People Expect 3 Things from Your Brand on Social Media
There’s no question that marketing is at its most effective when it connects with consumers on an emotional, personal level. The marketing messages that touch our emotions are the ones we remember and share with others – and they’re also the ones that exert the greatest influence over our purchasing decisions. Video has the ability to humanize messages and connect with viewers’ emotions in a way that text and still images simply cannot match, so it should come as no surprise that a recent study found that YouTube videos influence the purchasing decisions of more than half of all consumers in the U.S. If you don’t know how to use YouTube to market your business or aren’t getting the views and results you were hoping for, the following YouTube marketing tips will help you maximize your company’s video marketing reach.
Create compelling content that meets your audience’s needs.
YouTube viewers are not looking for a video singing your company’s praises, they are looking for videos that provide them with content that is relevant, interesting, and meets some need. How-to demonstrations featuring your products, answers to frequently asked questions, slideshows, and customer reviews that showcase your products (such as unboxing videos) are all examples of valued video content that generates repeat views and boosts audience engagement.
Apply Video SEO
Videos generally appear first on Google results, so applying expert search engine optimization to your videos will pay double dividends by raising your company’s profile on Google as well as your videos’ ranking on YouTube search. Utilize the full list of YouTube video SEO strategies to gain maximum exposure:
- Keywords – Include keywords in your title, tags, and description. The majority of YouTube organic views come from related videos, so include keywords that will relate your videos appropriately
- Description – Begin your description with a full URL link to a landing page on your company’s website, and write a detailed, keyword-dense description that includes links to your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Don’t forget a call-to-action!
- Annotations –Include a subscribe option in your annotations, as well as links to your playlists and other videos, invitations to comment and bookmark; whatever you can think of to engage viewers
- Captions and Subtitles – Transcribing your videos’ content as a .txt file gives Google more text to index
- Generate Activity – Engaging viewers will raise your videos’ profile, so be sure to set your privacy to “public” and encourage comments, comment voting, embedding, and syndication. Respond to comments to keep discussions flowing
Customize your YouTube channel
Customizing your YouTube channel turns your page into a branded destination viewers can recognize, setting it apart from the generic run-of-the-mill pages. Create a custom background, include your logo, and choose colors to match your brand. Choose Player View, lead with your most popular content as the featured video, and set your channel to autoplay your chosen video when users land on your channel. Use your activity feed to keep viewers up-to-date with your company’s news.
Create Playlists
Creating playlists groups your related videos together; this makes it easier for viewers to find content that interests them and increases the time they spend on your channel, which raises your ranking
Invest in YouTube ads
YouTube ads are available in a variety of ad formats; use them to increase video shares, generate subscriptions, and raise your company’s profile.
Cross-Promote across social media
Cross promotion is a great way to increase your YouTube channel views and get the most mileage from your video marketing efforts. Post your videos to Facebook, link them to your blog posts, Tweet your videos, and share them in your Google+ posts.
Apply YouTube Analytics
Use YouTube Insights and Google Analytics to measure the success of your YouTube marketing campaigns and your video marketing reach, and adjust your video strategy accordingly.
This article by Peter Brooke was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.
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