How To Make YouTube Work For Your Business In 2020

We’re no stranger to the fact that video, especially when done right, performs extremely well online. And we all know that YouTube is the largest video sharing platform – and it’s the second largest search engine, second only to Google! 

Considering this, you’re probably wondering whether you should introduce YouTube into your content marketing plan. Well, here’s the thing – 62% of businesses already use YouTube to post their content, but that doesn’t mean you’re too late to jump onto it as well! Roughly 90% of people say they discover new products, brands, and businesses on YouTube, so there’s definitely room for you to play too. 

For many years now, individuals have successfully grown into a certain level of ‘influencer stardom’ on YouTube, so why can’t businesses use it to increase their brand awareness, generate leads, or encourage conversion? 

SO WHY SHOULD YOUR BRAND BE ON YOUTUBE?

Within YouTube, you’re able to reach a whole new audience, demonstrate your expertise by providing valuable information, and even create a sense of community with your customers. 

Video gives you a whole new opportunity to increase engagement levels with your customers and audience. Part of this is because in today’s fast-paced society, where we’re almost always on-the-go in some way, people would much prefer to absorb information by watching videos – rather than reading. Put simply, it’s quicker that way. With the combined use of visuals and sound, videos can make information easier to digest and understand. 

On the other hand, if you want to promote your product, video is another great way to demonstrate how your products work and show that you’re able to solve your customer’s problems. Overall, YouTube is a great platform for providing your audience with educational content, brand storytelling, and entertainment.

HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUTUBE?

There are a number of ways you can elevate and optimise your YouTube videos, helping them to perform better as a useful tool in your online content marketing strategy. 

LIGHTING, CAMERA, ACTION!

Your videos will play a big part in whether or not someone subscribes to your channel and consistently stays up to date with your content. While you don’t need the latest, most expensive camera and lighting equipment to make high-quality videos, there are a number of things you can do to make the viewing experience enjoyable for your audience. Just like with photos, natural daylight is a great source of light for videos – so try to shoot during the day as much as you can!  

IT’S A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCE

Whether it’s through Q&A’s, audience shout-outs, or YouTube lives, connecting with your audience is a key element to succeeding on YouTube. Brands like Lego utilise a great deal of User Generated Content (UGC), by running campaigns that encourage their customers and viewers to create and share videos of their own. 

Additionally, connecting with your audience is a great way to continuously create content that they can relate to. Disney is one such brand that’s achieved this through fun, short videos in which classic Disney movies are retold through emoji’s – something I’m sure we’re all familiar with!

HOW TO GO ABOUT MAKING YOUR VIDEOS SEO-FRIENDLY

Remember how I said that YouTube is the second largest search engine online? Well, that means that implementing SEO-friendly tactics into your YouTube strategy is another way to optimise your channel, get more eyeballs on your content, and increase your videos’ chances of performing well. Adding relevant keywords into your title, video descriptions, and tags are just some of the ways you can improve your SEO ranking through YouTube. 

When it comes to your video titles, making them intriguing is one thing… turning them into “clickbait” is another! While some channels may rely on this tactic to drive video views, keeping your titles relevant to your video is important to developing trust between you and your subscribers.

The video description is your chance to give your watchers an overview of what your video is about. Talk about what happens in the video, while getting your audience excited about watching it! Another great thing about the video description box is that it’s the perfect place to add any relevant links to other webpages – as well as your other social media platforms. Linking your social media platforms in your video descriptions is a good way to direct any viewers to your Instagram or Facebook page, particularly if they’re interested in seeing more of your content. Additionally, much like other social media platforms such as Instagram, you also have the opportunity to categorise your videos with the use of hashtags. 

Video transcripts are another tool you can utilise in order to improve your SEO ranking on YouTube. This is done by including keywords in your audio, and then proceeding to transcribe them. Not only does this help to boost your ranking, but it is also beneficial for your audience as some people may not want to turn up the volume of your video, but can follow along with what you are saying by reading subtitles and captions. 

Adding cards throughout your video is also a great way to encourage your audience to sift through your videos, keeping them on your channel for even longer. 

REMEMBER TO STAY CONSISTENT

On social media, content is king and consistency is queen.
As with posting on other platforms, finding an upload schedule and frequency that suits you and your business is important in order to keep your content consistent. This is because some viewers may often unsubscribe from channels that no longer seem to be posting. Keep giving your audience something to come back to. 

ADD CALLS TO ACTION

Calls to action, whether verbal or in your description box, such as asking your audience to subscribe to your channel or head to your website, are a great way to explicitly encourage them to take any particular next step. Adding calls to action in your video is also an effective way to round out your video, giving it a proper conclusion. 

SOUNDS GOOD, RIGHT?

Implementing YouTube into your social media marketing strategy can be a worthwhile addition, particularly if done correctly. Not only does it allow you to provide your audience with increasingly dynamic content, but it can also act as another avenue to develop a better relationship with your customers. There is no doubt that YouTube is a powerful platform. Who knows… it could be just what you need to catapult your content marketing!

PS. We have our very own YouTube channel! Subscribe to us at Milkbar Digital for more digital content.