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One of the most frustrating things about YouTube is trying to get viewers of your online video over to your main website – SO THAT YOU CAN SELL THEM SOMETHING! In the past, they haven’t allowed hyperlinks over to your main website in the videos themselves.
We have been forced to place a link over to a main website in the video description where it garners little attention — or tell viewers to type a URL in manually — Fat Chance!
This has been a squeaky wheel for YouTube for a long time but they have always neglected to give it any grease. Most likely because YouTube was reluctant to make it easy for online video viewers to leave their own web property.
YouTube videos are consumed like little snacks and most of us can’t eat just one. Most people view a string of videos on YouTube — jumping from related video to related video. By allowing links to a business or charities main website in the videos themselves YouTube will drive traffic AWAY from its website.
Why Is YouTube Listening Now?
Easy Answer — YouTube needs to monetize, The online video behemoth is slated to lose a half a billion dollars this year and owner Google is eager to mitigate those losses and maybe… just maybe … turn a profit sometime in the near future.
YouTube has been trying different strategies including a pay-per-download model which allows you to download a video to your computer hard drive for a small fee — usually 99 cents.
Call-To-Action Overlays Are Here!
As of June 30th YouTube will begin offering what it calls Call-To-Action overlays to videos that are part of their Promoted Videos program.
This will allow publishers of online video to purchase an ad overlay that will link back to a main website. The image below illustrates:
I don’t know if this will generate enough revenue to get YouTube out of the red ink but it will surely be a good program for small businesses looking to drive more traffic and sales through their website using online video.
Learn more here or sign up below
