One of the functions that makes YouTube a powerhouse of a social media platform is the search capabilities; YouTube functions as a search engine, housing millions of minutes worth of video content.
Due to the fact that video is a transparent way to market, and transparency breeds trust, YouTube is a well-trusted and utilized social platform.
There are a few different features within YouTube that provide powerful benefits to marketers on the platform:
- Description: the description of the video, if filled with keywords, will be what helps people discover your video on the social channel. Make your description detailed and informative, and include links to your social profiles and website to maximize the conversion rate.
- Annotations: these hyperlinked graphic overlays can be placed on top of videos to help move people from your video to your website. These buttons function as visual calls to action that can be placed on your video.
- Advertising: you can run ads on your own YouTube videos or others’ videos. Industry expert Steve Dotto recommends using veeroll.com.
If you decide to start creating video as a part of your marketing strategy, you’re going to want to be super strategic about the types and frequency of videos you’ll share on your YouTube channel.
YouTube marketing is most effective when you plan ahead and create a strategy for how to use the channel to educate, inspire and engage.
Here are seven practices to keep in mind in order to build an effective YouTube strategy:
- Consistency is critical: if you want people to view your videos, publish them on a consistent schedule. Amy Schmittaeur, YouTube rockstar, posts three videos each week on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Thursdays. Each day has a set theme and she posts the videos at the same time each day so that her audience knows when, and what, to expect from her on a daily and weekly basis.
- Familiarity breeds friendships: make your videos familiar by using a repetitive look, flow and feel for all of your videos. Ideally, you record all videos in the same location to create consistency in background and environment. You want to repeat your introduction in the same way, as people like predictability. Familiarity will make your videos binge-worthy.
- Hook early: capture attention early on, within the first 10 seconds of the video. You can do this by sharing a notable statistic or asking a question that piques curiosity and interest from your audience.
- Include call to action: tell people exactly what you want them to do as a result of viewing your video to maximize the likelihood that they’ll take action. If you want them to start following you on Twitter or visiting your website, say it!
- Creating content buckets: you’re going to want to be clear on the type of content you produce videos for so that you can create a loyal and engaged audience on YouTube. Find out what pain points your audience has and start using video to solve those problems and answer popular questions. Creating a few buckets for content will help you stay strategic and organized, as you’ll know what types of content need to be created.
- Quality content: to keep people’s attention throughout your video, you want to create high-quality content. Strong takeaways and actionable advice will help retain your audience and keep them watching the entire video; this will boost your SEO and make your channel most visible on YouTube.
- Entertain and engage: you want to use YouTube to both entertain and engage your audience, so find a healthy balance between content creation and engagement. Be sure to respond to comments and questions on your videos!
For your first few videos, it’s smart to include an introduction of yourself, your mission and expertise.
However, once you’ve created a few videos and posted them on YouTube, you’re going to want to switch to loyalty treatment: treating your YouTube subscribers like old friends.
When posting your video content to YouTube, you want to optimize it for discovery. Be sure to use strong, clear headlines and keywords in the description.
By following the seven steps above, you’ll be on your way to building a loyal and engaged audience on YouTube.
