Many SME’s think primarily about Facebook and Twitter as a focus for social media marketing. However, YouTube can also give you a great return in terms of growing your audience and ultimately making sales.
If you want to make the most of your YouTube reach here are 6 tips to keep you on track.
Customize Your Channel
The overall look of your channel is important so make sure you add cover art which represents your business; you feature your logo; and your description sums up concisely what you offer. There is also a place to add your other social media platforms so make the most of this, to reach people in as many places as possible.
Feature Your Uniqueness
Before you start creating your own videos, it’s wise to spend time on the platform looking at the approach other businesses have taken. What you will notice is that the videos will differ greatly but what they all have in common is that they will inform, educate, or entertain. The overall aim is to create a channel which is memorable or which people wish to return to. For example, Vape Club has done a great job on the education side as they have focused on eliminating any confusion people might feel when it comes to switching to e-cigarettes. They also produced a beginner’s guide to vaping which included a range of videos for anyone who has recently taken up vaping.
Be Consistent
One rule with YouTube is to be consistent. There’s no point uploading one or two videos and hoping they will go viral, that is unlikely to happen when you consider how much competition you are up against. Instead, focus on the long haul and realise that every single view you get on a video is exposure to a potential new customer. The more you post, the more people you will reach, so plan out an editorial calendar for the next 12 months to keep you focused.
Get Interactive
Many people will comment on your videos and while some of these will be spam, there will be also be plenty of people with genuine questions and comments. So keep an eye on this section and be quick to respond. Research has shown that people’s buying decisions are heavily influenced by the treatment they receive on social media so always make it a positive experience for them.
Be Descriptive
YouTube is owned by Google and therefore if you consider the SEO on your videos, you have a good chance of showing up not just in the search results on the platform but also in the Google search engine as well. Always fill out every detail as fully as possible, selecting titles which are keyword rich, writing a fairly lengthy description for your video, again including your targeted keywords, and choosing a relevant category and adding tags.
You should also link back to your videos from your blog and your other social media platforms; as if you can start a steady flow of traffic it’s more likely that new people will discover you. YouTube handily adds a share bar so you can easily embed the videos on your website and even have them appear directly in your Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest timelines.
Don’t Forget the Calls to Action
Once you have some traffic, it’s vital to tell people what to do next. You can do this by adding a call to action in your description or even at the end of your videos. Change these up so you are not always asking people to do the same thing. Sometimes you might want to encourage them to subscribe to your channel, other times you might suggest they check out your website or sign up for your newsletter.
In the same way, you can add calls to action elsewhere so people find your YouTube channel in the first place. Add a link in the social media buttons on your website, mention your channel in your newsletter and maybe even add the url to any paperwork you send out.
People love to consume video online so don’t be shy about spreading the word about what you have to offer. It’s very likely that video will be one of the main types of content that your audience will be happy to share with their friends and family.
