Here are some strategies that appeal to these age groups that can help you not only get their business, but help build connections that are long lasting.

BE RELEVANT BUT DON’T TRY TOO HARD

There’s a difference between trying to catch the meme or pop culture way to become more visible to your audience, and fitting in so seamlessly that it just works. When a company tries to use a slang term, they need to make sure it works when they say it. Examples of when it’s not used correctly can be seen in the @BrandsSayingBae Twitter account, which posts cringe-worthy examples of how bae (and other slang terms) isn’t used in a good way by brands.

If you need an example of a company that uses slang and social media correctly to target millennials and Gen Z, check out Taco Bell. They straddle the line perfectly between being funny and staying relevant without coming across as a try-hard, which is defined as:

A person who puts a large amount of effort into achieving a certain image, or counter-image, to the point where it is obviously contrived. Rather than achieving an image through genuine personality, the try-hard consciously attempts to fit a certain style through deliberate imitation, forced style, or scripted behavior. That is to say, he/she is trying hard to create an image.

I think that definition definitely applies for what I’m trying to say here as well.

EMBRACE CREATIVITY

Sometimes I feel like big brands are trying too hard to not mess anything up. The problem with this strategy is that Millennials and Gen Z have fully embraced creativity and uniqueness, so marketing plans need to follow suite. There is always a way to embrace your company’s culture while staying in their guidelines.

If you think your content is too boring, Matt Secrist had a good post last year on Search Engine Journal that covered developing a strategy for content for “boring businesses.”

UTILIZE THE REAL-TIME TREND OF COMMUNICATION

Consumers under 40 regularly use social media to ask for help from companies. This means that even if your company doesn’t want to be on Facebook or Twitter, chances are, your audience is going to those platforms to try to contact you. It is up to you to make sure you are not only on those platforms, but that you are active as well.

Your organization should be regularly posting about your products and content, useful articles, and also reaching out to customers who need help. This Under 40 audience will appreciate being heard on these real-time platforms.

BE FINDABLE AND SEARCHABLE

Just because users searching for you to get customer service or ask questions, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t go out of your way to make your company’s profiles as accessible as possible.

In order to increase the visibility of your online platforms, you can do the following:

• Include hashtags for industry terms so you come up in searches by users for that term. (For example, I regularly include #marketing and #SEO in my applicable tweets.)
• Push the same messages on all platforms. For example, if you have a new product, share photos of it on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Make sure all your profile fields are filled out (the URLs, Mission Statement, About, etc.)

EMBRACE USER-GENERATED CONTENT (IF YOU’RE PREPARED FOR IT)

If you have a good marketing strategy already, but are looking for something to further engage Gen Zers and Millennials, consider a user-generated content campaign. Of course, with any UGC, there are trolls that will make it terrible, so it needs to be planned out (so things don’t go south). A good example of trolling is Lay’s ‘Do Us a Flavor’ campaign, where users used the bag image builder to create ridiculous flavors.

In order to plan, it’s important to make it easy, fun, AND moderated. UGC campaigns can be an endless fountain of great content, when done right.

When it comes to the Under 40 crowd, it’s important to be relevant without being too cheesy or fake. Respect your audience and cater to their interests without coming across as condescending, and you’ll create successful, engaging online platforms.

This article by Kelsey Jones was originally published on Social Media Today.

“Why do brands care about Millennials? By 2020, Millennials will have a total of more than $1.4 trillion in spending power. For brands, that means that if you are not reaching Millennials, you are not keeping pace with the future. Content drives brand connections, but if your content is completely failing to engage your target audience, then what is the point? 62% of millennials feel that online content makes them feel more connected and loyal to brands, but only 32% find today’s brand communications helpful. There is a serious opportunity to be seized in millennials, but there are some necessary elements brands must include in their content strategies to strike while the iron is hot and convert millennials into life-long brand advocates.”

Take a look at this infographic created by newscred illustrating why your content marketing efforts fail to reach your target audience.

