Is YouTube a Game Changer for SME Marketing?

YouTube has over 1B users who watch hundreds of millions of video content each day. It has a reach which covers 95% of internet users and is watched by more people than some major television networks.

Video and content marketing continues to increase at an exponential rate. For SME’s, this is a truly golden opportunity. YouTube is enabling small businesses and enterprises to connect with their audiences without the need for large advertising budgets.

There are many success stories of small businesses built with the assistance of effective video marketing strategies and campaigns. Unfortunately, this does not mean that marketing your company on YouTube is easy. Up to 300 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube each minute, so standing out from the crowd can be challenging…but not impossible.

Check out some further advice and inspiration on how to create a successful marketing strategy for your SME.

The Five Second Rule

Think about how much video content you are exposed to each day. Streaming content is no longer reserved for static devices, we can access everything on the go. Indeed, 50% of YouTube views come from mobile devices. With so much content available, how can you ensure your business is being seen?

There is no simple formula, but online marketing guru Neil Patel tells us to apply the “five-second rule.” The rule is simple, if your video does not grab the attention of your audience within the first five seconds, they will probably switch off.

How well do you know your audience? To target your demographic effectively, you need to have a deeper understanding of who they are. Understanding their interests, their desires, or even their fears can assist you in marketing your product effectively.

If you have a product with a high-profile competitor, you may fear that you will never be able to truly compete. Rokenbok is a company that manufactures a building block toy for children, one of the most competitive markets with the main players being Lego.

Rokenbok created a series of online videos with the slogan, ‘Don’t Try This With Lego’. Consequently, the campaign intentionally attracted a technologically minded demographic. YouTube was the platform that allowed Rokenbok to target their audience with effective production and interactively minded videos.

Let them do the hard work… so you don’t have to!

GoPro, now a household name, has achieved great success by encouraging people to upload video content of themselves using the device. These videos often involve extreme sports, from skydiving to world records to adrenalin-seeking base jumpers.

By placing the product in the right hands of the extreme sports market that GoPro was targeting, the company was able to build their YouTube video marketing completely around user-generated footage. GoPro was in a unique position, being a manufacturer of video capturing devices. Creating user-generated footage can be transferred to a number of industries.

What makes your product a unique experience? Once this question is identified, encourage customers to share the experience by offering incentives.

Show Your Product

Whilst larger businesses have the benefit of creative teams, most SME’s will not have that privilege. Don’t miss out on the opportunities of video marketing simply because you are concerned about your lack of creative talent. There are many SME’s who create simple video content that showcases their products and services.

Say your video has over 3000 views, all of which are potential customers. This video gives potential customers the chance to ask any questions in the comments section. If just 1% of these views converts to sales, the video has been effective in generating a revenue of £750.

Creating video content, which is intended to showcase your product, is a budget-conscious way to reach your audience. You might consider doing the video yourself or select an appropriate member of your team.

Plan what you want to say in the video. Create bullet points which will ensure that you highlight your unique selling points and the advantages of the product/service. Use a video editing tool to cut any unwanted material and ensure your video has a professional feel.

FAQ Session

Your customers have the questions and you have the answers. Search engines have a high frequency of questions, which is the most common way for people to search for something on the internet.

By answering your customers’ questions via video content, you will increase your Google ranking and gain more exposure for your business. This is particularly true for new business concepts or for companies in a complex field, such as legal or property.

A great example of this situation is the vaping industry. As a new industry, people are bound to have a multitude of questions. The UK retailer Vape Club recognized this as an opportunity and created a series of online videos which answered these questions. Their Beginners Guide to Vaping for the First Time attracted over 1M views.

Are you ready to get started with video marketing? A great resource to use is Answer The Public: answerthepublic.com. Whether your business supplies sandwiches or sandpaper, this online tool can enable you to answer questions your customers are asking. Simply key in your product or service and you will be provided with a range of FAQ’S. Carefully select a suggestion which is most relevant to your business and create a YouTube video with all the answers, and get creative!