In May 2010 “The Sienna Family” was born. At the time, industry reports noted that the Toyota Sienna was ranked #54 on the “most-viewed” car list. By July, it was in the top 5.

Impressive, huh?

Check out the YouTube video of the Swagger Wagon:

So, what do you think? Are you a Swagger Wagon fan?

The Church exists to evangelize. And today, the Church has a great opportunity to use new media to evangelize the whole world.

As Christians, we must take the gospel seriously. After all, the gospel is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the message of salvation for those who receive it in faith. St. Paul emphatically proclaimed the primacy of the gospel in the life of the Christian, demonstrating that we are not only to live the gospel, we are also to spread it. Of himself he said, “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). In a very real way, to be Christian is to evangelize. The Church exists to evangelize.

Preaching, spreading the good news, sharing the gospel, can be done in different ways. St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 1200s, once told his brothers, “Preach the gospel everywhere you go. And, when necessary, use words.” In other words, his brothers were to live the gospel. Their lives and actions were to do the preaching for them. Those with whom they came in contact should have been able to see Christ in them. St. Francis wanted his brothers to evangelize with deeds.

The same could be said about us. Not all of us are called to be preachers. Not all are called to be missionaries. Not all priests. But all Christians are called to live the gospel, to be so radically transformed by the power of the gospel that others can see Christ living in us. It sounds like a tall order, I know. But this is the call. To be Christian is to evangelize.

Just a month ago, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, made a few enlightening comments regarding the use of new media to spread the good news, to evangelize. He noted that the “…Church has a ‘great opportunity’ to use new media to evangelize and spread gospel values, especially among young people…” (see Vatican official calls for ‘pastoral conversion’ on new media)

Archbishop Celli noted that when it comes to new media, it’s not all about the new shiny tools. One of the things he said that I find most intriguing, especially for many “church folk” is this: “We are talking not just about instruments but about a real culture created by a communicative complexity that has never before been seen in history.”

Whoa. Big words. What does he mean?

He means that what we seen happening in the “virtual” world is real. The means of communication is different. Computers instead of face-to-face (or even telephone). But the content of what is happening is real. It is real communication between real people. It is real community. Real culture. And because it is real, the Church has to be there.

Will the online world ever replace the real world? No. The real world trumps the virtual world every time. But that does not mean that what happens online is not real. And what’s more important, Archbishop Celli acknowledges the fact that, as Christians, we have to be online. If we are to evangelize, we have to be where the people are. Today, people are online.

He went on to discuss the necessity of training for Church workers in the use of new media, noting that training for seminarians is urgent. ”Without priests – and then without bishops – who understand modern culture, there will still be a communications divide which will not favor the transmission of the faith to the young in the Church.”

The “transmission of the faith.” It’s evangelization. And like all evangelization, if it is to be effective, it must meet people where they are, and it must make sense to them.

Ultimately, to evangelize is to take to heart the great mandate that Jesus gave us as he ascended into heaven. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matt. 28:19). To evangelize is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with everyone we meet… wherever we happen to meet them. Even online.

How is your parish or diocese or ministry evangelizing online?

Here’s another example of a local business successfully putting social media to work for their bottom line.

What do you think?

Would this social media stuff work for you?

A Star is Born

You’ve probably seen it. I think everyone has seen it. Well, at least 47,508,506 people have.

I’m talking about Susan Boyle’s performance of “I dreamed a dream” on YouTube. She sang the song as part of a competition on the British television show Britain’s Got Talent. It hit YouTube on April 11, 2009. At lightening speed the views shot up. As of this writing, total views are 47, 508, 506. It is ranked as the #6 most discussed YouTube video of all time in the United Kingdom. It is ranked at #1 for the most viewed video in the Entertainment / United Kingdom category on YouTube. And it is ranked at #85 for the most viewed YouTube video of all time.

Incredible.

In a matter of weeks Susan Boyle, a “nobody,” was transformed into a star, a worldwide celebrity. Truly, this is a Cinderella story if ever there was one.

Your Startup Business Can Be a Cinderella Story Too

All the makings are there. You have all the ingredients. Whether you are just starting out, or have been at it for a while, it doesn’t matter. You have the tools.

