As times change, the way people consume content on the internet is also evolving. Everyone seems to have a busy lifestyle nowadays. Users want to consume as much content as possible but in less time. Perhaps this is why so many different types of social media platforms are emerging, which allow users to make quick videos clips and short content forms. Examples of these are Instagram Reels, TikTok videos, and now YouTube shorts.
Those who use YouTube shorts know that they help speed up your audience’s growth by adding them to your content arsenal. Making Youtube shorts for business is becoming a trend that most companies will not avoid over the next few years. Billions of Youtube shorts are viewed every day. They allow you to attract hundreds of thousands of subscribers in no time. Hence, they effectively grow your brand awareness, reach out to larger audiences, and eventually grow your business.
Since Youtube shorts for business are a relatively new feature, people love it. People like to watch short videos that convey a message but do not occupy too much of their time. The Youtube algorithm favors content people like and boosts it further up in its search rankings. That is why Youtube shorts are gaining tremendous popularity in such a short period.
Image taken from YouTube Help Article
The question for businesses is: how to make a Youtube shorts for business? In other words, how can business cash in this opportunity to create a Youtube shorts based channel that can help in growing its audience?
This post is a complete Youtube shorts guide. In this article, we will discuss how to make Youtube shorts and utilize them in your sales funnel to reach out to more people, grow your followers, and ultimately increase your sales.
What are Youtube Shorts?
According to Youtube, shorts are a way to connect with those new on Youtube, using your smartphone and the shorts camera inside the Youtube app. Youtube shorts are short video clips, maximum of sixty seconds long, which help you grab the viewers’ attention more easily and quickly.
The feature is available worldwide and can be used by any content creator. The power of Youtube shorts is in this feature’s aggressive organic reach. If you use Youtube shorts to promote your brand, you can literally skyrocket your channel’s engagement.
This feature also offers the creators an audio library to add songs or other audio clips for personal and non-commercial purposes. But how would it benefit your business if it is focused on non-commercial goals? Let’s discuss.
Can You Use Youtube Shorts for Business?
Are you running a Youtube business channel? If yes, you already know how tough the competition is, and how much you have to struggle to penetrate in your niche. The Youtube market is highly saturated, and most of the audience is catered by the big guns. Those who built a large audience back in the previous decade continue to grow their channel, while new Youtubers find it extremely hard to get to their first 1,000 subscribers.
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With the introduction of Youtube shorts, businesses, and individuals who are relatively new on the platform get a golden opportunity to scale their channel’s growth. This feature can really boost your engagement rate if only used properly.
Youtube shorts can help you efficiently get new subscribers. The feature works more effectively than any other Youtube strategy you can come up with. Even Youtube itself wants Youtube shorts to grow because it’s a new element they have introduced, and they wouldn’t want it to fail. This is why the Youtube algorithm boosts the growth of those channels that use Youtube shorts.
Youtube shorts can give the best organic reach to your Youtube channel. If you successfully create a Youtube shorts video and tag it with all the SEO-focused keywords, nothing can stop you from increasing your subscribers and engagement numbers.
If you are a business owner, you have three options to use Youtube shorts to grow your reach and audience through Youtube shorts.
- Completely create a Youtube shorts oriented channel.
- Ignore Youtube shorts entirely and continue with regular Youtube content creation.
- Have a fusion of both.
The most ideal situation would be to choose the third option. If you just focus on Youtube shorts, you will undoubtedly gain engagement, but you won’t be able to monetize your videos once your channel grows.
6 Tips for Creating Youtube Shorts for Business
Here are six tips or strategies to create a Youtube shorts oriented channel to promote your business and grow your audience.
1. Determine the Length
The ideal length for a Youtube shorts video is 60 seconds or less. The important thing to understand here is that it’s unnecessary to use the entire allowed duration. Your focus should be on conveying your message effectively and as concisely as possible. As a marketer, you must value your viewers’ time. Ask yourself these two questions.
- How long do you need to make your main point in the video?
- Are there any parts in the video that can be eliminated without compromising on the quality?
Once you have the answers to these, you’ll be able to tailor your video in its most compact form. This way you can come up with the most effective Youtube shorts.
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2. Make Valuable Shorts
You don’t want to be one of those who randomly just post any content on Youtube that they make. As a marketer or business owner, you want to ensure that every piece of content you upload makes sense and provides value to the audience. If your content does not have quality and value, the most you’ll get by uploading it is glimpses of viewers of Youtube. You won’t be able to increase your number of subscribers or watch hours.
To take the maximum benefit from your Youtube shorts, you must create valuable videos. Create content relevant to your specific niche, and talk about the entire industry you operate in, not just about your company. You can also introduce new products in Youtube shorts, and get the audience excited about your upcoming launch.
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3. Create Custom Thumbnails
The first thing users will see if they come across your Youtube shorts is your thumbnail. They will see your thumbnails even before clicking on them to open and watch your videos. This is why thumbnails make a massive difference to your click rate. How can you increase your channel’s engagement if users do not open your videos? Of course, you need to convince them to click on your thumbnail to open your video and then pursue them to further engage with your channel. Having an attractive thumbnail for each of your Youtube shorts is absolutely essential to make users click on your videos.
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4. Write Catchy Titles
The titles of Youtube shorts also significantly impact their engagement. You must write catchy titles to grab users’ attention. Just like your thumbnails, you need to spend time working on your titles before publishing your Youtube shorts.
The title should be precise and clear. It should tell the viewer what the content is about to decide whether or not it is relevant to their purpose. If you try to fool the audience with misleading titles, you will lose the users' trust in the platform and eventually lose your subscribers. This can be dangerous for the future growth of your Youtube channel.
5. Don’t Upload Long-Form Content
Youtube users gradually become aware of Youtube shorts. They know that this feature is a quick way of providing entertainment and education on the platform. If you suddenly start posting long-form content and do not stick to the Youtube shorts routine, you will again lose the trust of your audience. Use Youtube shorts to create short and crisp content, and you’ll be on your way to channel growth.
6. Embed Your Youtube Shorts into Your Website
The best marketing strategies are those that allow you to integrate all forms and platforms of your marketing content with each other. That’s why we, at Strikingly, always encourage our users to integrate social media with their websites.
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Strikingly is a website builder that easily integrates your social media content with your website content. You can not only insert your social media icons on your web pages to link them to your site but also insert part of your social feed from Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter into one of your web pages.
You can also add as many videos as you like to your website. If you add your Youtube shorts to your website, your site visitors will be able to view them without having to come out of your domain.
Many of our users post videos on their professional websites published initially on Youtube. Our features are built to provide ease of use to all our customers.
