What's your YouTube channel name? If you don't have an answer to this question, it's a safe bet that you aren't utilizing YouTube to promote your business. If that's the case, then you just may be putting your livelihood at risk. How so? In this growing age of social sharing and new media, people use the Internet more to find the information they want on local restaurants and shops - and often they want to "try before they buy." When people tweet content and update statuses on Facebook, often you'll see a YouTube video linked to share.

Let's face it, people like videos. News sites embed highlights of top stories on their sites, and networks tease promos of upcoming shows through their social media. When a new movie trailer hits YouTube it goes viral. Now, as a local business, you're probably wondering what this means for you. You may not expect to get a million views in a day like Justin Bieber, but consider these statistics from YouTube:

1) Over three billion videos are viewed online daily.

2) YouTube alone enjoys a broad demographic of users - people ages 18-54.

3) In 2010, YouTube videos were played back over 700 billion times.

The bottom line: a business that doesn't have at least one video promoting its goods and services misses out on one of the largest attentive audiences in the world. With one video, you can embed the code on your main site, your blog, your social profiles, or anywhere your target audience visits, including VacationChannels.com.

As a business listed on VacationChannels.com, you have the option of upgrading to a premium package that allows you to showcase your videos and draw more customers to your restaurant, attraction, or store. If you are not sure where to begin with video production or what to highlight, our team of experienced tourism marketers can assist you in creating a dynamic, attractive video that presents the best of your business and encourages views and shares.

To learn more about promoting your destination business via online video, contact VacationChannels.com today at 757-726-0877.