Some key takeaways:

YOU COMPLETELY IGNORED THEIR CULTURAL INTERESTS.

64% of young generation respond positively to content that is tailored to their cultural interest. When it comes to engaging millennials, creating content tailored to their interests is extremely important. This means you need to keep in mind their age, location, and cultural interests at all times. This also means you need tools to help you develop a deep understanding of who they are, where they are, and what motivates them.

YOU DECIDED YOU DON’T WANT TO BE USEFUL OR HELPFUL.

Millennials are bombarded with over 5,000 marketing messages a day. They have learned how to completely ignore the things that don’t deliver value to their lives. If your content is “dead weight” to their day, they don’t have time to read it.

Click image to enlarge.

This article by Irfan Ahmad was originally published on Social Media Today.

What is it about Valentine’s Day that makes us all so emotional? That makes us publicly announce our deepest and warmest feelings towards our loved ones?

I guess we all want to love and feel loved. Not only on Valentine’s Day, but every day.

Emotions help us connect. They help us inspire.

Want your content to connect and inspire? Here are five tips to get you started.

1. BE THE FIRST TO SAY “I LOVE YOU”

Have you ever said “I love you” to someone before they said it to you? Do you remember what that felt like? Scary, right?

If you want people to show you their love by sharing your content and commenting on it, show them some love first! You can show your love in a few different ways:

1. Make sure to write in a conversational, easy-to-get way. People don’t like to read things that are complicated, so make the effort to keep it simple and help them make the most out of your content.
2. When someone comments on your posts or shares it, let him know how important it is to you. Don’t just say “thank you for sharing,” but go find something they wrote and share it in return. This way you will encourage them to come back and read and share more content in the future.
3. Connect with people who might like your content on social media. Follow them on Twitter and flatter them. Look for something interesting they shared, re-tweet it and thank them for helping you discover it.

Want people to show you their love by sharing your #content & commenting? Show them some love…

2. USE LOVABLE IMAGES

When you go on a date, you always make sure you look great.

Eventually, your date will (hopefully) fall in love with you for who you are, not just because you’re good-looking – but it’s the look that will make her stay to find out more about you.

Same with your content: draw your readers’ attention by using great images (like the one I used at the top of this post – did you like it?). This will make them want to stick around to learn more.

Creating great images is easy. Here are 7 free tools to help you out.

3. MAKE THEM LAUGH

Why did the marketing couple decide not to get married?

Because they weren’t on the same landing page.

Humor is always a wonderful way to connect with people. Make them laugh or smile and they will come back for more.

Click here for a collection of jokes that only marketers get

4. INNOVATE

Like in any relationship, don’t expect your readers to stick around if you keep doing the same things. Be creative, introduce new topics, use new tools and include guest bloggers in order to keep your audience entertained and intrigued.

5. SURPRISE THEM AND GIVE THEM GIFTS

We all love gifts and gestures, especially when we don’t expect them. The bigger the gesture is, the better we feel!

A few weeks ago I took part in Buffer’s Twitter chat. Following the chat I was approached by Buffer’s community manager, who asked for my postal address. A week later I got these:

Now I know it’s only stickers, but I loved the gesture! Not only it was something I was not expecting, but she added a handwritten card as well.

A few ideas for surprises and gifts that will make your readers happy:

1. Tickets for your conference.
2. Free subscription to your product.
3. A handwritten note.
4. A T-Shirt or any other swap.

Did you love this post? Then share it to make me feel the love. Who knows – you might end up getting a surprise from us!

This article by Yael Kochman was originally published on Social Media Today.

1.     Establish Goals

Social media is a proven method to achieve several marketing goals such as increasing traffic to your website, brand awareness, sales, and ROI. One mistake many businesses make is failing to set goals for their social media accounts and updating their accounts only sporadically. On the other hand, some companies set goals too high with unrealistic expectations. It’s important to choose goals that can be achieved, set benchmarks, then find ways to grow those goals. Incidentally, numbers (such as likes or follows) might indicate reach, but engagement (such as RTs, shares or comments) is a far more meaningful metric.