It’s been said that social media is the great equalizer. It has made us all equal. With the modest cost of a computer, free or inexpensive software, internet access, and some sort of video camera, you too can become a star.

We Are All Directors and Producers

The magic of social media is that we are all content producers. Blogs, podcasts, and YouTube videos enable each one of us to advertise for free. Marketing has never been easier… or cheaper.

But let’s talk YouTube for moment. YouTube is the world’s 2nd largest search engine, second only to Google. YouTube receives over 2 million views a day. It’s big.

But…

What Does YouTube Have to Do with Me and My Startup Business?

A lot.

7 Ways YouTube Can Help You Grow Your Startup Business

1. YouTube makes you an expert in your business field. By uploading valuable content that demonstrates that you know what you are talking about, like: your own commercials, product and service descriptions and demonstrations, slideshows that highlight special features of provide helpful tips, customer / client testimonials, client or employee training, meetings for those who were unable to attend, personal messages to your customers / clients. There are so many possibilities.
2. YouTube gives you valuable (and immediate) feedback from customers / clients (or potential ones!), even from competitors. I don’t need to tell you how important it is to listen. To be successful in today’s social media market, one has to listen. And YouTube provides tools to help you do that.
3. YouTube allows you to market to a target audience. So there’s over 2 million videos viewed each day… so what? What does that have to do with me? Well, by using tags and keywords in your titles and descriptions, you can focus your marketing efforts to that targeted audience that would be interested in what you have to sell. Niche marketing may be a buzzword today, but it is so for a reason. It works.
4. YouTube videos are portable. You can embed them on your website or blog. You can embed them on your Facebook business page. You can embed them in emails you send. And here’s even more good news – so can all your customers, clients, and friends! Talk about distribution streams!
5. YouTube allows you to work magic with RSS. That’s right, Really Simple Syndication. This is similar to #4. It’s all about distribution. But it automates everything. Customers / clients (or potential ones!) can subscribe to your video channel, either in an RSS reader or via email. Every time you upload a new video, they get a notification. You don’t have to do anything. It’s all automatic. By the way, direct marketing email campaigns are still the #1 most successful tool for online sales.
6. YouTube provides you with valuable and detailed statistics. Not only do you get the feedback we talked about in #2 above, but you also get statistics. Want to know how many people viewed your latest product demonstration? You should! And you can. Statistics are good because they enable you to know whether or not what you’re doing is working. Of course, your bank account should also show you this.
7. And, finally, YouTube is a wonderful way for you to brand your business. Branding. Name recognition. People knowing who you are and what you stand for, in addition to knowing what you sell. This is where you want to be… “where everybody knows your name.”

And did I mention that it is all free?

YouTube isn’t really magic. But it can certainly help you to grow your startup business.

If you are not particularly tech-savvy, there’s always the option of hiring out the making of your videos. Professionals know what works and what doesn’t. They can produce quality videos for you, and even take care of the uploading, tagging and marketing of your videos.

If you want to start utilizing YouTube but don’t know where to start, give me a call. I can provide everything from script writing to the actual shooting, editing and uploading of your videos.

Of course, if you need any more information about ways that YouTube can help you grow your startup business, just contact me at 504-722-8422 or via email at jeff@jeffyoung.me. I’ll be happy to help you.

Some folks just don’t seem to get the whole new media thing….

And I don’t get them.

Check out this amazing video on the power and reach of new media:

I submitted jeffyoung.me to Technorati over a month ago. After submission, Technorati needs to verify that you are the blog owner. It should be an easy process, right? Well, it’s not.

I’ve done this before. They give you a code, which you embed in a blog post (like this one). Technorati is then supposed to scan your blog for the code. I did that. In June. It has still not recognized me as the owner of this blog.

But I am the owner. Aren’t I?

So, I am trying again.

I came up with this cool little blog post so that I could embed the code again. See, I didn’t want to send out just a “blank” post with a code in it. I mean, if you got that you would think, “What’s this? Is the Jeff Young off his rocker?” Nope. No blank posts for me.

