7 Reasons Now Is the Perfect Time to Develop a YouTube Marketing Strategy
You’ve probably spent some time perusing videos on the social media giant YouTube. Some clips are done well and others not, but you can reach new customers and expand your audience by producing the right content.
Wyzowl’s State of Video Marketing 2021 reports 86% of businesses use video as a marketing tool, up from 85% in 2020. The majority of American adults watch YouTube at least some of the time. If you aren’t already embracing YouTube as part of your marketing strategy, now is the time to start.
What is the perfect marketing strategy? Does it have to include YouTube? No one can answer the question for you since each business is unique. However, if you haven’t tried the platform, now is a great time to experiment and see if you can expand your audience reach. Here are some tips to get started.
1. Consider the Competition
Take time to find your competition on the social media network. What types of videos do they upload, and how often? Pay attention to how many followers they have and if they engage through comments and likes.
What are they doing really well? What could they do better? You want your videos to stand out from others in the same category.
2. Teach Something New
Think about the videos already on YouTube. Make a list of what you know that either isn’t covered or not covered well. How can you fill the gaps?
In one survey of adults under 35, approximately 70% said they watched videos training them to do something in the past year. What is your knowledge, and how does it differ from other how-to videos already available?
If you don’t have unique elements, at least make the presentation remarkable. No one else has the same story or personality. Put it into your videos, and you’re sure to get a response.
3. Find Consistency
One thing you can do to develop a following on YouTube is to find a consistent schedule for uploads and create videos recognizable as your brand.
When users know they can count on you to upload a 10-minute video on Wednesdays at noon, they’ll start to look for it. They’ll subscribe to your channel and may even tell others about you.
Use similar lighting, background, and video types in each production. Create an intro and exit that plays for each one you upload to create further branding opportunities.
4. Create a Channel Icon
Part of your branding includes your channel assets. Create an icon and upload it to your profile. It should also appear under each video or when you respond to users. This serves as your official presence on YouTube, so make sure it’s on-brand.
Google suggests an 800 x 800-pixel image for the best appearance. It can be square or round. Think of this as your profile photo, as you’d use on Facebook or Twitter.
5. Optimize Your Video Titles
You should optimize your titles with keywords to show up in searches. Think about the natural language patterns people use. What might they say if they wanted to find a video on kittens? They might say, “Alexa, show me videos of cute kittens.”
In addition to keyword research, you should also consider what people are most likely to use as a search term. Work those phrases into your titles. In the above example, you might use something like “Top Videos of Cute Kittens.”
6. Complete the Description
Take the time to describe what your video is about. People may read the description to decide if they want to view your upload or not. In addition, this is what shows up in search engine results pages.
Your description should be used to entice the person to view your video. For example, “Video of dozens of cute kittens. Every kitten action you could ever want. Jumping kittens, playful kittens, funny kittens.”
You can dig a little deeper into what they’ll see, but don’t give the entire thing away. You want a bit of intrigue to entice them into clicking Play.
7. Cross-Promote Your Videos
One of the best parts of creating YouTube videos for marketing is using them across multiple platforms. Embed them on your website, share them on Facebook, and ask your followers to shout them out on their social media pages.
The more places the video appears, the better it will perform. You can easily expand your brand exposure this way. You might even want to assign an employee the task of sharing it in groups to help answer questions.
Make sure the group allows promotional posts, though. You don’t want to be accused of spam and turn off an entire group of potential customers.
Should You Pay for Ads?
Paid content pulls up first in search engine results. If you aren’t getting a lot of traction, it can be one way to spread the word. You also can place ads into other videos.
Look for influencers with audiences similar to yours and talk to them about creating a shout-out for your channel. Seek live shows and ask to be the featured guest. There are many ways to promote your brand on YouTube.
Now Is the Time for YouTube Marketing
Now is the perfect time to jump into YouTube marketing. You don’t even have to create a full-length video to get started. You can make a short clip and advertise on other content to get a feel for the platform.
Run a live chat answering questions about your industry. When you’re ready, release some content others will appreciate and watch your following grow.
