Often when you think of social media for business, you immediately think of Facebook or Twitter. Many companies don’t even consider YouTube as a great alternative to the standard networks, which can be a boon for you. YouTube levels the playing field, allowing smaller businesses to compete with much larger ones. All it requires is creative content and timely delivery.
Here are some stats from YouTube that might help sway you into setting up your own channel:
- YouTube has over 1 billion users and they watch hundreds of millions every day.
- YouTube, even just on their mobile app, reaches more 18-49 year olds than any cable network.
- Interested in going global? 80% of Youtube’s views are from outside the U.S.
So what are some things to think about when getting started?
- The Message—First, you need to decide what your goal is for having a YouTube channel. Focusing your message makes it easier to deliver quality content that people will want to bookmark and share. For example, whether your goal is to provide helpful how-to’s or to pick apart a thorny issue, knowing in advance what you want to happen will make it easier to navigate that process.
- Create Your Channel—This seems like a gimme, but it is important to fully create your channel which means having your icon, channel art, and about section. You want a channel that embodies your business’s brand, so no half efforts here.
- Regular Content—The most popular YouTube stars are the ones that regularly post new videos. So be sure to keep your content coming once you start posting videos. If you are doing several different types of videos, keep them easy to find using playlists.
- Be Specific—Your channel represents your business so be specific when it comes to naming the videos and writing the description. You know which keywords people use to find your business, so be sure to use them. Same goes with the category and tags for your content.
- Interact—Place Calls to Action in your videos and in the descriptions. Respond to comments sincerely; don’t use a canned answer. You want a commenter to feel like they can talk with your business as regular people.
It won’t take long for your videos to get viewed and once they do, you can gauge your success based on how long people tuned in and what they had to say about it. Use this information to tailor your videos for increased success. If 5 minutes is too long to hold their interest, shorten it to 3 minutes.
Got some ideas on how to make YouTube work for your small business? Hit us up in the comments.
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