video for marketing: Put a call to action (CTA) at the end of every video, and decide your video's call to action while storyboarding the video. By relating your CTA directly to the content of the video, people will be more likely to take action.

33. Dancing Babies & Cute Kittens

How to use video for marketing: If you don't plan on making a video about dancing babies or cute kittens than you better make sure your video is inspirational, controversial, and unique!

34. Focus on What Makes You Unique

How to use video for marketing: We're using video for small businesses that are branching out with new types of marketing, like Plumbers, Acupuncturists & Dentists. I tell them to think about the most compelling part of their business (what makes them unique) & that's what we focus on. We just did a shoot for a dentist who creates crowns in his office in one day. That's a big time savings for patients & sets him apart from other dentists. We made sure that stood out in the video & that will get him a lot of attention.

35. SEO Videos

How to use video for marketing: Run a keyword search report to identify the most searched for words that are specific to your target audience. These new keywords will need to be included in your video headline, descriptions and tags.

36. Empowered by Endorsements

How to use video for marketing: As a given, your video should be professional, well edited, informative and sincere. But I believe most importantly, the secret to a successful corporate video is having it recommended/featured by a popular and well respected source. My video was featured in the monthly newsletter, "A Better Today". Views literally went from a thousand to over thirty-seven thousand in a very short period of time.

37. Your Signature Please

How to use video for marketing: The one thing that we do here that has been extremely successful in attracting new customers and "closing the deal" is including a link to our YouTube channel in the signature bar of our email or for queries submitted through our website. We typically say something like, "For tips and ideas on how to increase your profits with our product, we encourage you to view our online demo videos at (YouTube URL)."

38. Plan Distribution First

How to use video for marketing: It is very important that you have a well developed plan on how you will distribute your video, since viewers will not simply "find" your video. I believe it is crucial to team up with a producer and actors that already have some level of distribution set through their dedicated followers that fit your targeted demographic. This allows for the video to be seeded quickly and gains the attention of popular video sites and blogs that have the potential to make it go viral.

39. Don't Play Hide-and-Seek

How to use video for marketing: People are lazy. They may like your video, but they don't want to work to find you online. Here's a simple tip to make it easy: when uploading to sites such as YouTube, always put your URL, including the "http:// (ex: http://yourcompanyurl.com) as the VERY FIRST THING in the description. Your goal is to attract them to your site and lead them to either purchase your products or become fans by signing up to your newsletter or list. Including the URL can make all the difference!

40. It Takes Two!

How to use video for marketing: I am optimizing the momentum that I've gotten from professionals who've seen my 5-year old Junior Apprentice and I in action, to create video and audio that allows parents to see what it looks like for a parent to work alongside their child. They get to see what work life balance looks and feels like for us.

41. The 80/20 Golden Viral Rule!

How to use video for marketing: Here is one tip of many:
80/20 Rule: Be personal 80% of the time and only talk business 20%. Talk about things that people can relate to in their personal lives, i.e. current events in your local community, money saving tips, & funny videos. When talking business, never sell yourself or your company. If you talk about your industry make sure you educate people and provide benefits. People don't like to be sold.

Examples of ways to use videos, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMdU4-FlqsA

42. Make your videos interactive

How to use video for marketing: Confucius said, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." Making your videos interactive gives your potential customers something to do, and helps them understand. It establishes a connection between you and them. Adding multiple layers of interactivity drives engagement and fortifies that relationship, turning potential customers into brand ambassadors.

43. Is humor the secret?

How to use video for marketing: Humor is a great way to break the ice and get people talking about you and your company. But being funny on command can be hard, and what’s funny to one person may not be funny to someone else. Rather than try to force humor and have it fall flat, just be yourself and tell your story -- why you do what you do and why they should care. Telling your story is very important. Of course, some creativity helps, but good is good enough (and it's better than doing nothing!).

44. Make a how-to video

How to use video for marketing: Make an instructional video - a "how-to" - about some aspect of your business and post it to sites like Instructables, HowCast, etc. Youll be providing a pubic service as well as encouraging people to find out more about your company - and positioning yourself as an expert!

45. Pull Back the Curtain

How to use video for marketing: Give behind the scenes information...what actually goes on, what people are saying, tips that have worked. Most of my comments come from one video where I said "look at all this crap laying around." Being authentic and talking about what is really going on will naturally generate interest.

So many people are tired of being sold to.Using phrases that are funny and even slightly irreverent, you know how "real people" speak when unscripted, will really perk up viewers interest.

46. 2 Minutes to Save the World

How to use video for marketing: There's no secret formula/exact science to create online video. Sometimes all it takes is timing & publishing to proper video distribution platforms. There are things you can add to a video increase potential to go viral & help market your business. Videos containing humor/kids/animals or any combo of the 3 tend to do really well. Regardless of content, it's crucial to keep things short; two minutes is the time to shoot for as it's difficult to maintain attention for any longer than that.

47. Be the famous forwarded clip!

How to use video for marketing: Every business solves some sort of challenge its target customer (ie; people or other businesses) have. If you can communicate how your business solves this problem in a humorous way or a way that resonates with the viewer then they will surely share it with friends because it's entertaining and also solves a problem.

Content is king - Make sure your video is worth watching! A humorous or strong message is your way to viral royalty! Good luck!

48. Personable real-time video

How to use video for marketing: Basically: Personable, real-time video, especially when connected to some kind of social service, can and does connect to your core audience.

Our Live from the Field platform are iPhone videos shot by pro athletes. When connected to twitter it allows for a 2 way, real-time video communication between fans and pro athletes.

