YouTube is ranked as the world’s #2 search engine. This makes sense since it is owned by Google, the number one search engine in the world. Because of the relationship between the two, video content hosted and posted on YouTube has priority. YouTube boasts over 1.5 billion users, watching around an hour of video a day! Prospects are more than 73% more likely to convert after watching a company’s video. One of the major advantages of video, especially when housed on YouTube, is that video is not only easily consumable, it is also highly sharable. All of this helps drive the point that a company should certainly create a strong presence on this vastly, powerful platform.
Many companies avoid marketing their companies on YouTube because they just don’t know where to start. If you are willing to follow a few simple steps and work on them one at a time, this process does not need to be overly complex. It is important to note that you don’t need ridiculously expensive equipment or professionals to create beneficial video content for your customers. There is plenty of time to add professional equipment down the road. Ultimately, this platform is something your company can grow into as you begin to gain traction.
Here, we will discuss some of the most important factors to consider when getting started:
Equipment
While we would all love to shoot video with an expensive, 6k camera with all the bells and whistles, don’t fool yourself into believing this is required to produce decent footage. We are willing to bet, you have 80% of what you need sitting in your pocket. That’s right, your cell phone can be used initially to collect footage when you are getting started. Cell phones are a great option, mainly because you have them with you at all times. They also tend to produce decent, quality footage. Certainly, better than nothing at all. If you are looking to increase the quality, there are several accessories you can buy that will dramatically improve the quality of your cellphone’s footage. Something as simple as a Gimble, stabilizes the image, dramatically improving the quality of a shot. Lenses, filters, and microphones can all work with your phone. The beautiful part? Most are incredibly inexpensive.
If you are looking for something a step above a cellphone, GoPro makes a nice ecosystem of products that are really reasonable, with the ability to shoot 4K and wide-angle. These products are reasonably priced and produce stellar results.
Setting up the page
There are two types of pages, a channel page, and a Google brand page. The latter is what we recommend companies use. There are two main reasons for this. The first is with a Google brand page, you have the ability to assign multiple admins to the page, making it easier down the road to allow other people to work on the page, even simultaneously. This can be very important as your page starts to grow. However, it may require updating and uploading, which can be time-consuming if you have many videos on your channel. The other reason is a better workflow for advertising. You can read more about setting up a Google brand page here: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1646861?hl=en
SEO
SEO is a major factor in driving traffic and views on your videos. There are several things you can do to maximize, not only the effect of SEO but also capitalize on the power these videos have on your website. As with most search engine optimization, much of the traffic you will garner comes from the effective and strategic use of keywords. Here are several key places you should focus your efforts:
Titles
Descriptions
Tags
Channel Name
Channel Bio or About Section
It is important to know that videos housed on YouTube, carry additional benefits for your company. Because Google favors content from YouTube, video content is beneficial for bettering your website’s SEO ranking with Google. It is as simple as embedding a video from YouTube on a page of your website, giving that page an additional boost in search engine rankings.
Hashtags
Just as with many social and media platforms, a content producer can utilize hashtags to signal a piece of content fitting a certain criterion. These useful little tools are very powerful when utilized correctly. It is important to stay creative and focused on the tags that you use. You do not want to be tagging a video about marketing when your video is really about injection molding. It is also very important to make sure that you don’t overdo it with hashtags. YouTube lets you use as many as 15, any more than that, will void all of them. Stay focused on the topic of your video, don’t overdo it, and hashtags will eventually, start to drive traffic to your video.
Engagement
Just like any other media or social platform, in order to rank, you must drive engagement. There are several reasons to stay tuned in to your comments and likes. One reason is the opportunity to connect with your customers. Your viewers may provide valuable feedback. Another important component, just like many other social platforms, is the potential for “trolls”. It is important to keep an eye out for these in the comments. If the troll’s comment is fixable or your content is misunderstood, let the comment stand, but answer it and reassure. If the comment is flat out inappropriate, it can be removed. In any case, staying engaged with your audience is important and will pay off in the end.
Competitive Analysis
This part is more fun than it sounds. This is your opportunity to check out what the competition is doing well and utilize it. The reason? You have an opportunity to get in front of them on some keywords or topics. You may also find areas where they are not strong and fill a gap. This also helps you understand your target audience. Check out their descriptions, views, likes, comments, and bios. Scour their pages and videos to find weak and strong links. We are not saying to copy your competition, but having this data in hand, helps you know what is or isn’t working in your industry. Build your page with this information in hand.
Branding
As with many platforms allowing users to brand their space, it’s an important step to ensure a customer is aware of your company. Here are a few places you can put your unique touch on a page:
Logo
Header
Bumper Ads
Watermarks
Ensure all of your branding looks great in different resolutions across several devices and browsers. Use your company colors and avoid too much text in the images. When finished, the page should be impactful and follow your company’s brand standards. For more detailed information on how to change art, guidelines, and templates, visit Google’s support page: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2972003?hl=en
Pro tip:
The “Suggested Videos” section of YouTube, is hot real estate. Whether it is suggestions appearing on the right of the screen, or ones displaying at the end of a video, it is important to do your best to control. This is so that your competition’s videos don’t show up when you are engaging a potential customer. There are a few ways that you can prevent this. One is through the use of “Bumper Ads” the other is to produce videos and publish them in series. This makes YouTube aware of other relevant videos on your channel, reducing the risk of a competitor's video interrupting your message.
YouTube is an incredibly powerful tool that your company can use to drive traffic to your site, educate your user base, and build thought leadership and brand. In any case, it is important to start on the right foot with your channel. If you implement these tactics, you will effectively create a foundation for a growing YouTube channel. Post frequently and consistently, you will have a steady viewer base. If you need help setting up your YouTube Channel or developing your content and funnels, contact Nesbit Marketing:
231-360-0179
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