YouTube is a free video-sharing website, where you can also create and upload your videos. It is considered one of the most popular search engines and one of the most visited sites in general. Users watch
6 billion hours worth of video each month.
Because of its substantial reach, brands often use it as a marketing tool for various objectives (awareness, traffic, conversions, and more), with great results.
Why is YouTube Relevant for Brands?
Brands choose to use YouTube because it gives them the opportunity to reach more people, and get a specific message across to their target audience. Here are some reasons why YouTube can be beneficial for your business:
- It makes you more searchable on Google: YouTube is owned by Google, which means that it’s backed by the most influential search engine, and marketing tool. Google includes video results in searches, so if your video is relevant, there´s a high chance it will show up on the results page of this platform.
- Videos can increase exposure: YouTube videos can be used and shared on different platforms quite easily, most of the time by using the video’s URL. This is beneficial because through one piece of content, you can exponentially increase your exposure. You can use your video on your website or social media networks, or better still, people can easily share your videos on their preferred platform.
- It improves conversions: Visuals catch people´s attention quicker than plain text. Whatever your message is, a visual presentation will help get it across and processed faster, which can result in people taking the brand´s desired action, such as visiting your website, subscribing, or even purchasing your product or service.
Furthermore, here are some statistics worth knowing:
- 1 in 3 baby boomers go on YouTube to learn more about a product or service (Sproutsocial, 2021)
- 70% of millennial users watch YouTube to learn how to do something new or learn more about something they’re interested in. (Google, 2017)
- Over 90% of people surveyed around the world say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. (Google, 2018)
Tips On How To Use YouTube To Your Advantage.
Now that we know that Youtube can be beneficial for businesses, here are some tips you may want to consider when using this platform for your videos:
- Backlinks: Add links to your website in the video´s description box. This will increase your credibility score (how Google compares you to the competing solutions and answers), which makes you more searchable on Google. It will also show your viewers where they can find more information about your brand.
- Know your audience: As with any marketing tactic or strategy, knowing your audience is important. They are the ones that will ultimately take action and consume your content and the offer you make. Make sure the content you are creating is catered to your audience’s interest.
- Know your goals: You need to know what your goals are because they will serve as a frame of reference when determining the purpose of your videos, the call to action, and the overall campaign you will run.
- Channel art: This refers to the banner at the top of your home page on Youtube. Make sure it is cohesive with the rest of your image, as it will set the tone of your channel. Think about the message you want to send throughout: you can include when users can expect new videos, or you can feature different products or services to highlight a specific marketing campaign.
- Playlists: Having playlists on your channel will allow you to organize your content, which will make it easier for users that are looking for specific content. This is especially important if you publish serialized content. Playlists can also encourage binge-watching, as there´s a “Play-all” option that will queue up all the videos featured in the playlist, which can result in a higher engagement for your channel.
- Create eye-catching thumbnails: A thumbnail is a still image that acts as the preview for your video on Youtube. You want it to stand out so that users click on it when searching for content. The thumbnail should look consistent with your feed.
- Use Cards and End screens: A card is a button that appears on your video, which can be used to promote videos, playlists, websites, or channels. And End Screens allow you to promote other videos. As such, you can choose to promote your most recent videos, or in the case of Cards, you can draw traffic to your website, or a specific land page for your campaign.
- Have clear titles: Titles are key when it comes to your video showing up in searches. Use keywords related to your content, while effectively describing what the video is about.
- Tags: When uploading a video to Youtube, you can use tags in order to help the platform´s algorithm to make sense of individual videos. It is advisable to use a small number of tags, with the most relevant keywords first.
- Promote your channel on your other platforms: As we mentioned before, it is easy to share Youtube´s content. Make sure to include your channel or specific videos to your website or your social media platforms, this will help increase traffic and ultimately help you meet your goals.
What Kind of Content Can You Post?
You want to create videos, but you are not sure what kind of content you want to put out there. Here are some ideas of popular kinds of videos:
- How-to videos
- Tips
- Unboxing
- Product demonstrations
- Behind the scenes
- Testimonials
- Product launches
- Campaigns
- Events
We know that YouTube is only a small part of your online presence as a brand. Juggling this and other social media networks can easily become a full-time job, and we are aware that you need to run all of the other areas of your business. At Miss Ink, we can help with your online presence. From social media to digital ads and more, our team will work with you to develop a full-scale marketing plan. Call us today at (305) 537-6465 or click our
contact form to set up a consultation.
