YouTube marketing isn't exactly new. Promoting a business or brand using video content on YouTube, the most popular video platform, is a great way for your business to reach a wider audience and engage with your potential customers in a more personal and interactive way.
YouTube is a powerful tool for businesses looking to reach a wider audience and connect with potential customers. Not only is it the second most visited website in the world, with over 2 billion monthly active users, but it is also the second largest search engine after Google. YouTube is a prime location for businesses to connect with their target audience and promote their products or services through YouTube marketing.
According to Los Angeles Times, YouTube reaches more 18-49 year-olds than any single television network in the US. In addition, YouTube users watch over 1 billion hours of video daily, and over 70% of that time is spent on videos discovered through search or suggested videos. These stats highlight the importance of optimizing your YouTube marketing videos for search and using relevant keywords in video titles and descriptions.
In the previous years, it's predicted that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than in 2017 — and it did happen. Given these statistics, it's clear that YouTube is a crucial platform for businesses looking to connect with their target audience and increase their online visibility.
One of the benefits of having a YouTube channel is that it can give you direct access to your audience. You can build trust by creating helpful content, sharing information on relevant topics, and creating an overall positive experience for your viewers. Your business must take advantage of everything YouTube offers as a marketing tool—and there are plenty of ways to do just that!
But how do you get started with YouTube marketing? How long should your next YouTube video be? Let's dicuss that.
Marketing on YouTube: Tips and Tricks
Okay, so you have a YouTube channel, but your engagement differs from what you expect. What do you do? Here are a few strategies to boost your engagement and create an effective YouTube Marketing campaign.
YouTube Strategy 1: Build a Relationship With Your Audience
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Building relationships with your audience should be at the core of your YouTube marketing campaign. To build a relationship with your audience, you need to create videos relevant to their interests. The best way for you to do this is by understanding the types of content they enjoy watching. You can do this through surveys and polls or simply by keeping an eye on the comments section of your videos.
Once you better understand what kind of content people like watching, make sure that your videos are entertaining and useful. For example, don't just talk about the features of YouTube Marketing Software—show them! Use vivid imagery in your video so viewers can see how easy it is for them to use YouTube Marketing Software or another feature on their computer screen (or phone). Photos alone won't cut it here; they'll need real-time demonstrations and step-by-step instructions on using items like this product or service at home or work.
YouTube Strategy 2: Choose the Right Video Length
You've heard it before, and you'll hear it again: video is the future of marketing. You can boost your company's brand awareness, increase conversions, and drive traffic back to your website with carefully crafted videos optimized for search engines and social media platforms.
When creating videos for your YouTube marketing, one crucial thing to consider is the length of your video. Too short and you might not be able to fully get your message across; too long and people might lose interest. Thus the question: how do you choose the right video length for marketing on YouTube?
First, think about what you're trying to say. If you're doing a tutorial or teaching something, you'll probably need a bit more time than just sharing your thoughts on a topic.
Next, consider your audience. Are they the type of people who like to watch long-form content, or are they more of the "skim through" type? If you're not sure, take a look at similar videos in your niche and see what their average length is.
Finally, don't be afraid to experiment. Try different lengths and see what gets the most engagement. Just remember, there's no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to video length. What works for one person might not work for you, so find what works best for you and your audience.
YouTube Strategy 3: Use High-Quality Thumbnails
You should also remember that the thumbnail is the first thing viewers notice about your video. We can't say it enough--it's crucial to make it as engaging as possible.
- Choose an image that clearly shows what's going on in the video and makes people sit up and take notice.
- Use images that are relevant to your topic and audience. If you're making a video about dog training, choose an image of a puppy being trained; if you're doing a tutorial on how to cook fried chicken, show some fried chicken!
- Use high-quality images (if possible). Make sure they're clear, easy to read, and relevant to your topic and who might be watching them. You wouldn't want someone watching one of your videos about cars for sale only for them not to see what kind of car was even being sold because their monitor size was too small!
YouTube Strategy 4: Get Started With YouTube SEO
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To optimize your YouTube channel for search engines and increase your chances of being found by users, use relevant keywords in the following places:
- Your video title. Use a search term that describes what people will see when they click on the video, such as "How to Create a Website" or "How to Draw an Octopus."
- Your video description field. Include key terms again—this time longer tail phrases that further describe your content, like "How to Create a Website in 20 Minutes or Less" or "How to Draw an Octopus for Kids: Tutorials for Parents & Teachers."
YouTube Strategy 5: Add Annotations and Captions to Your Videos
Annotations and captions are two of the most effective ways to help people find your videos, keep them engaged through the whole viewing process, and increase the amount of time viewers spend watching your channel.
- Annotations allow you to add additional information or callouts to a specific part of your video. This move is great for people who have already watched a video but have questions about something they saw. For example, suppose you're explaining how to use something in an instructional video. In that case, you can include annotations that direct viewers back to certain parts of that video if they want more information about a topic.