2.     Identify Missed Opportunities

Take a look at all the accounts under your management and let go of those that are being neglected or aren’t gaining a lot of traction. For the networks that you want to hold on to, consider new strategies and approaches to get more followers and likes. Content matters. It’s the only thing you really have to offer, and so if your pages (or tweets, or…) are not competitive or updated regularly, your customers could find some other vendor who can engage them with better content on a topic they care about. Maybe that would be your competitor?

3.     Create Twitter Lists

Stay on top of the latest trends and news by building a Twitter list. Find news websites and social media experts and add them to your list so you can stay tuned in to the latest techniques and trends. Set reminders so that you check your lists on a regular basis. A Twitter list is also a great opportunity to be made visible to these experts. If you create a list titled “marketing masters” then the individual you added will be notified of this – and know that you hold them in a high regard. Typically they will follow back in reciprocity, add you to a list, or look to engage with you separately.

4.     Learn Best Practices

There are techniques and tricks that aren’t yet widespread that can help forward the success of your brand in social media. Social media is always evolving and it’s nearly impossible to stay on top of everything. Continuing your self-education on social media is important – as it can literally make or break your social media campaigns.

Even the most skilled social media managers utilizing a combination of common sense and powerful automation tools can get it wrong from time to time. This action plan, courtesy of Act-On Software, provides some very helpful tips for managing a social media crisis:

5.     Update Your Information

Make sure you keep your profile information up-to-date; routinely check all of your profiles and make sure that they’re all updated with your current contact information, website URL, phone number, office hours, etc., and make sure all of that data is consistent across all channels. You can also add a description that is catchy and helps you stand out, and optimize profile visibility by using keywords related to your line of work that receive high search volume.

6.     Leverage Social Plugins

Social influence can play a major impact on the success of your marketing efforts. You should make links to your social pages very accessible by including follow buttons on every page on your website in the header, footer, or both. Your blog is also an excellent place to ensure that these plugins are available so sharing your great content (or simply adding a Like) is encouraged – and very easy.

7.     Target Groups

With Graph Search on Facebook you can identify the interests of your target groups which helps you understand the types and topics of content most relevant to them, which ultimately helps in getting more likes. Depending on your available budget, you can apply some of this data towards Facebook ads which can be very beneficial to incorporate in this strategy. These types of tools help ensure that you are reaching the right audiences along with a proven track record for marketing ROI.

8.     Upload Videos

It’s getting easier and easier to shoot videos and upload them to YouTube and Facebook. And since a picture is still worth a thousand words (and a moving picture might be worth 10,000), videos can keep your audience stay engaged and lead to higher share volume. YouTube is still one of the top search engines in the world for video content, however Facebook is becoming an excellent platform for posting videos and getting engagement.

9.     Stay Focused on Quality

Don’t fixate on who might be gaining on you. Despite the competition, you need to focus on the quality of your presence on social media – and not so heavily on the quantity. Pick a social media channel or two to concentrate on; don’t spread yourself too thin by trying to have a presence on all channels. A strong presence in one network is far more valuable than a weak one in three.

This article by Andy Franco was originally published on Social Media Today.

Over the last 5 years, I participated in the Pan Mass Challenge (PMC), raising an average of $5,456 per year and a grand total of $27,280. Every single year that I participated in this ride, at least 85% of my fundraising came through Social Media – specifically, Facebook. Though the type of fundraising I have in mind is through a sports-oriented event, the following list can be applied to any fundraising work.