49. Videos gone Viral

How to use video for marketing: We have used video successfully to get our message out and my ONE tip is to make it professional. More professional than a start-up's money can buy. Source the best camera crew/director possible, looking for seasoned professionals who are willing to do freelance for extra money. They will have high quality equipment to make the video pleasant to watch, easy on the ears, and seamless in transition.

50. YouTube as an SEO Target

How to use video for marketing: Remember that YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world (ahead of yahoo, behind google). Thinking about Youtube as a search engine leads to developing content that users are searching for, which in turn leads to your viewers being more likely to share the content. By targeting your video content to keywords you start to understand how much traffic comes through each search term. You can then prioritize your content generation.

51. Enhance the experience

How to use video for marketing: Video allows our audience the capability to understand our business more in depth – giving them a real, live action demonstration of our trainings and teachings. The video also helps the viewer feel that they have actual joined us (through video) on our conferences: showcasing some of the highlights of the conference and a one on one discussion with the presenter. This enhances their experience with our brand and allows us to illustrate our services in a new, fresh, and vibrant way.

52. Something must be remarkable

How to use video for marketing: Getting your business message across is fine, but to have a shot at going viral, your video must literally have something remarkable about it to compel people to actively share it. It must somehow standout and rise above the rest* because it is especially funny, interesting, insightful, unique, sad, etc. to someone (not necessarily to everyone).

* "Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube"
source: http://www.youtube.com/t/fact_sheet

53. Platform Bulding!!

How to use video for marketing: I created a project called "30 Days of Genius" where I made a video a day inviting everyone to live into their Genius... based on the book, The Big Leap, by Gay Hendricks. Well... Over the 30 days I got more and more creative! What a practice... It allowed my natural self to come through, and to fully establish my brand and my platform. I LOVED creating a container like that. I highly recommend someone create a video project of some kind for themselves, and go for it!

54. Keep it Real

How to use video for marketing: Video is a chance for a company to put a face on their business. In a world where face to face is becoming a thing of the past, think of your videos as a chance to introduce yourself to millions of people. When you create videos above all else be genuine. Let people see who you are. This not only shows a personal side to your business, but more importantly it helps to establish trust and loyalty with your audience - two key ingredients to business success.

55. Think Bigger.

How to use video for marketing: No one wants to share a commercial, but everyone wants to be the first to show their friends the next phenomenal video. Your goal shouldn't be to convey the competitive advantages of your company, but to make something so emotionally engaging that people *can't help* but send it to anyone and everyone. A great example would be State Farm's sponsorship of Ok Go's "This Too Shall Pass" video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w) which has been viewed over 13 million times.

56. Know This To Go Viral

How to use video for marketing: Before creating your viral video, make sure you know and understand your audience well; otherwise your results will be dismal. It would be like sending a cup to someone who needs a pen. What you should know about your audience is: (1) What topic is very relevant? (2) What title will arouse curiosity? (3) Is the video short enough so your audience will look at it as soon as they open it, instead of later? The longer the video, the lower the chance it will be viewed and therefore forwarded.

57. Draw Them In -- And Keep Them

How to use video for marketing: Keep it simple. Keep it fun. If you work in a business that is technical or uses a lot of jargon, it’s critical to focus on making your video easy to understand. Find a fun way to demonstrate a useful product or service your company provides. Just because it’s a business video doesn’t mean it has to be stuffy and dry (avoid boring shot of person at desk). If you want people to watch and share your video, it needs to be engaging and applicable to viewers’ own lives or businesses.

Loyalty Factor’s Consulting Processes, Customized Leadership & Employee Training Programs Deliver Measurable Results in Productivity, Profitability and Customer Satisfaction

Loyalty Factor™, LLC, a leading employee, customer and brand loyalty consulting and training firm, today announced the launch of its new corporate site with additional resources and features. For 14 years, Loyalty Factor’s training and consulting services have helped businesses:

• Quickly assess core business issues within an organization
• Design engagement processes to influence positive change with employees and operational issues across the organization
• Help companies differentiate themselves in their marketplace
• Develop customized high impact training programs to address key business issues
• Implement programs to increase employee and customer satisfaction and retention

Fact: In the US, 71% of consumers have ended a relationship due to poor customer service. “The key to keeping customers satisfied and loyal is to value and train employees while making these employees an integral part of the corporate strategy,” said Dianne Durkin president and founder of Loyalty Factor.

Loyalty Factor develops processes and programs that are proven to increase corporate profitability by providing individually tailored consulting and training services that enhance employee, customer and brand loyalty. By engaging all constituencies in an organization, Loyalty Factor's customized offerings develop a corporate culture of employee commitment while providing a proven process for maximizing employee productivity and increasing profitability. This process builds loyalty from the core of the company; thereby lasting the "test of time".

Loyalty Factor customers have enjoyed increased ROI and tangible results in customer satisfaction and corporate profitability.

Working with local, national and global organizations, Dianne Durkin offers clients more than 25 years of experience in finance, international sales, marketing and training. She has held senior managerial positions with companies such as Gulf Oil, and Digital Equipment Corporation, Corporate Branding Partnership and ASTEA International. Dianne is also author of The Loyalty Advantage and an upcoming book Magnetic Leadership: The R.E.A.L. Approach (due out in late 2010). She has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, USA Today, Investor’s Business Daily, The Boston Globe, among numerous other publications.

About Loyalty Factor, LLC
Loyalty Factor, LLC., is a globally recognized consulting and training firm that develops customized programs to increase corporate profitability through enhanced employee, customer and brand loyalty. By improving customer relationship and leadership skills, Loyalty Factor’s proven programs develop a corporate culture of employee commitment and provide a process for maximizing employee productivity and increasing profitability. Loyalty Factor has provided consulting and training services at such companies as IKEA, Pergo, PerkinElmer, Kronos, Netezza, Catholic Medical Center and Telwares, among many others.