11 Smart Ways to Use YouTube
 Aliza Sherman is a web pioneer, author, and international speaker. Sherman is the author of 8 books about the Internet including The Everything Blogging Book, Streetwise Ecommerce, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Crowdsourcing and Social Media Engagement for Dummies. |
11 Smart Ways to Use YouTubeVideo is an essential communications asset in any well-rounded social media marketing plan. Whether you’re creating long form or short form videos, with a smartphone or high-end video equipment, how you leverage your videos is based on what you produce and where you publish it. YouTube continues to be the world’s largest video-sharing platform in the world, with over 2.7 billion monthly active users. It is also considered a major search hub since YouTube videos show up prominently in Google search results. Your YouTube channel can be a compelling visual portfolio of your company’s work, your products or service, and it can serve multiple purposes. Here are 11 ways you can leverage your YouTube channel for marketing purposes. 1. Present your brand Showcase your brand in an engaging way, through short and long form shareable videos. Add a watermark of your logo to your videos to help boost brand awareness. On YouTube, the watermark appears on the bottom right corner of each video and can be set to appear at either the end of the video, at a specific custom time, or throughout the entire video. 2. Make a positive first impression Upload an on-brand, descriptive video and make it a trailer on your channel. A YouTube channel trailer is a short, 30 to 90 second video that is featured at the top of your channel homepage. The trailer plays automatically for anyone who visits your channel who isn’t yet a subscriber. Think of the trailer as a video elevator pitch that introduces visitors to your company. 3. Amass a subscriber base While a YouTube channel can be a useful brand-building presence online, it becomes exponentially more effective when people convert from viewers to subscribers. Subscribing to a YouTube channel is free. Once someone subscribes, they will receive instant notifications each time you upload new videos. 4. Demonstrate your products/explain your services Videos on your YouTube channel can help you clearly communicate what your business offers. If you sell products or offer services, videos can be more effective than explanations on web pages or downloadable product manuals. Videos can be more engaging and can bring manuals and product or service information to life. 5. Introduce your team One way to connect more deeply with your audience is to introduce the people behind your business. Whether you have a company of one, several, or many, posting video introductions can humanize your company. Be sure to provide media training for your team so they are comfortable in front of the camera. You can also opt to select a few team members to participate regularly in videos you produce so they become familiar faces representing your brand. Don’t be shy and get out in front of the camera as well. 6. Go behind-the-scenes Another way to engage your audience is to give them a glimpse of the inner operations of your company. This could mean giving a tour of your business or showing how a product is manufactured. You can even film your team members volunteering or attending events to demonstrate a connection to your community. 7. Educate others One way to highlight your expertise and convert viewers into customers is to provide educational videos such as how-to videos and "explainer" videos. If you own a fashion retail store, you could produce videos that show how to mix and match separates and accessorize outfits. If you are a dentist, you could produce videos giving quick and easy tips for good dental hygiene. Make these videos short and informative. 8. Generate leads If you’re paying to advertise on YouTube, you can attach a lead generation form to your ads that is hosted on Google. These forms prompt viewers to submit their contact information without leaving YouTube. If you aren’t paying for ads, you can still include a link to a lead generation form in the links section of your Channel’s description. Include up to six links in this section to point viewers to additional places where they can connect with you. 9. Build community See if you have access to the YouTube Community tab that is available to most creators when advanced features are activated. In some cases, it may only be available once you reach 500 subscribers. The Community tab located on your channel’s home page, typically between the "Playlists" and "Channels" or "About" tabs. On mobile, it might be labeled "Posts" or "Community." You can use it to post text updates, images, GIFs, quizzes, and polls to interact with your subscribers. 10. Enhance your reputation Third party video reviews can capture attention, lend credibility, and provide quick or in-depth information about your company, product, and services. These reviews can be customer testimonials that you produce, user generated content that you solicit, or clips created by influencers you hire. 11. Archive your videos Any video you produce can be archived on your YouTube channel, including ones from other platforms including Instagram Reels, TikToks, and television commercials. Take advantage of channel playlists to organize your video library. Depending on where you are posting or sharing videos, you can link to or embed videos from YouTube such as on your website or in an email. If video is a major part of your business or marketing efforts, YouTube is a key tool for attracting and engaging with customers and prospects. Even if your main focus isn’t producing videos, a YouTube channel can still be a versatile and useful platform for your company. |