Here are 5 ways that you can use Social Media to drive your fundraising efforts:

1. Launch your fundraising challenge. Announce the challenge to let potential donors know what the challenge is and that it has begun. Make the launch of your fundraising challenge a big deal and leverage it to start your online campaign. (In other words, start as soon as you sign up even if the culminating event is months away.) Some donors like to get in on the ground floor; Give them that opportunity by letting them know that you are launching your challenge.
2. Thank your donors. Write a brief social media post thanking individuals who donated to your cause. Be sure to “tag” the people you thank so that they get notified about your post! Different people donated all at once? Don’t think everyone all at the same time! Rather, space them out over hours or even days.
3. Post updates about your fundraising progress. This helps keep you and your readers focused on your goal. It’s an opportunity to do a general thank you, or to express concern that time is ticking down and there’s still so much more to go!
4. Educate your readers about your cause. Who does it serve? What does it support or enable? What has the organization accomplished in the past? What, specifically, will the money you are raising go towards? Tell your potential donors about the impact that their donation can have!
5. Post pictures. Are you hosting (or attending) a fundraiser? Do you spend lots of time training for the event? Did you get a t-shirt? Are you hanging out with other people who are also involved? These are all opportunities for posting pictures!! (Be sure to “tag” anyone else who is in the photo with you!) Seeing what you are up to gives your readers a more tangible impression of what you are doing and what they are donating towards.

I think it should be noted that you should not tie your entire fundraising effort to social media. Nothing beats reaching out personally by email or phone, and thank you cards are always better than thank you emails. That being said… engaging social media fully throughout the duration of your fundraising window can give you better reach, a louder voice, and also help you feel supported by those who respond back online in addition to the donations they send you.

This article by Suzan Czajkowski was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.

These 7 deadly sins of Social Media will give you a glimpse of social media’s dark side, and will hopefully give you a few ideas of what not to do while managing your own accounts. Chances are you’re guilty of a few of these “sins”, which may be holding you back and preventing you from realising your true potential.

1. Gluttony

How many profiles do you have on different social networks? Are you on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Google+ and more? If you’re on all of these accounts, it’s possible you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, and it’s time to cut back and focus on what’s working.

Stop spreading yourself so thin, and focus on a few of your accounts that are doing the most for your business. If you can’t think of a reason to keep focussing on a particular account, get rid of it, or scale back the time you spend on it.

By putting more time into what’s working, you’ll get more bang for your buck, and won’t be wasting so much time on dead-ends.

2. Sloth

Are you regularly updating your accounts and responding to people’s messages and comments? Social media is a 2-way street, and should involve conversation. If you’re being quiet, it’s no wonder no one else is speaking up.
The purpose of social media is to connect to people, so reach out by posting engaging and interesting content. Don’t sit back and expect them to come to you.

3. Greed

Is your Facebook page not getting the amount of likes you’re after? Are you building up a following on Twitter that’s too slow for your liking? If this is the case, whatever you do, resist the urge to purchase likes and followers. If someone offers you a cheap and automated way of building likes and followers, turn around and run away.

Most of the likes and followers you can buy these days aren’t actually real people, but fake accounts. Sure, it looks good having thousands of fans on your Facebook page, but if they’re all robots, and no one’s engaging with you, they’re useless.

Instead, if you want more fans and followers, be better at social media. That’s easier said than done, but by posting engaging content and working harder on building relationships, you’ll build a following of people genuinely interested in you. Treat your community like actual people, and not just numbers.

4. Wrath

Remember, what happens on the internet stays on the internet. Don’t go making hasty and inappropriate comments to people on your pages, or on other people’s pages.

If you think there’s a chance something might come back to haunt you, take a step back and think twice about what you’re posting. There have been countless public relations disasters for big corporations because one person didn’t think twice before posting something silly on social media.

5. Lust

What are you hoping to achieve by using social media? Money? Fame?

Social media is no quick fix. It can be used to achieve a lot of things, but won’t get you anywhere overnight. Instead, it should be viewed as a long-term strategy for growing your business.

Come up with a plan that’s aimed at achieving specific goals to get your priorities in order. Don’t be focused solely on getting likes and followers, but strive to create relationships that’ll convert your fans and followers into customers.

6. Envy

Is your main competitor everywhere on social media? If so, resist the urge to do whatever they do just because they’re doing it. Come up with your own goals and priorities, and focus on achieving those. Don’t just do what they do and expect to get anywhere.

