Here’s an easy test: Do you want to be found by your target consumer? If the answer is yes, then yes — your business should be on YouTube.

Here are some stats to back this assertion up:

• YouTube is the 3^rd-most-visited website in the world. In the world. A quick search on compete.com shows that in September 2011, YouTube had 141,721,097 unique visitors in the United States alone. That’s almost 50 percent of the entire population of the U.S. And with a broad demographic of 18–54 years, YouTube is not just something “the kids” are using.

• YouTube is the second-largest search engine. It ranks just behind Google. If you are concerned about having good organic results for your website on Google, you should be concerned about having a consistent presence on YouTube.

• More video content is currently uploaded to YouTube in 60 days than the three major U.S. networks have created in the past 60 years. That’s a lot of content — something for everyone, including your audience. Find those channels and tell your story there.

• More than half of the videos on YouTube have been rated or received comments. Considering how many videos there are on YouTube, half is quite a lot.  Do you want to get the conversation started with your consumers? YouTube is a great place to start.

Still need more proof that your company should be on YouTube?  One word: Blendtec.

Blendtec is a company that manufactures food blenders in the U.S. You may have seen some of their “Will It Blend” videos on YouTube; if not, here’s one for your viewing enjoyment:

Several of these videos are on YouTube, each with millions of views. “So what?” you may be thinking. “Millions of views? What does that mean, and who really cares?”  According to a case study performed in January 2009 by SocialLens, Blendtec saw an increase in their retail sales of 700 percent — a 700 percent increase in sales as a result of one YouTube video campaign.

Perhaps not every brand video on YouTube will result in a 700 percent increase in sales, but if your consumers cannot find, like, share and interact with you, they’ll find, like, share and interact with your competition.

The Super Bowl and advertising go hand and hand. For many of us (even die hard pigskin fanatics) the TV commercials that break up the onfield action are a major reason we tune in. But, there is another side of Super Bowl related advertising that illustrates the power of search engine marketing. An article in the New York Times entitled “Super Bowl Merchandise and the Bets Behind It” tells the story of how FootballFanatics.com leverages search marketing to sell t-shirts of the winning Super Bowl team to fans across the world.

There are some strategic gems that Internet marketers of all stripes can take away from this article:

• Keyword lists are always in flux. Your search keyword strategy should never be written in stone. Always be evaluating the performance of your current keyword strategy and look for new words to test. Like FootballFanatics.com, which finds keywords by scanning for the signs that fans hold up during the game, you too can get creative with your search terms. The beauty of search marketing is that it is scalable and efficient; you can test new words and phrases without breaking your budget.
• Search trend analysis can help determine demand. FootballFanatics.com monitors the online conversations regarding teams to help them determine which fan bases represent good customers. Are you tuned into the conversations that are going on about your business, products or industry? Listening to online conversations can provide huge insights, and it doesn’t have to be terribly expensive. Free tools like Google Reader and Monitter and sites like Technorati and Digg can help you sort through the online social space to get a sense of what people are saying about you.
• Focus on keywords that drive conversions, not traffic. FootballFanatics.com makes it a point to stop spending on terms that are expensive and not yielding customers. They go beyond measuring traffic. The real success measure for online marketing should be conversions, or how many people actually take the action that you wanted them to take (make a purchase, sign up for your email list, download a coupon, etc.). You should invest more heavily in activities that are generating desired actions, not just driving traffic.
• Know your market. Online success still hinges on the basics of sound marketing, like knowing your customer inside and out. FootballFanatics.com has clearly defined their market as displaced fans. They use search analysis to more clearly define this market. Who are you going after? The more you know about them, the better you can tailor your online strategy to reach them.

You don’t have to be selling t-shirts to sports fans to benefit from these insights. Regardles of whether you are a B2B manufacturer or an online retailer, these are best practices to incorporate into your online marketing strategy.

Imagine you had Harry Potter working for you, and he only had one job: every time one of your customers thought about your product, he would instantaneously teleport right to their front door, wearing one of those sandwich-board thingies and carrying your brochure. That’s all he would do … put your company at the forefront of your customer’s minds, day after day after day.

While bachelor’s degrees in Interdimensional Travel may be rare in your market, thanks to the magic of Webstratics — Armstrong|Shank’s search engine marketing service — that kind of instant exposure is not only possible, but extremely effective.

“The power of search engine marketing comes from the fact that you are making contact with your customer right when they need you,” says J.D. Patton, Armstrong|Shank’s Director of Internet Marketing and all-around web wizard. “With other forms of advertising, your goal is to leave an impression that sticks with the consumer later. With Webstratics, your message impacts them at the exact moment they are making a buying decision. That’s huge.”

Webstratics encompasses three areas: search engine optimization, a process that will improve your web site’s chances of appearing at the top of search engine listings; search engine marketing; and web design.

“A website’s value comes from its potential to reach customers at all times,” says J.D. “Done right, it can provide a 24-hour contact point, information desk and ordering service for people in need of what you have to offer. Whether you have an existing website, or need help designing one from scratch, Webstratics has the ability maximize your effectiveness in all of those areas.”