Over 30 million users visit YouTube daily, according to MerchDope. But how do you get them to notice your business? Read on to learn about how to use YouTube for your small business.
YouTube is an online video sharing platform. But it just so happens to be the most popular one in the world and the second most-visited website on the entire web. There are over five billion YouTube videos watched per day, says MerchDope. And the total number of hours of video viewed on YouTube each month is roughly 3.25 billion!
YouTube users can both upload their videos and view and interact with other users' videos. The length of the average video is 4 minutes and 20 seconds, says MiniMatters. But video length can range from short to long videos over 20 minutes in length. The subject of these videos runs the gamut from sports and entertainment to news and technology.
Why should business owners care about YouTube?
At its inception in 2005, YouTube was known as a hotbed for casual video blogs filmed at home. But the platform today hosts slick, often professional-quality videos and serves as a powerful brand-building tool for both individuals and small businesses. Nine percent of small businesses today use YouTube because of its many benefits:
- Increases the visibility of your brand in search engines
- Attracts and retains customers
- Boosts the relevance of your brand
- Allows you to interact with your customers on a more personal level than other social media sites allow
- Extends the reach of marketing and advertising efforts to a wider customer demographic
How can small business owners use YouTube?
There are many ways to use YouTube as a small business owner:
- Create a YouTube channel and post your videos about product or service features, new product announcements and business events. Videos create the potential to grow your audience and become a thought leader in your industry.
- Upload video testimonials of satisfied customers to your YouTube channel.
- Collaborate with top YouTubers to publish sponsored video content about your products on their channels.
- Comment on, "like," subscribe to or share videos of other small businesses in your niche to foster goodwill with them.
- Talk to customers in the comments of your videos to gain their trust.
Invite customers to subscribe to your channel for updates. - Monetize your videos to create an additional revenue stream. Monetization usually means embedding ads for other businesses in your videos.
- Place ads for your business on the videos of popular YouTuber users to drive visitors to your website.
What are some tips for using YouTube more effectively?
Follow these best practices of how to use YouTube for your small business:
- Use quality filming equipment. You don't need a DSLR camera, but your camera should produce crisp and clear images. Smartphones with solid camera specs are an outstanding option for new YouTubers.
- Trim video content down to the essentials. Short and snappy videos are ideal. Long videos are OK, but you lose viewers when you include a lot of filler content. You need only make your YouTube videos long enough to convey the central message.
- Avoid over-promoting. Integrate visuals and mentions of products discreetly and naturally. The video shouldn't come across as one big sales pitch. So, steer clear of hammed-up dialogue. It can alienate viewers.
- Use relevant video metadata. Enter titles, descriptions and keywords that reflect the video content so that users can find your videos through search engines.
- Monitor channel analytics. YouTube users with a channel have access to analytics about views, subscribers, demographics and more. Keep an eye on these stats to make sure you're getting the results you want. You'll also be able to see where you can improve.
- Promote, promote, promote! Promotion is one of the most important parts of how to use YouTube for your small business. Share links to your videos on your other social media channels, on your business website and in email newsletters.
