For marketers and business owners video is an engaging way to create and share fresh content, and there are more options than ever for doing so. YouTube is currently the third most popular website in the world and has over a billion users. It’s easy to embed YouTube videos across social media platforms, however native video uploaded directly to the likes of Facebook and Twitter seems to be performing better than YouTube video in terms of reach. Choosing to include YouTube into your marketing plan is also about embracing the community and making the most of this channel’s ability to help you get discovered and increase awareness. YouTube should become part of your video strategy, alongside an onsite gallery or the use of video on other social networks.
Why Choose to Use YouTube
- Google search – videos are appearing more in search, so including video on your page could help to improve authority
- The second largest search engine – YouTube is bigger than Bing, Yahoo, Aol and Ask combined with over 3 billion searches a month
- Advertise – there’s lots of effective options for YouTube advertising
- Tell your story – a fantastic way to tell your story online
A Global Audience
YouTube has global audience of 88 different countries and 76 languages. Because so much of the content on YouTube is instructional, it may be that people from all over the world can watch and learn without subtitles. But there is now a wide range of languages available for subtitling too. Video content in the native language to those you’re targeting is always best – if you need to caption, always have a native speaker review for accuracy.
Appeal to How and Where YouTubers Watch Video
Unsurprisingly most YouTubers watch video on mobile, but surprisingly they view 40 minutes of video on average, per session; a lot of video to watch on a small screen. So there is a case here for creating longer, deeper videos and videos utilising playlists. On other social media channels, Facebook in particular, we passively consume video content every day. Although YouTube currently has 11 times more video than Facebook, this may be shifting.
Inject Some Personality
YouTube is a place for personalities, so think about the human aspect of your video content. Do you have some really passionate and engaging members of the team who could appear on video? Like any social media content, YouTube videos can act as a teaser, so do your best to drive traffic back to your site, and offer more unique content direct on your site to keep them engaged once they get there.
Play With Video Length
Unlike feed channels like Facebook and Twitter, you’re not fighting for attention while users scroll. This means you can play with video length, and use the amount of time you need to tell your story. Twitter videos work better at 15 – 30 seconds whereas YouTube’s most engaging videos are between 16 seconds and 2 minutes.
Don’t Forget Thumbnails
Your thumbnail may determine whether a user watches your video, and faces are more effective than objects!
Make the Most of Your Copy
Using copy within your video creative can help reiterate points. YouTube is a search engine so take some time on titles, sub-titles and descriptions – for the benefit of your users but also to help you get found. Speak to your audience in their native language.
Make Clear Calls To Action
Use clear calls to action, make it easy for users to convert, move to the next stage, or consume more content.
Try a Channel Greeting
A personal welcome message to your channel will let people know what they can expect and should be followed by an option for them to watch more.
Use Playlists
With YouTube offering suggested content, it can be easy for your users to get lost in other content. Creating playlists helps to keep them engaged. Choose descriptive titles for your playlists for SEO, and remember to use video tags.
Post Regularly
Keep users engaged with regular, fresh content. Consider creating episodes or themes for certain days. People will know what to expect and YouTube should reward you for your dedication!
Be Social
Don’t forget YouTube is a social network, so make sure you communicate with your audience. Reply to queries and manage your feedback.
Creating a blended video distribution channel will help avoid any potential disadvantages of using YouTube. But generally it’s a great platform to begin a user’s experience of your brand, and hopefully keep them engaged.
Original Source: Brightcove