Way back in 2005, three young guys with a sense of humor came up with the brilliant idea for a central site for uploading and sharing homemade videos. Initially the intention was to create something away from the mainstream, a place for the regular people of the world to have their 30 seconds of fame. Since then YouTube has become a behemoth of an entity with more than 14 billion videos viewed as of May 2010. Every facet of industry, religion, political ideology and age has discovered and used YouTube to convey a specific message. It is no longer just for the individual; YouTube is now regularly used by businesses small and large for the purposes of marketing.

What is your message? What do you want to tell your target audience that hasn't already been covered by a competitor? Or more accurately, how can you convey your message in such a way that the consumer will remember you as the messenger? The message doesn't necessarily have to be unique; it just has to be conveyed in a unique way in order to be memorable. Think outside the box, be creative, be dynamic, don't immediately discount any seemingly crazy idea brought forth in a brainstorming session – you never know when that craziness may turn into dollars.

Without insulting the intelligence of the average YouTube user, most people using the internet have the attention span of a goldfish. If a webpage or Google search doesn't capture the attention of the user within three to five seconds, they move on. Keep that in mind when planning your video. Four or five minutes are good, two or three is even better. Some of your viewers may be watching stealthily while at work and do not want to go much past the three minute mark just in case the boss walks by. Therefore, use the K.I.S.S rule: Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep your message simple and easily told in a very short span of time. There is no need to tell the watcher every item on the ingredient list or all the specifications of the product, just the most important aspects that will matter most to the consumer.

Use your brand. If you don't have a brand, create one before filming a video. A brand is more important than the video; it is your face to the market. It should be distinctive, easy to spot and memorable. Test your brand among friends, family and strangers. Listen to the feedback with an open mind. When you have a great brand, make sure it gets lots of exposure in the video. You will want people to associate your brand (color, shape, and logo) with your product, so give it enough screen time to embed itself into the memory of the viewer. Taking a further step to branding, and especially if you plan to create more than one YouTube video, think about creating a YouTube channel for your company. The channel could hold multiple product info videos, customer testimonials, new product launches, updates, notifications on events or sales and of course show off the brand.

Be relevant. There is nothing more frustrating for a user than searching for videos on pest control (not your industry) and your video "Signs of Pests in Real Estate" pops up. Not only will the viewer be annoyed, but they may also assume your brand has been spammed on all channels and search words on YouTube. Not good for the reputation. On the other side of the coin, when people genuinely want to find videos on your topic and you have gone off on a tangent, they may not find you in a search. Stick to keywords and titles relevant to your product. If you have some information to share on a different topic, consider creating a new YouTube channel instead.

If you are a frequent internet user you have probably come across at least one graphic parody. Perhaps it was a political figure copy-and-pasted on a cartoon background, or a famous work of art manipulated to include a celebrity. These were created to generate humor, to make people laugh, to distribute around the internet until they went viral. Sure, sex sells to a certain percentage of the population, but humor sells to all ages and religious affiliations. So make your video funny. Use self-depreciating humor, slap-stick humor, witty humor, silly humor – anything to make your video and brand memorable. If it's really good, it might even go viral!

Mr. James Zern, a YouTube software engineer, reported in April of 2011 that only 30% of all videos on YouTube accounted for 99% of the views on the site. That is a tough nut to crack if you are trying to get your video out to the public, but it can be done. Remember: use your brand, know your message, K.I.S.S., be relevant and be funny!