Of course, that’s not to say you shouldn’t be paying attention to what your competitors are doing.

7. Pride

Resist the urge to mix business with your personal life. Yes, you may have the world’s cutest grandkids or an adorable cat, but that’s probably not why your fans and followers choose to engage with you.

Don’t make your accounts all about yourself, or all about your business either for that matter. Instead, think about what your fans and followers would like to be reading from you. What kind of content will they find most interesting? And what kind of content are they more likely to engage with? Stop selling, and start engaging.

——

How many of these sins are you guilty of? What do you need to work on to start building meaningful relationships? Remember, social media success is neither random nor magic. It takes effort, but it’s definitely worth it.

This article by Seth Zorn was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.

But breaking through the online chatter can definitely be a challenge for brands looking to stay relevant online on this often misunderstood network. That’s why I’m taking time out to focus on some key fundamental strategies that you need to embrace in 2015 and beyond.

First Impressions Count

47% of Twitter users who follow a business are more likely to visit their website. So making a great first impression is essential. This means using an updated company logo along with an appropriate background image. Your bio must be catchy yet informational. Synergy is key here. Does your online presence match your carefully, cultivated image offline? Twitter followers will notice if it doesn’t.

Stay on Trend

As you many know, Twitter enables its users to stay atop relevant issues via its customizable “Trends” section. This feature regularly displays trends that is tailored based on a user’s location and the people he or she follows. Utilizing these topics, if done correctly, can give companies a much needed boost in visibility. However, it’s important for social media managers to carefully research the topic to ensure that it is an appropriate one to market your business with.

Show Your Users What You’re Working With

Sure, text-based updates should be interesting. But if you really want to make your tweets stand out, consider using embedded pictures and videos. Not only will this possibly generate more clicks. But it can also make a greater impression if the pictures are of good quality and drive home the point that your text-based tweet is making.

Be Engaging

As social networks goes, Twitter is particularly fast-paced one. Which is why it is important for businesses to stand out with engaging content. Finding the right type of content, however, is the real challenge. I recommend testing different types of material in order to find the best performers for your audience. And timing counts too. Which is why the most engaging Twitter brands know when to send their message for maximum impact.

Interact with Influencers

Brands should look to interact regularly with influencers, as these accounts tend to have a strong following of their own. Not only can they amplify your message with a simple retweet, but they can have a substantial effect on growing your followers. Luckily, there are lots of tools available (such as Klout or Little Bird) that can help identify them.

Promote your Twitter handle

Obviously, this is a very simple concept. But it’s one that is most often overlooked by companies. Staying relevant means including “Follow” buttons on everything from websites to newsletters. The most successful brands know that their Twitter handle is one of their most important marketing assets. And active promotion is one of the best ways to let others learn that fact as well.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Twitter can be one of the most important marketing tools at your disposal if utilized correctly. Brand managers must be aware of how content and timing is crucial to making a raving fans of their followers.

This article by Bryan Kramer was originally published on BryanKramer.com

So, before you bite off more than you can chew, it may be wise to consider letting a professional handle your social media for you. I know you are asking what a Social Media Manager really does all day. Let me give you some insight.

They are finding your audience, planning and scheduling your campaign, understanding and translating your business mission, going after and interacting with current and potential clients, monitoring and updating the social plan based on reports, and so much more…

Content Creation Masters

The fact is, nobody wants to hear about what you’re selling 24/7 regardless of how great it is. This means you need to mix it up and avoid becoming redundant. It is not all about you. Do you think you have the time for this? On average, you should post to each social platform every day and multiple times depending on the platform. Social Media Managers are hired to get creative and conjure up fun, educational and interactive posts to share with your followers. They create a social atmosphere that is not all about you and at the same time makes followers want to know more about you. A good Social Media Manager develops content that shows your business is up-to-date and knowledgeable about the trending aspects associated with the business. If you are not up on the latest information to post, then some other business is beating you to the punch. If that’s not bad enough, now you are posting yesterdays news. Remember, providing fresh information to your followers frequently isn’t an easy task. If you can’t invest the time, then you need to bring in a Social Media Manager that can. Otherwise, you’re just telling a story that everyone already knows and all that they will hear from you is blah…blah…blah…blah…blah…

