Why your company needs to be on YouTube

It’s free, it’s cool, it’s viral. And it’s a PR opportunity

That Web site you visit to watch funny cat videos and replays of the best bits of The Colbert Report may be the next big weapon in your PR arsenal. Sites like YouTube are not only hosting videos from college kids pulling stunts but also from savvy marketers who see value in the free publicity.

Sometimes it’s as easy as posting the video of your latest TV commercial. 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, the junk-removal company based in Vancouver, submitted its “Rat Advertising Trial” commercial back in March. Katie Dunsworth, the company’s PR manager, says the TV commercial, which featured rats in company “T-shirts” being dropped off in junk-filled basements and backyards, became one of the site’s most popular videos the week it was posted, and was picked by TBS for an airing of America’s Funniest Commercials.