YouTube is far and away the most popular video platform in the world. Creating YouTube videos for business allows you to reach millions of potential customers not just in your area, but across the nation and around the world.
That’s a powerful marketing tool. However, many businesses get tripped up on even getting started with making a YouTube video for business. While straightforward, the process can seem overwhelming to those who have never tried video marketing before.
This is an area where professionals in social media marketing can provide a great deal of help. But the following gives an outline of the steps needed to market your company on YouTube, starting with how to set up a YouTube channel.
Create a Google Account
Google now owns YouTube, so you need to create a Google account to have access to creating a YouTube account. This also gives you access to other Google services, such as Google Drive and Gmail, that can prove useful.
Create a YouTube Account
You automatically get a YouTube account through your Gmail account. You should have access to it in the menu in the upper right corner of your Google account page. But that’s a personal channel. To create a brand channel, click on “create a new channel” in your YouTube account. Make sure to add logos, images or whatever you use for your brand identity.
Create Trailer and Structure
You can create a channel trailer video that welcomes visitors to your channel. That’s a very smart move, giving you the chance to greet visitors with a polished video that introduces them to your brand, products and services. You also want to create a structure for your YouTube videos. This means, for example, that you can order how the videos appear, rather than having the latest video show up first. Videos can be placed in distinct categories, making it easier for viewers to find what they want.
Up Your Profile
By clicking on your profile, then creator studio, then advanced, you can enter keywords that will make your video page searchable. The key here is to only use keywords directly related to the content you are creating! That way you do not turn up in searches for issues unrelated to what you do, which only irritates and annoys YouTube users.
These are the broad strokes, but they will get you started on YouTube. Hootsuite provides even more detail on what you can do with your YouTube channel once you create it.
YouTube Videos for Business
All the above can help you create a professional YouTube channel for your business. But what about actually making YouTube videos for business?
Here are some of the key issues to consider.
Equipment
Let’s get this out of the way first. Years ago, budget considerations for making high-quality videos kept businesses from even trying. Today, videos shot on a smartphone carry as much weight as those shot in a studio – even more with many consumers.
And even if you want to shoot in 4K video, you can buy a camera to do that for less than $1,000. Add in a microphone and perhaps some lighting, and you are ready to go. Equipment is rarely a big issue these days. The following step is the big issue.
Have a Plan
What do you want your video to accomplish? Who is the target audience? Have you talked through the various options in style and content? Have you written a script? Who will be in the video?
Like 9 out of 10 videos online show, it’s a failure to have videos that meander, fail to make a point or bore the audience so quickly that they click away. Having a plan is the No. 1 issue, followed by creating clever, engaging content. This is an area where a professional digital marketing company can prove very useful.
Optimize
Make sure that when you upload to YouTube, all your video’s titles, tags and description have been filled properly. This optimization process makes the videos much easier to find when searching on YouTube. Also, when you write the description, make sure to include a well-written description of what the video is about and a link back to your business site.
Take Time With The Thumbnail
The thumbnail image is often considered last when it should be considered first. A thumbnail image is the first way people will see you when you come up in a search. Make sure this is a fantastic image that ties into what you do. Also, this custom image takes the place of the scanned image grabbed by Google.
Get Comments
Allow people to make comments on your video and answer them when appropriate. This type of direct engagement with customers is one of the most powerful tools on social media. Remember that the more people view and like your video, the higher it rises in the search rankings. Also, provide a way for people to subscribe to your channel.
Keep these tips in mind and you can create successful YouTube videos for business. It’s one of the most powerful digital marketing tools available. You want to make the best use of it possible.
