YouTube is the number one place for creating video content, with can be an incredibly powerful social media marketing tool. Many businesses try to create video content with the aim of having their video “go viral,” but in reality those chances are pretty slim. Instead, focus on creating useful, instructive “how-to” videos. These how-to videos also have the added benefit of ranking on the video search results of Google, so don’t under-estimate the power of video content!
YouTube is another popular avenue; advertisements are done in a way to suit the target audience. The type of language used in the commercials and the ideas used to promote the product reflect the audience’s style and taste.
Also, the ads on this platform are usually in sync with the content of the video requested, this is another advantage YouTube brings for advertisers. Certain ads are presented with certain videos since the content is relevant. Promotional opportunities such as sponsoring a video is also possible on YouTube, “for example, a user who searches for a YouTube video on dog training may be presented with a sponsored video from a dog toy company in results along with other videos.”YouTube also enable publishers to earn money through its YouTube Partner Program.
After its humble beginnings in 2005, YouTube has become more than just a place to watch cat videos. Eight years later, YouTube has morphed into the world’s second-largest search engine, a driver of online culture, and a springboard for Internet fame. There’s still plenty of cat videos to go around, but YouTube has its sights on bigger, better ideas.
Key stats and demographics
- YouTube sees over one billion unique visits each month
- Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month
- 100 hours of video are uploaded every minute
- Mobile devices account for more than 1 billion views each day
- According to Nielsen, YouTube reaches more US adults ages 18-34 than any cable network
- Thousands of YouTube channels are making six figures annually
How the network is being used by consumers
In a word, sharing. Content is being uploaded and shared through YouTube at record rates. Users can follow channels (which have gotten more sophisticated in their design and functionality over the years), upload their own content, comment on and discuss videos, and follow other users’ content. With the ability to link directly to or embed videos, YouTube has become a primary source of video entertainment for users all over the web. Its ability to monetize through ads—both for itself and its users—adds a layer of financial sustainability.
Strategies and tactics for success
Engagement: The comments on YouTube are famous for being a bit of a wasteland. Many of them are meaningless and often from trolls. Many brands shut off their comments for good reason. You may opt to leave comments on, just to see what type of engagement you get, and that is okay too. What is not recommended, though, is to leave them on and ignore them; either tend to the garden or get rid of it altogether. And you can see powerful results by choosing to engage with your audience.
In order to improve commenting on YouTube, YouTube comments are now directly tied to G+ accounts. As a business, you’ll need to link your G+ brand page and your brand’s YouTube account. First, you need to make your YouTube account an administrator on your G+ page. Then make sure you’re logged into your YouTube account and then follow YouTube’s connect instructions. After everything’s connected, alerts for new comments on your YouTube videos will appear in your G+ notifications, and your YouTube videos will show up in a tab on your G+ brand page
Content Strategy:
Help content and other how-tos: For some products, tutorials and how-tos are going to be incredibly valuable. Help your audience learn how to better use your product, including ideas about how to use your product in novel ways. Help them learn how to do things that may not be directly related to your product, but are highly relevant to their interests.
For example, a nail polish brand may occasionally highlight how-tos for special-event hair. This is incredibly relevant to their audience, but not directly related to their product. This is a tactic we’ve mentioned before: think horizontally.
Exclusive content: This can take the form of early access to new products, special channel-specific promotional deals, or even insider company news. Giving these limited audiences exclusive access to different types of content will make them feel honored and “in-the-know.” Also, creating channel-specific content will give each individual a reason to follow you on more than one channel, increasing the depth of their relationship.
Incentivize participation: Have your community create content and share it on your behalf across their networks. You then can curate based on hashtag or on a central repository (e.g. a blog post holding YouTube content), or find some other way to help draw attention to and connect the user stories. This activity can drive awareness of your presence and help engage the audience while cutting down on the amount of work required of you.
Measurement
Measurement: Just like your other marketing efforts, it is imperative that you know what success looks like. Tailor your efforts (content, engagement, etc.) toward initiatives that help you move the needle and prove your success by measuring progress against your identified goals.
What success looks like
Old Spice: You almost can’t have a conversation about YouTube marketing campaigns without talking about what Old Spice did in 2010. They changed the game with their personalized response campaign, and its results proved it worked. The secret sauce for them was taking something that worked and resonated with their audience and made it more engaging and interactive. More recently, REI used the channel in a similarly responsive and agile way during a holiday effort.
Zillow: With a broad range of videos uploaded (everything from real estate industry news to an adorable video of a four-year-old teaching you how to use the iPhone app) and a separate presence to teach agents and brokers how to market houses using Zillow’s tools, this online real estate firm is a great example of how to think outside the box when it comes to YouTube.
Etiquette tips and guidelines
Engage responsibly
Engage responsibly: If you have comments enabled on your videos, make sure you moderate them and stay engaged, as YouTube is more prone than other platforms to generate spammy comments. You’ll want to make sure your channel continues to provide value. If you happen to find yourself in the presence of trolls (and the sun isn’t out to turn them to stone), remember to keep your cool; you act on behalf of your brand in a public forum.
Engage responsibly
Comment wisely: Whether you have comments enabled on your videos or not, there are likely going to be times when you’ll need (or want) to comment on other threads and videos. The standard advice applies there, as well: don’t yell at people, check your spelling and grammar, use your brand voice, and definitely don’t leave spammy comments yourself.
Engage responsibly
Advertise safely: This isn’t a decision to take lightly. For high volume channels, it can be revenue-producing, but that needs to be weighed against the brand impact and the customers’ experience with your content.
Engage responsibly
Favoriting and subscribing: If you favorite a video, it also shows up on your profile page as a video you favorited, sharing it with your friends and subscribers. Subscribing to someone’s channel means that you’ll see all of their latest uploads and favorites in the feed on your page. This the equivalent of following someone on Twitter.
Engage responsibly
Uploading videos: Luckily, YouTube takes about every video format under the sun. Uploading the video is the easy part, filling out the information about the video is the real work. You want to make sure that your description is SEO- and people-optimized, that your title and keywords are on target, that your videos are properly categorized, and (if possible) that you provide a transcript of each video. Every bit of relevant information you can add to your YouTube upload gives you more opportunity for people to find your video and makes it accessible for all types of users and search bots.
Recommended tools
YouTube TestTube: This works much like Gmail Labs. For those of you looking to stay up-to-date on potential, new YouTube features (or even just get access to some neat elements), you’ll want to occasionally check TestTube and see what they have to offer.
YouTube Analytics: This offers the equivalent of Facebook Insights for your videos. You’ll find numbers on engagement, discovery, and demographics.
YouTube Advertisers: This is a central hub where you can get an idea of what other brands are doing for inspiration, and it’s also a portal with a great deal of content about ad solutions.
YouTube Charts: A list of videos sorted based on most views, popularity, comments or other criteria. Looking for content ideas? This is a great spot