The Definitive Guide To YouTube Marketing
YouTube marketing is a huge niche which should not be ignored by any business looking to achieve success online, with over 1.3 billion people using creating massive traffic and large viewership.
Video is now the most important online medium. It is reported that by the beginning of 2017, at least 78% of all internet traffic was video and more than half of all web traffic in the evening and night is video traffic on YouTube, Netflix, and other video platforms.
YouTube marketing is a powerful tool and that is why a video is so important for online marketing.
You get a chance to talk to the viewer, build a connection, explain to him or her what you are selling and let them know why it is good for them and why they should buy it.
This article delves into the importance of YouTube marketing and will give you insights into why every business should use this platform.
YouTube Marketing Is the Future of Web Marketing
Video is the future of online marketing and the move toward video has reached critical mass; for business owners and internet marketers, YouTube marketing must be an essential strategy for online marketing.
YouTube marketing, means taking advantage of the phenomenal shift toward video online.
Therefore, it is important to learn and test web page marketing on YouTube to give you a leg up on your competition and help your business to move forward for online success.
What are the best YouTube marketing practices?
YouTube Channels vs YouTube Pages
If you want venture into YouTube marketing, you must rethink the way you look at YouTube and treat it as a second website and be strategic in the way you will use your channel and pages.
Your channel will be the homepage that anchors your YouTube website while the videos are the webpages.
Every video posted on the YouTube channel strengthens your website since every video points back to your channel page.
The rules of good web design apply in YouTube as well and the more authoritative your channel or homepage is, the better your site will rank. Your videos must be relevant to the theme of your channel to build authority.
Elements of Creating An Effective YouTube Video
Before you create a video, you need to be clear on the purpose your video should serve. Here are some goals which businesses may want to achieve through YouTube videos:
Grow website readership: The video is a great opportunity to encourage viewers to check out your main website and can often lead to an opt-in or sale.
Lead capture: Videos are ideal for capturing leads; simply direct the person watching to a link listed below your video and let them know what is on offer once they opt-in.
You should track your YouTube leads because they are already educated about your product or service- an informed lead is worth a lot more than an uneducated lead.
Building your website brand: YouTube videos are a great tool for building a business website profile and visibility.
Making direct sales: Videos are an opportunity for any business to present a CALL-TO-ACTION directly to the viewer.
Video Sequence
Once you have understood how to use the channels and pages, sequencing your video correctly, is the next step.
When it comes to sequencing, timing is everything; the ideal length of your YouTube video is about 3 minutes but ensure that it is under 10 minutes is it is longer.
8 Steps and Tips for YouTube video sequencing:
1. Introduction and Branding
Introduce yourself and inform viewers about who you are and let them know where else they can connect with your brand e.g. on Facebook or Twitter.
2. Tell the Viewers What They Will Gain By Watching
After the brief intro, explain why (benefits) the viewer should watch the video and how long the video is.
3. Offer Viewers Value
In this step, you should deliver the information you promised in your introduction and title. Be very detailed and clear.
4. Recap with A Conclusion
Like every other talk, you must do a summary of the whole episode. Include the key points and highlight the main areas of your product or service.
5. Advise Them
As you conclude, offer the viewer some advice based on the information you just gave. It can be as an encouragement, recommendation, or even a warning.
6. Call To Action (CTA)
This is why you produced the video, to get the viewer to act. Ask viewers to take the next step by subscribing to your list or making a purchase.
7. Drag at The End
Do not cut your video right after the CTA, let the video run a little for emphasis; it can be silence with an arrow pointing down to the promotional link.
If your video ends abruptly, Google will immediate move to the next video and your link will disappear.
8. Work on YouTube Engagement
YouTube is no longer just a video search site, it is now a social networking site as well; the more friends, likes, viewers, and engagement your videos get, the better they rank.
Importance of having your own YouTube channel
More Content
It is the content and videos which make a website stand out and how better to do that than through videos.
Adding a YouTube channel to your website with quality videos ensures that people return often to get information.
More Traffic
Getting more people back to your website for the videos or even to your YouTube channel increases traffic; as they look for the videos and view them, they will eventually follow the link to your website and that can drive more traffic.
More Connections
The connectivity factor of YouTube makes it a reliable social media platform; the viewers get familiar with what the videos are intended for and can even get hooked.
That is why the videos must be clear and of high quality videos. Videos don’t just promote or entertain, but connects to viewers.
More Revenue Opportunities
Well managed YouTube channels with good quality video will open opportunities for other revenue streams such as from advertising.
Videos that are watched often can be used for advertising and YouTube pays subscribers who get a lot of hits on their videos.
Conclusion
The importance of YouTube marketing cannot be understated- it is one of the largest and most visited websites in the world and every business should take advantage to convert, make sales, and generate more revenue through it.
Luckily, it is also one of the easiest platforms to market on since it is basically free and easy to use.
As long as you can make a video and upload, you are good to go and additionally, it is also one of the easiest online platforms where you are guaranteed massive traffic with minimal effort if you get it right.
Utilizing these best practices for YouTube videos by creating create engaging and relevant videos, implement an SEO strategy and you will see your rankings climb on both YouTube and Google.
So, do not start or run an online business without considering the use of videos. This form of content draws in a lot of people as compared to written content or still images. Adding videos to your website is a game-changer.