Online video is revolutionising media consumption, with one in 35 UK Internet visits going to an online video site. YouTube is at the heart of this activity. It is the second most-visited destination for business-related searches after Google, with 1.5 million business-related searches daily. YouTube reaches half of online UK small business owners, which represents more than seven times the reach of FT.com. What’s more, studies suggest that 25 per cent of C-level execs prefer video to text. So how can we capture the opportunity that YouTube offers?
1. Upload all video assets
Don’t hide your videos. By uploading them to YouTube, you open up your content to an audience who will find, watch, share, and distribute it for you. Key tips include:
- Give your videos searchable titles, descriptions and tags.
- Keep videos and video logs up-to-date.
- Keep content fresh with regular uploads – don’t update everything in one go.
2. Create great content
- The key to building an audience is content which is useful and relevant. Particularly relevant in B2B communication are:
- Product showcases and demos: Build momentum by keeping potential customers updated on new releases.
- How-to and expert advice: Build trust with your users by sharing best practices. Video is a highly engaging format and YouTube provides the platform for dialogue.
- Case studies and editorial support: Promote your work and success stories. Showcase your services with results and testimonials. Augment editorial content with embedded videos.
- Conferences and events: Whether you are hosting, sponsoring or attending an event, raise the profile of your business via presence or commentary.
- Thought leadership: Demonstrate your industry knowledge and put your brand out there as a leader with a strong message to deliver.
3. Be found
With 20 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, it’s harder than ever to get your videos noticed. Simply posting your videos on YouTube will not suffice: think about what your users search for and where else they might discover your videos. Remember that if you’re doing a viral campaign, even the best material needs an initial push.
- Credit notable speakers and partners in your video description and tags.
- Include your website URL in the video description.
- Ensure your video is categorised correctly in YouTube.
- Embed YouTube videos on your site to make them more discoverable and to create a richer user experience. Twenty-three per cent of YouTube video users watch them outside YouTube. This also lets users know they can find you on the video-sharing site.
- Seed your videos. YouTube boosts social dialogue: conversations follow wherever your videos go. Link or embed your video in editorials, social networks and tweets.
4. Reach your target audience
YouTube contributes 2.4 billion of the five billion video streams each month in the UK. With so much choice, how do you ensure your ads are appearing next to the right content and in front of the right audience?
- Understand what your audience are watching and searching for on YouTube and target them with precision using YouTube Insights for Audience.
- Reach your audience with the right type of ad. Pre-roll ads are high-impact and effective at driving brand awareness; in-video and companion ads are interactive and engaging; and click-to-play video ads can drive up video views.
- Adapt existing TV ads to run on YouTube. Research shows that user attentiveness on YouTube is 1.5 times higher than when watching TV.
5. Build a home on YouTube
Create your own brand space with a YouTube channel. A YouTube channel is a home for your videos that makes it easy for users to find your content and allows you to control the viewing environment. You can customise it to create a branded destination to engage and build a persistent relationship with your audience in an environment they trust.
- Include links to your site or microsite.
- Take part in the conversation: encourage comments and subscriptions from viewers; source other YouTube videos relevant to your message and share them as favourites; subscribe to other channels which are aligned with your brand message; listen and react.
- Make the most of the creative space, including the background, to communicate your brand. The colours and graphics should reflect your brand. Creative uses of the background include rotating gif images and sponsorship or product placements.
6. Track, analyse and improve
Track your videos’ viewership to understand your audience and how they interact. Armed with this information, you can determine how best to optimise your targeting and your video content, e.g. changing your message or shortening the length if users tend to drop off halfway.
7. Innovate and integrate
YouTube should be an extension of your site and an integrated part of your marketing strategy. Brands are barely scraping the surface with what can be achieved with YouTube, both creatively and in terms of making the most of the available technology.
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