Since you are reading this, perhaps you could offer up a little prayer for Technorati. Specifically that they will finally recognize me as the owner of this site. Oh, and don’t forget to pray for me on Friday… and Sunday. I’ll be flying on those days, and flying makes me nervous. Especially since Char and I have been watching the series LOST (from the beginning) this summer. If I see Hurley in the airport, I’m running!

Thanks for your prayers.

Bon appetit!

I’ve met many people who have wonderfully creative thoughts that they want to share with the world. They are passionate about something and they want to share that passion. Blogging seems like the natural answer.

They don’t know how to set up a blog.

Are you one of these folks?

Or do you have a blog that you are less than satisfied with?

Here are 5 questions you need to ask yourself when starting a blog or trying to improve or upgrade an existing blog:

1. What?

2. When?

3. Where?

4. Why?

5. How?

That’s where I come in.

• Do you know what platform that you want to use, but don’t know how to choose and install a rockin’ awesome theme… or those cool widgets in the sidebar?
• Do you know that you want to customize your blog, but don’t know where to start?
• Are you ready to upgrade your current blog from WordPress or Blogspot to a self-hosted blog?
• Do you need ideas on how to make your blog more accessible and more attractive to your readers?

Did you notice that I left out one very important question?

There are 6 questions that journalists normally ask themselves when writing an article: who, what, when, where, how, and why. Know which one I left out?

That’s right! Who?

Why did I leave out the “Who?” Because the Who is You!

So what are you waiting for? It’s time to share your thoughts with the world!

Photo credit: alcomm

Good question.

But perhaps we should start with the question,

“What is a podcast?”

Simply put, podcasts are “internet radio shows.” That’s not a perfect definition, but many non-podcast-listening folks can easily understand it. Some refer to podcasting as audio blogging.

Podcasts are usually produced with a relatively simple and inexpensive setup. Usually in one’s home or office. Not in a professional studio.

Podcasts are portable. All you need is an MP3 player. You can listen on your computer, but the beautiful thing about podcasts is portability. Unlike radio, you can listen to them whenever you want, wherever you want. There is no lineup, no schedule that you have to conform to. You make your own schedule.

This is a HUGE reason to launch a podcast for your business. Your customers, potential customers, employees, the press… whoever… can listen to your wonderfully delicious content whenever they want. You’re on 24/7. And you never go away. Thanks to online archiving, podcast episodes are still available for download 2, 3, 4, 5, 10 years after they are originally produced.

Why should you consider producing a podcast for your business?

1. Increase visibility in the marketplace and brand yourself as an expert
2. Open channels of communication with your customers, potential customers or other target audience
3. Reach a highly-targeted audience
4. Provide relevant (and free) content to your listeners, which shows that you are helpful and worthy of trust in the marketplace
5. Increase customer retention by providing valuable content

What kind of content could you provide on your podcast?

1. In-house training / motivating your employees / communicating with sales force
2. Strategic communication with the media / press
3. Market-specific tips for your target audience
4. Timely & relevant information about happenings & events in your market
5. Inside stories concerning your market, providing behind-the-scenes information
6. How-to instructions concerning your product or service

OK. Podcasting would be good for my business, but how do I do it?

How to start podcasting? I think there are two ways to approach this:

First, you could put the time and energy into learning the mechanics of producing a podcast: the kind of equipment to use, generating an RSS feed, submitting the podcast to iTunes and other podcast libraries, and post-production editing software and techniques. Just to name a few. True, this option is time-intensive. But you will learn a lot.

The second option is to hire a podcasting consultant to walk you through the process step-by-step, or to just set it all up for you. There are some businesses that contract podcasting professionals to host and produce their podcasts. Podcasting professionals generally have their own equipment. They are experts in producing effective audio content, and they are comfortable behind the microphone. Podcasting professionals will also market your podcast for you.

Podcasting is still relatively new, even though it has been around for a couple of years now. There are over 150,000 podcasts listed in the iTunes store. And new podcasts are being launched daily. This should pique your curiosity. And grab your attention.

Obviously there is a podcast-listening market out there.

Why not get your share?

Social media is here to stay, folks. It is transforming life as we know it. Every aspect of life.

Education. Business. Friendship. Dating. Shopping. Advertising. Marketing. Entertainment.

INFLUENCE.

Social media: It’s a conversation.

Are you part of the dialogue?