They Know It All

As I mentioned above, staying relevant with your business content is extremely important. Ask yourself, how much time do you spend staying on top of the latest news related to your business? And now ask yourself how much time do you have left to stay on top of what is trending in social media? If you are a do-it-yourselfer then you must do both. A Social Media Manager lives on tech and social media news sites. They know the latest trends, what will be the next big thing, the hottest news and updates from each platform and they know what’s right for different businesses. They know where to news related to your business, they know where to find your audience, and they know how to work the social systems to get through to your current and potential customer base for the best returns. Consider how quickly technology and information is moving these days. A good Social Media Manager must keep up. Do you have the time for this?

Exposure

Ok, if you’re handling it yourself then those posts will likely be seen by your Facebook friends, sure, but what about the rest of the world? Have you developed a plan for how to reach a new audience to help expand and increase your business exposure? Are you spending ample amounts of time interacting on various networks to reach people? Are you participating and starting interesting discussions in groups on LinkedIn, Google+ and Facebook to let the world know that you are an authority on your business? Do you study the analytics and insights from each of your social media platforms and tweak your posts accordingly, or are you still just posting whatever and whenever you get the time? Social Media Managers scrutinize all of this information on a daily basis in order to squeeze the most engagement out of every post, every time. Do you?

Personal Bodyguard

Bad News! Those business pages you started but don’t have the time to maintain attract trolls like sugar attracts ants. Yep, they are everywhere and there’s nothing more enticing for them than a neglected account. They can have a field day at your expense and they make your company look foolish and incompetent. Even if you happen to catch on to their shenanigans quickly, how well schooled are you at damage control? Will you able to keep your composure when confronted by these bullies and handle it accordingly, or will you just escalate things? Social Media Managers have the experience and expertise to quickly set things straight in a professional manner. They can even make a friend and loyal follower out of someone that may have been your worst nightmare.

As you can see there are many wonderful things a Social Media Manager can do for you and your business, and this is only a brief glimpse into what they offer. Also, keep in mind that managing the social media platforms is only half of the equation that will help your company reach its full potential. What’s the other half you ask? Well, how well does your business website look, perform and interact with your social accounts? This is where a great Web Designer and Developer meets with your Social Media Manager. Bring in the right team and your online presence will have no limits. But we will get into that next time…..

Remember, you can have the best product in the world, but if you do not market yourself right, no one will ever know about it.

This article by Bill Nolan was originally published on LinkedIn Pulse.

What’s even more astounding is the demographic breakdown. Over 80% of Pinterest users are female, with 77% falling within the highly coveted 18-54 age group. Not only does that eclipse Facebook in terms of reaching women-but it edges out Twitter as well.

With such a sizeable share of the social media landscape, brands can simply no longer afford to ignore Pinterest as a viable way to reach customers. In fact, I definitely see the application as one of the serious threats to Facebook’s continued dominance with advertisers in the very near future.

But with any tool, success is dependent on understanding how to use it effectively. So if you are ready to take the Pinterest plunge, here are some tips on how to get started.

Understand the Basics

Pinterest is a social media network designed around displaying engaging visual content.  A Pin is an online image or video that people add to a variety of virtual boards organized by interest. These virtual boards can be shared with others, allowing for the discovery of potentially new products and services.

Therefore, the most successful brands on Pinterest are ones that make their merchandise information easiest to share. You can do this by installing a “Pin it button” on your webpage-anywhere there is content that you would like to encourage customers to use.  You can obtain this widget by creating an account and obtaining the link from their business resource pages.

Plan Your Pinning Strategy.

