When someone mentions social media marketing you probably think of Facebook or Instagram or even LinkedIn. But it’s likely that YouTube never comes to mind. Why?
Many people consider YouTube a “fun” platform – a place for watching silly videos and listening to music, but not for business. Yet think about how many times you personally have used the site to watch “how-to” videos or product demonstrations. Dozens? Hundreds?
The fact is, YouTube users watch almost 5 billion videos every single day. In an average month, 8 out of 10 people aged 18-49 watch YouTube. The opportunity for marketing is enormous, and it’s only going to grow.
In this post, we’ll talk about how you can create and use a YouTube channel for your business (and why you should do it)!
Let’s get going!
Why Use YouTube For Business?
If the statistics we shared above didn’t sway you, consider this: several high-profile celebrities
started their careers on YouTube. That’s right, full careers just on a video viewing website. It’s a powerful platform and the audience is there.
While you may not be a teen pop sensation, you can still leverage YouTube’s impact to your benefit. Here’s what you can expect:
- A larger audience. No matter who your ideal client is, it’s likely they’re on YouTube. According to Alexa, YouTube is the second-most visited site on the web (the first, of course, being Google).
- High traffic volumes. Research from YouTube shows that there are over a billion active users on the platform, and as you already know, they’re watching a lot of videos every day. Obviously, they’re not all going to land on your page – but there are still huge opportunities for increased traffic.
- Better ROI. Creating a video doesn’t have to be expensive. Freelancers and external contractors can be hired at reasonable rates. And if you’re bootstrapping, you can even create a video on your own, using nothing but your smartphone. With so little overhead, it stands to reason that the ROI would be fantastic. But, just in case you were in doubt, 78% of marketers say video gives them a good ROI
- Increased SEO. In case you were unaware: Google bought YouTube in 2006. To say that they now highly value video would be an understatement. Besides that, developing video helps demonstrate industry authority, reduces bounce rate, and drives higher traffic (all great for SEO).
So, how do you get started?
Setting Up A YouTube Channel
If you don’t already have a YouTube Channel for your business, no worries: it’s quite easy to get started. Just follow these simple steps:
- Log into the Google account that you want to manage your channel (likely your business account and not your personal account).
- Click on the YouTube Channel Switcher – if you already manage any other accounts, you will see them there, plus the option to create a new channel.
- Click “create a new channel.” On the next screen, give your brand account a name and click “create.”
- That’s it! You now have a YouTube channel for your business.
Engaging Your Audience
Now that your channel is up, it’s time to think about how you can attract viewers. As with all content, the key is to consistently put out useful, quality information. Videos, however, also need to be entertaining, or your audience will quickly lose interest.
Here are some ways you can use the channel to attract and engage your target market:
- Share educational content. 51% of users say they turn to the platform to learn how to do things they’ve never done before, while searches for “how-to” videos are growing 70% year-on-year.
- Try YouTube live. Similar to Facebook live, YouTube has its own live-streaming feature. This format isn’t as widely known as the standard video format, but it’s likely to grow. Use it to broadcast from conferences or events, or even give a behind-the-scenes tour of your office.
- Tell your brand story. If you really want people to love your brand, they need to feel a connection. And what better way to do that than through video? Blogs and newsletters are great, but video adds a level of humanity not available through other mediums.
- Create playlists. If any of your videos follow a consistent theme, make sure to group them together. Perhaps you share short 30-second “hacks” every Monday or discuss industry news every Wednesday. When you compile them all into a list, it makes it easier for users to find related content when they’re interested.
There are literally dozens (maybe even hundreds!) of other ways you can use YouTube to help attract customers and grow your business, but this is a great jumping-off point. Let us know if you use video in your online marketing and how you use it to engage your audience.
