Most social media marketers overlook YouTube; many of them view it as an online video platform instead of a social media network. This platform either presents countless marketing opportunities, primarily if your target market is spread across the world.
YouTube ranks as one of the biggest and the most used social networks among adults, with close to two billion users logged in every month; in fact, the platform ranks as the second biggest website globally. Within one minute, YouTube records up to 500 hours of videos uploaded; marketing on this platform requires strategy. You have to take your time and learn how to optimize your channel and expand your reach.
Why YouTube?
As they say, numbers never lie; here is some useful stat that will help you understand why YouTube is a great marketing platform:
- YouTube is the second largest website and search engine in the world with over 1 billion subscribers spread across the world
- People watch up to 1 billion hours of YouTube videos every day
- Most of the YouTube subscribers are between the age of 18-49 years
An interesting part is that YouTube isn’t showing any signs of slowing down soon; the number of users is increasing by the day.
A good YouTube strategy is required to reach more people and to improve your overall marketing results. If you do not want to buy YouTube followers, which is an excellent option for some, we will get started on what you need to take your business to a whole new level using YouTube. If you are new in YouTube marketing, here is a list of things you need to do to get started:
Create A YouTube Channel
You can choose to open a YouTube channel using a regular Google Account. Only you can access the account or with a Brand Account where multiple users can log in to the account simultaneously. Opening your YouTube channel using a Brand Account may be a good option, especially if you are looking to reach a wider audience within a short time; furthermore, this option gives you a chance to open and manage several YouTube channels.
YouTube for business gives you access to an Analytic tab, where you can learn more about your YouTube audience. When your audience leaves comments, read through them to learn what they think about your content, and if there is something to change, go ahead and implement it.
Come Up with A Strategy
Compared to other social media platforms, YouTube requires a lot of your time and work. From writing an update, creating images to consequently creating new videos, you can work on YouTube for hours. When looking for the most effective YouTube strategy, you have to start with what you are looking to achieve at the end; what exactly are your goals for opening a YouTube channel? It could be one of the following:
Driving more traffic to your website
- Improving engagement and brand awareness
- Increasing sales for your business
- Generating more leads/conversions
Knowing what you want to achieve will help you create content that will help you achieve your goals with ease.
Understand Your Completion
Once you have known your goals and strategy, the next thing to do is competitive analysis. As you know, YouTube is a highly competitive space; you need to conduct an audit of your competitors to identify the available opportunities and see how your channel measures up with those of your competitors. Start by placing two to three competitors, look at their titles and descriptions and see the keywords they use. Go ahead and see what people are saying about their channels; chances are you will find a few mistakes, utilize them, and develop something better.
Conduct what strategies refer to as SWOT, Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and threats for each competitor. From there, adopt that which is working and drop that which is not; make sure not to copy-paste what your competitor is doing; the secret here is to learn from them.
Create Catchy Videos
The most interesting thing about YouTube is that you don’t have to use expensive equipment to get the most out of your channel; you could use a smartphone to film your videos. No matter the equipment you are using, ensure the lighting is good to ensure everything is captured clearly.
Professional filmmakers recommend using a tripod to keep the camera steady. After recording your videos, you can use video editing software to edit out mistakes and add titles a task you can hire a professional if you don’t know how to do it. A good video should be somewhere between 3 to 4 minutes, although shorter videos work even better. Your video’s length depends on your type of content; take your time to evaluate the content that works best for your audience.
For you to generate more brand awareness using your videos, here are the types of videos you need to create:
- Videos showcasing your brand and its core values
- Interviews with influencers and leaders in your niche
- How-to and educational videos
- Documentaries
- Animated videos
Use Keywords
Use keywords related to your videos. For instance, if you dog training videos, your keywords should be words like ‘dog training,’ ‘obedience training,’ ‘dog eating schedule’ and words like that. Note that keywords tell the search engine the type of content in the video, and they appear in your video titles, tags and descriptions.
You can find the most searched keywords touching your niche using Google Keyword Planner Tool. Alternatively, you can check the keywords used by your competitors and use the same keywords.
Include A Compelling Call to Action
You are creating a YouTube channel to attract viewers who you hope will take some action to get them closer to being your customers. Virtually, you don’t sell your products directly to your viewers or subscribers now on YouTube, and on the contrary, you are generating leads that you can use to market your products.
You can include a link to your website, landing page or even blog in your video description or inform your viewers of your web address at the end of your video. That way, they will know where they can make their orders if they are impressed. Other calls to action include asking your viewers to subscribe to your YouTube channel or follow you on various other social media channels like Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform.
Interact More
Although YouTube is more of a video sharing platform, it is still a social network, so you should have an active presence. For instance, if someone comments on your video, spare a few seconds to thank them, and if someone has a concern, be sure to give then a positive feedback.
Also, take your time to drop your comment on other people’s videos; you will not miss one or two people who will visit your channel because they loved your comment. You can also choose to create a playlist of videos with similar topics as yours, including your videos and others.
Promote Your Content
YouTube is highly competitive, and if you sit back and wait for people to come and view your videos or subscribe to your channel without an effort, then you might wait forever. Spread the word on your website, blog, Facebook account, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Whatever way you can use to reach your potential subscribers or viewers, tell them about your new YouTube channel and what they can expect from it.
Manage Your YouTube Channel
In the beginning, you might not need any management skills for your YouTube channel; however, as you grow, incorporating a management tool becomes a must. That way, you will track and respond to your comments and monitor any mention touching your brand.
There are numerous tools you can use to manage your channel with ease, do your research to find one that will help in the management of YouTube and other social media platforms. With a social media platform at your disposal, you can monitor and manage your YouTube comments in one place. Plus, you can use it to choose a standard reply for multiple comments and decide what to publish and what not to publish.
Another way you can efficiently manage an extensive YouTube channel is by working with a team to create videos and respond to comments. Single-handedly managing an extensive YouTube channel is not easy; you will end up neglecting
Final thoughts
YouTube marketing is not a one-day thing; it is a learning process, you have to start simple, and with the right strategies, you can always achieve your goals with ease. You might find it difficult initially, but as you create more videos, your filming skills and formatting skills will improve, and you will learn how to use more catchy words.