A full 71% of Internet users watch videos, and a large chunk of that is taking place on YouTube. After all, YouTube is the second-largest search engine and the third most-visited site on the web—behind Google and Facebook.

24 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every single minute, and the site attracts hundreds of millions of viewers every month.

So how can you get your video in front of these viewers? Here are 5 tips to improve your video’s ranking on YouTube:

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Internet · SEO · Social Media · Social Networking

More proof that marketing during a recession pays off: Many list owners have seen impressive growth from 2008 to 2009!

Now is the time to test new lists and revisit some of those you’ve tried in the past. Across the list-rental industry, the makeup of lists has changed and many new names are being added every month.

The Grill Daddy buyers list is one example. From 2008 to 2009, more than 15,400 names were added—a 70% increase! (You may recognize Grill Daddy as the As Seen On TV™ grill-cleaning tool.)

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Direct response agency · List management

Over the years, I’ve written about the negative effects of the postal monopoly laws and the quasi-government nature of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).

These laws have harmed direct mailers, shippers, taxpayers and ultimately consumers.

Besides the Postal Service’s inefficiencies…its bloated, overexpansive bureaucracy…and its powerful union…the postal system is killing mailers with its frequent rate hikes. And it’s losing mail volume and revenue in the process.

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Postal Service · USPS

There’s one point I really want to stress today: Even in a recession, you can dramatically improve your direct mail response. Let me show you how I helped one company—Colorado River Adventures—rev up their lead generation efforts in the mail.

Marketing challenge

Colorado River Adventures is a members-only resort chain designed for RV enthusiasts. For 2 years, the company watched lead-gen response decline. It needed to bring new members to its 7 locations in California, Arizona and Mexico, and fast.

The secret to a successful direct mail overhaul was this: Redefining the USP—the Unique Selling Proposition. It needed to be relevant to the competitive marketplace and really communicate what Colorado River Adventures had that no one else did.

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Direct Mail · Direct Marketing

I frequently get emails from readers who feel overwhelmed by all the changes they need to make to improve their e-commerce sites. If you feel that way from time to time, this week’s Web Strategy is for you.

There’s one quick and easy thing you can do to increase sales: Make your “Add to cart” and “Buy now” buttons bigger and bolder.

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landing page · web · Web strategy · websites

A common, tried-and-true copywriting tactic is to tease your reader with a big promise and then show him the proof. But be wary of promising too much.

Sometimes copy that is too bold, confident or outlandish casts doubt on your credibility—and can cause readers to disregard your message because it seems too good to be true.

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copywriters · copywriting

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just wasted taxpayer money by launching a commercial to attack a private company.

That’s right. It seems the FTC doesn’t like FreeCreditReport.com so it created an ad that obviously attacks the company.

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Direct Marketing

SAP BusinessObjects is a business intelligence software provider that recently tested buttons on its landing page. One version used a typical blue text link for its add-to-cart option, while a second version used a big orange button.

Here’s the control:

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Testing corner · web · websites