Pinterest has created a number of effect tools to help you reach customers. Most prominent is their Pinterest Analytics feature, which allows you to see what people like from your profile and what they save from your website. By tracking this valuable information, you can curate brand boards that are tailored to your clients’ biggest needs and wants.   You can also follow boards of other companies within your industry to be able to see what works.

Use your Board to Motivate Both You and Your Customers.

Many pinners use the application as a way to store and share aspirational content. So it’s imperative that your boards cover more than just your goods alone. In fact, many businesses use Pinterest to reinforce core company values through inspirational quotes and imagery.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the branding box. Pinterest serves as a great resource to showcase your creativity and company culture.

Fresh Content Matters

Customer engagement is an essential part of growing your influence on Pinterest. So it’s important to pin at least once a day to ensure your followers get fresh content.  Remember, you can give links to both video and still images-so it’s a good idea to provide a mix of both on your boards.

Make sure that the descriptions offer context for the item being displayed. And whenever possible, make sure that the image links back to an updated page with all pertinent product information.

Companies can also use Rich Pins that include extra information right on the Pin itself.  These Pins cover everything from pricing information to directions to your business. It’s a great way to build product knowledge for your consumers. 

Recognize Your Biggest Fans

The best way to grow your base is to become an active pinner yourself. Like and comment on other boards that relate to your industry.  You can also create group boards to showcase your most loyal customers.

The great news? Once you grown your following, you can cross-promote your Pinterest boards featuring your customer’s product selections directly on your site.

Key Takeaway:  Pinterest, which currently boasts over 70 million users worldwide, is an effective way to display your brand’s products, content and services. Businesses looking to be successful must understand the demographics (80% women, 77% 18-54 year olds) to curate a solid message through what is largely a visual platform. Engage with your customers through comments and fresh content to secure brand loyalty.

This article by Bryan Kramer was originally published on BryanKramer.com

Many companies are now using YouTube to reach out to current and potential customers. Which is why I believe that this platform is perfect for businesses. All you need is a video camera and a little creativity to build long-lasting relationships with your clients.

So how do you to reach potential customers among the countless cat videos? I have some suggestions on how to start.

First Impressions Count

Creating a brand channel is an excellent way to build and engage a loyal audience of supporters directly on YouTube. The site can be customized with banners and background images to reflect your company’s look and feel.  You can also integrate links to your other social media channels to make the content easier to share.

Keep Content Consistent                              

Remember, building viewers for your channel takes time. The most popular YouTube channels are those that consistently updated. So if you want to use web videos as a marketing tool, you will need to produce a lot of content. Be sure to upload new videos as often as your schedule and budget allow. Eventually the audiences will follow.

Keep Your Content Interesting

You don’t have to be an award-winning director to produce engaging video content for yourFive Tips to Using YouTube for Your Business business.  You can post things such as company webcasts, webinars, Google Hangouts and product demonstrations.  You might want to consider sharing a video of your company history. You can even interview the customers or employees.

It’s important to remember that a video doesn’t have go “viral” to be effective. However, there are some common elements that most viral videos share. Try to keep the video relatively short and upbeat. You must keep it timely. And most importantly, it should include some kind of call-to-action.

Consider Linking Your AdWords Account

Are you currently using AdWords as a way to promote your business online? If so, you should definitely use the service to create targeted video ads. Doing so will allow you to reach YouTube’s legion of users while focusing only on specific demographics related to your brand. Plus, you can utilize Google Analytics to track the success of your advertising efforts.

Take Advantage of YouTube’s Tools

YouTube also has some great analytical resources available to track your channel’s overall performance. From monitoring site traffic to breaking down visitor demographics, you can personalize reports to help you tailor your videos to your audience.

KEY TAKEAWAY: With over one billions unique monthly users, YouTube is a great way for businesses to curate video content to reach potential customers. By utilizing tools like AdWords and Google Analytics, anyone with a camera and little creativity can produce a winning video campaign. The most effective videos are engaging, timely and contain a call-to-action.

This article by Bryan Kramer was originally published on Social Media Today.