YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. It has more than 1 billion users, and people watch hundreds of millions of hours of content every day. Fifty-eight percent of Generation X uses YouTube, 81 percent of Millennials, and 81.9 percent of the up-and-coming Generation Z.
YouTube isn’t just for music and cat videos anymore. So, will those 1 billion users find you when they search?
Community, Value, and Authority
People today want interaction and community. They want something that doesn’t take a lot of effort for them. But they also have short attention spans. For them to watch a video all the way through, it has to be good.
That’s why YouTube is so popular. It’s easy to watch a video. And then click and watch the second one. And another one, and another one.
The engagement is there, too. They can comment on and like videos, letting their voices be heard by the producer and other viewers. Viewers can discuss the video together. The person who made the video can respond to comments. With like-minded people who follow the same channel, community starts to build.
This is where you come in and provide value. Let people know who you are. Introduce your staff. Use your videos to answer questions. Establish your authority by interviewing successful placements. Share statistics about your firm’s success or the direction of the market. Make a how-to (or how-not-to) video. You don’t need a giant budget to produce a quality video, but you do need creativity, consistency, and professionalism to build your brand identity.
Numbers
So, you’ve started producing YouTube videos, replying to comments, and counting likes. Well, you shouldn’t do that last one. Don’t get caught up in counting your comments, likes, or dislikes.
According to an article on Inc.com, “75 percent of users visit a marketer’s site after viewing a video.” That’s the number that matters. It’s more important to get visitors to your website and to receive communication from potential clients and candidates. Always include a call to action in your videos—to subscribe, check out your site, or call/email to get more information.
Advertising
What if you don’t feel up to producing educational or entertaining videos? Maybe you’d rather advertise on YouTube. That works, too. YouTube viewers who complete a TrueView ad are 23 times more likely to visit or subscribe to that brand’s channel and viewers who are simply exposed to an ad are 10 times more likely to visit or subscribe.
YouTube offers four different advertising options: in-stream (short advertisements that play before another YouTube video), in-slate (longer advertisements), in-search (ads that come up only when people search), and in-display (ads that can show up on other sites that contain YouTube content).
Here’s one more quick tip. YouTube’s top 10 ads of 2014 averaged only three minutes in length. That’s short, snappy, and to the point.
Did you know ASJ is on YouTube? Check it out, then contact us with your marketing and branding needs.
