In the last few years, a wide variety of tools has become available for those wishing to market their businesses via the internet. One of the most popular of these tools is the video sharing and streaming site YouTube. However, while it is easy to upload a video to the site, getting it to be watched and work for your business can be quite a challenge.
In this article, we will take a look at how you create and turn your YouTube channel into a powerful business promotions tool.
Why use YouTube for your business?
Despite the ubiquity of YouTube videos, some businesses are still not sure whether the platform will indeed work for them. So, here are some of the biggest reasons that will convince you that creating a channel for your business will be worth the effort.
You have a huge audience in front of you.
Every month, more than a billion people visit YouTube to watch everything from gags to sporting events to how-to tutorials. Furthermore, it is considered to be the second largest search engine, following only parent company Google, and is the third most visited site in the world.
With that amount of traffic going through it, you are bound to find people who will be interested in your business’ video content no matter what. What more, you can reach people from across the globe, which you might not have thought possible before.
You become more visible in Google
YouTube being under Google means that it features prominently in the latter’s search results. Thus, by having your YouTube videos complement your other online marketing materials, you can make them more visible in the results. This goes both ways, by tailoring marketing content to complement your videos, you can boost the videos’ visibility in Google’s rankings.
All of these result in your business site being considered by Google as an authoritative resource, considerably increasing page rankings.
You get to build email lists easier
Email lists are vital for creating leads for your business, but we all know that getting them is not easily. However, with a well-planned video marketing campaign in your YouTube channel, your audience will be more willing to give you those precious email addresses. Just be sure to make filling mail forms easy for them.
You get to earn additional cash
Okay, so the main point of putting up a YouTube channel is to promote your business. But the channel itself can be an income generator through Google’s AdSense for Video program. This is great if you are looking for other income sources to supplement the business.
Questions to ask when creating your YouTube channel
Before you even think about uploading your first video, here are a few things to consider for the channel.
- What do you want to achieve with the channel?
Is your channel going to be about your products? Or is it there to provide how-tos to help audiences in the particular area of business? Having a well-defined goal for the channel will help you not only the type of video content to provide, but also the results you expect to get from providing them to your audience.
- Should you produce your own videos or should you get a production company?
Creating your own video content has become easy nowadays, you can even shoot right from your smartphone. However, if you have the money to spend, getting the help of professionals for your first videos will help give the channel a good start.
- How should you promote your videos?
Even at this early stage, there should already be a good picture of how you plan to promote note only your videos, but also your channel. Google’s Adwords for Videos is a great starting point, but you still need to come up with other strategies, such as embedding them in your business’ site and related social media accounts.
- How will you measure the success of the channel?
A great thing about Google is that it already offers you a lot of tools to measure the standing of your channel. YouTube Analytics is free to use and can be set up quickly. It gives you clear and specific details like how many people watched particular videos and how often. The feature would even tell you how viewers discovered the video.
Setting up your channel
Creating your YouTube channel is pretty much a straightforward affair and will take only a few minutes. However, when creating the channel, it would be a good idea to do so using a separate Google account so that you can hand it over to another personnel to manage without having to give your personal account.
Having a separate account also lets you give it a unique name. Keep in mind that only one channel can be linked to a Google account and the account username that you set will automatically be the channel’s name. By creating an easy to remember name for the channel, viewers can recall and find it better.
Another aspect of your channel to work on before uploading a video is how it looks. What you want is for the channel to mirror the look of your business website, so use the same color scheme and use your logo as the banner photo for it. Also, be sure that you have completely filled out the channel’s profile for the benefit of your would-be audience.
Uploading your first videos
When creating your videos, keep in mind that your audience either wants to learn or be entertained. So your videos should be able to fulfill at least one, if not both of those premises. Note that your initial videos will set the overall feel that viewers will expect from your channels.
Quality also plays an important role in the success of the channel. While shaky homemade videos are popular on the site, these might not be well-suited for demonstrating new products or doing tutorials. Invest time in perfecting all the aspects of the video, including lighting, sound, and camera quality. Ensure that the same quality shows throughout your succeeding videos to get your audience coming back.
Length is also crucial. While YouTube already allows videos of any length to be uploaded, your viewers might not want to chore through a 2-hour long video lecture. Cut it down into manageable 4-10 minute chunks. From there, you can either upload on a regular basis or just create a playlist to put them in and let your viewers watch at their own pace.
Promoting your channel
Getting people to actually watch the videos uploaded in your channel is arguably the hardest part of the whole effort. So, here are some tips to help in promoting your channel and getting more subscribers.
Label your videos accordingly
Video titles should be short and concise, while still being descriptive of the content. The same applies when it comes to the video description. Be sure to have the necessary tags and keywords to make them easier to search. Also, don’t forget to add a link back to your website or other social media channels to drive traffic.
Create good-looking thumbnails
While it is often overlooked by novice Youtubers, having an attractive thumbnail for your video can get viewers intrigued enough to click and watch. When choosing a thumbnail, use an image that can still be clearly discernible even at a smaller size. Also, the thumbnail should be closely related to the video itself even if it isn’t a screenshot from the latter.
Include call to action within the videos themselves
One of the best features that YouTube has added in the last few years is the ability to include clickable links within the video playback. Make the most out of this to direct your users to other great content from your channel or to get them to your business page. If your video is interesting enough for them, they will be willing to click and see what else you have to offer.
Interact with your viewers
Reading comments on YouTube videos can sometimes be toxic to your sanity. However, by responding calmly to user comments (or rants), you can actually turn the tide and get more people engaged in discussing your video content and contributing to the popularity of the channel. But it doesn’t end there; through commenting on other users’ videos, you can attract more people to visit your own channel.
Spread your videos
Don’t just leave your videos on your channel. Embed them on your business site and share them on your social media accounts. You can also go further and share them on other sites and online communities you visit. This will help you attract more people to your channel.
In closing
What has been written here is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to tapping YouTube for your business. As the site continues to grow, it also opens up more possibilities that you can exploit. So, if you are thinking of setting up your own channel, don’t hesitate and get started right away. Who knows, your business channel might be the next sensation Youtubers are waiting for.
Date: September 13, 2016 / Categories: Explainer, Tips, YouTube, / Author: Rich Drees