- Captioning allows deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals who use closed captioning software or services like YouTube CC (which enables subtitles) to access hearing content without having any visual cues presented on screen. For English language learners, this is also crucial because it helps them learn new vocabulary more easily! Additionally, captions make videos accessible on phones/tablets where there aren't any speakers available yet still allow users to watch videos comfortably even when traveling, so long as an internet connection isn't too slow.
YouTube Strategy 6: Encourage Social Sharing with In-Video Thumbnail Links
Sharing boosts engagement and significantly helps your YouTube marketing campaign. You can encourage viewers to share your video on social media by adding clickable links in the thumbnail. These links will appear when your audience scrolls over the video player, allowing them to easily share your content on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites.
To add an in-video link:
- Upload a custom thumbnail. When you upload a custom thumbnail for your video, YouTube automatically adds an in-video link that directs your viewers to your website or other online destinations (like Facebook or Twitter). If you want only one clickable link that takes viewers away from the site, create one image file and upload it as your primary and official image thumbnail.
- Add more than one link if necessary. You can use up to five additional in-video thumbnails within each clip, so consider using them if multiple websites/destinations would be valuable for viewers who watch your videos!
YouTube Strategy 7: Use Annotations and End Cards for Calls to Action
Every video on your channel is an opportunity to build a relationship and engage with your audience. Annotations and end cards are two tools that can help you do exactly that. You can add annotations and end cards to almost any video, even if it's a live broadcast or one without an audio track.
Annotations are the little yellow notes that pop up on your video and allow you to provide a call to action. YouTube allows you to add annotations and end cards that you can use for similar purposes. Use annotations to encourage viewers to subscribe, share and comment on their favorite videos. They're also great for promoting other videos (if they're relevant) or your website or blog!
End cards are large panels that appear at the end of a video. They display more detailed information about the content you're showing in the main player window (for example, "Show more videos by this creator" or "Watch this episodic series from start to finish: Season 1 Episode 1 - Season 1 Episode 10).
YouTube Marketing Tips: Different Types of Content You Can Share on YouTube
You can share different types of content on YouTube to help promote your business or brand as part of your YouTube Strategy. These include:
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Create a product demo if you're selling a physical product or software and want to show it in action. Demonstrate how it can be used and provide tips and tricks to maximize your product. Product demos can be a great way to educate potential customers about the features and benefits of your product and can help increase conversions.
- Behind-the-scenes footage.
These videos give your audience a backend pass into the inner workings of your business or brand. These can include footage of the manufacturing process, office culture, or team members. Behind-the-scenes footage helps build trust and credibility with potential customers by showing your viewers the people and processes behind a business.
- Customer testimonials.
Testimonials feature real customers talking about their experiences with your product or service. Like behind the scene footage, this can be a powerful tool for establishing trust and credibility. You are more likely to trust the experiences of real people than just reading about them, right?
- Educational/How-to videos.
You can position your brand as an authority in your industry and help establish your business as a go-to resource for helpful information through educational or how-to videos. These types of videos provide valuable information or tips related to your business, products, or services.
- Animated videos.
Animations are a great way to explain complex concepts or processes in a fun and engaging way. You can use animated videos for explainer videos, tutorials, or product demos.
- Live streaming.
Live streaming is used to create interactive, real-time content that allows businesses to connect with their audience more personally.
Like their image counterpart, infographics help simplify complex information and present it as visually appealing. They can be used to explain data, statistics, or trends related to your business.
Each type of content has its unique benefits and can be used to achieve different marketing goals. By understanding the different types of content that can be shared on YouTube, you can create a well-rounded marketing on YouTube strategy that addresses the needs of your target audience.
Integrating Your Youtube Marketing Strategy with Strikingly
Strikingly is a free website builder that makes it easy to create beautiful, mobile-friendly websites. You can use Strikingly to create marketing pages and sales pages for your YouTube channel. Best of all, you can start your website without coding knowledge.
There are several ways to integrate your YouTube marketing strategies with Strikingly website builder:
- Embed YouTube videos
You can easily embed YouTube videos directly onto your Strikingly website using your video URL. Anyone who lands on your website can watch the video without leaving your site. Isn't that great?
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- Create a video gallery
Strikingly allows you to create a video gallery section to showcase multiple videos from your YouTube channel. You can promote multiple videos at once and keep your website visitors engaged.
- Add a YouTube subscribe button
You can add a YouTube subscribe button to your Strikingly website, making it easy for visitors to subscribe to your channel.
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You can use video backgrounds on your Strikingly website to grab visitors' attention and promote your channel.
- Create a landing page
Use Strikingly to create a landing page specifically for your YouTube channel. This page can include information about your channel, your latest videos, and a call to action to subscribe to your channel.
Track the performance of your website and see how it's impacting your YouTube channel's performance.
By integrating your YouTube marketing strategies with Strikingly website builder, you can create a seamless experience for your audience and increase the chances of reaching your desired audience and achieving your marketing goals.
Hopefully, you now understand how YouTube can help your business grow and become successful. The best way to do this is by making sure all of your videos are optimized for success from start to finish. If you follow these tips and tricks (and maybe even use Strikingly), then we can guarantee that your YouTube strategy will just work.
Good luck!
