Four Ways to Maximize Your YouTube Marketing Efforts
As with any marketing endeavor, wading into the experience of working with a new platform can fall flat without the proper digital strategy to make it a success. This is certainly the case with YouTube, which has become the preeminent video sharing website that boasts 4 billion video views each day. If your business is hoping to harness the extreme popularity of this platform, you first need to know exactly what you’d like to get out of it. Here are a few ways that companies use YouTube to grow their web profile and how to get your marketing plan off the ground.
- Tell your story
This is quite possibly one of the most important pieces of promotional material your company can make, and it has fabulous potential on your website, social media pages and marketing emails. This is your way to tell your brand’s story through pictures, sound and storytelling, and whether you’re the owner of a coffee shop or an ecommerce website, conveying the atmosphere and culture of your company can build customer loyalty and trust.
- Spark consumer engagement
Consumers are far more likely to share your videos if you are sharing theirs as well, so encourage your audience to tap into their creative sides. Host video contests to harness the abilities of your consumer base, or utilize customer testomonials in your future promotions. This is an easy way to build buzz for your brand and let your customers know that their input is extremely valuable to your organization.
- Provide direct business links
The point of all social media marketing is to divert potential consumers away from the content itself to your website where they can explore what your company has to offer. A direct link to your site in the video’s description panel is a great step in the right direction, but this space has real potential to increase your SEO rankings as well. YouTube is second only to Google in the sheer size of its search engine, so make the description beneath your video unique and include primary keywords in the first sentence to increase the chances of a consumer coming across your content.
- Entertain, don’t advertise
Think of it this way – your audience probably sat through a short advertisement to view your video on YouTube, why would they want to see another one? Social content that is engaging and entertaining has a much greater shelf life and can spark the engagement you’re looking for. Fun and informative content has a greater chance of receiving likes, shares and comments, so this should be your primary focus with any piece of video produced by your firm.
