When you think of video marketing in 2019, YouTube might not be the first place your mind wanders anymore. It's true that there are several different outlets for hosting video online these days, including Facebook, IGTV, Vimeo, and more. However, just because you have more options, doesn't mean you should discount the tried and true. YouTube still reigns supreme when it comes to video content, and this is exactly why your business should create its own YouTube channel.
How To Create a YouTube Channel
First things first, you need a Google/Gmail account. YouTube is owned by Google, and accounts are created and accessed through the Google platform. If you already have a Google/Gmail account, you can simply sign into YouTube using that account.
Next, you'll create your channel for your brand account. You can do this by accessing your account settings and then choosing Create a new channel. Enter in your business name and follow any necessary steps to verify your account.
Finally, you'll want to brand your account. Start by creating a username that matches your other social media handles. Making sure that all of your social media handles are the same helps make it easy for your audience to find you. It's all about brand strength.
Your next step in branding your YouTube profile involves adding a profile photo and channel art. Your profile photo should always be your logo, but YouTube's channel art is a bit more complex than simply adding a cover photo. Because YouTube can be viewed on so many different screens (TV, computer, mobile), its channel art has to adapt. So while you need to upload a banner sized 2560 x 1440 px, you need to ensure the main part of your channel art is within the very center 1546 x 423 px in order to be viewed properly on all devices.
Last, be sure to fill out all information about your business, including your bio, website links, and anything else you want your audience to know.
Then you're ready to start creating video content, uploading it, and utilizing your account for marketing.
How to Use YouTube in Your Digital Marketing Strategy
Alright, you've got your new YouTube account created. Now, how can you use this to your advantage? Video production can easily become a costly strategy, so how can you properly utilize your YouTube channel without going over budget?
Here are a few strategies to help with your video marketing strategy.
1. Create regular content.
In order to properly use your YouTube channel as a marketing tool, you need to create and upload content to it pretty regularly. However, this doesn't mean you have to invest in an entire production every single week in order to have content to share.
Here are a few different ideas for video content that you can easily create without breaking the bank.
- Interviews: Interview a thought leader in your industry about a related topic and share the video in full on your YouTube channel, or break it down into smaller pieces to share over a few weeks.
- Testimonials: Ask satisfied customers if you can feature them in a testimonial video. You can share these in small clips on their own, or put together a longer video with multiple testimonials.
- Tutorials: Demonstrate how to use your product/service on camera to make it easier for your audience to make a purchasing decision.
- Vlogs: Vlogs (short for video blogs) are essentially you or a member of your team taking the camera around the business for a certain period of time and documenting what goes on in day-to-day life.
- YouTube Live: Just as every other social media platform has implemented some sort of live video, YouTube has done the same. But this is good news, because that means you can focus your video efforts entirely on YouTube instead of having to utilize three different video platforms. Use YouTube Live to live stream events, and to share giveaway announcements and more fun content.
2. Cross-promote your videos.
Although you'll be uploading your video content exclusively to YouTube, you still want to cross-promote your video content on your other social media platforms. Copy the share URL in order to post your YouTube videos to Facebook, Twitter, and more.
You can also easily embed YouTube videos into your blog and website content to increase video views there as well. YouTube creates embed codes for every video so that you can easily copy and paste it onto your site.
3. Optimize your videos.
Create compelling video titles, utilize tags, and include keywords in your video descriptions. YouTube is a child of Google, so it's no surprise that its search feature is also heavily algorithmic. Optimizing your video for search is a great way to increase the chances that someone finds your video (and subsequently your business) while searching for similar content on the video platform.
4. Engage with your viewers.
Just like you would on any other social media platform, be sure to respond to anyone who comments on your video. Creating conversations around your business (especially positive ones) is a great way to spread awareness about your brand. Consumers expect quick responses from brands online, and this is no different when it comes to your YouTube comments.
Be sure you're answering questions, thanking viewers for their support by watching, interacting with viewers (i.e., potential customers), and more. You don't want to leave any comments untouched, so make it a priority to check your YouTube channel for new comments and interactions daily.
Video marketing is a massively important strategy in 2019, and paring down your usage to only one platform can make this strategy easier and more inexpensive for your brand. Focus on growing your YouTube channel, sharing your content across your other platforms, and learning more about how you can create video content that resonates with your audience. If you're interested in learning more about YouTube marketing or other great digital marketing strategies, contact us today.
Written By: Doug Milnor
