Tips & Tricks – Utilising YouTube For Small Businesses!

Traditionally speaking, if you were looking for big exposure for your brand product or business you’d take out a newspaper ad or create a TV commercial. However, it’s 2017, not 2007, and digital marketing on social media sites like Facebook or YouTube has taken over.  In a recent study conducted by MarketingCharts.com of 295 global business leaders, it was revealed that four out of the five top priorities for marketing budget spend fell in the online sector. YouTube for small businesses is a portal to an ulterior and cost effective way of marketing your business in the modern era.

This growth is good news for smaller businesses, as the lofty costs of more conventional types of marketing prevented companies from reaching audiences beyond the scale of their budget. With the global shift into online marketing, it opens new doors for small businesses to explore.

YouTube still remains the greatest platform for visibility. Worldwide there are over one billion users, and each year, this rise in YouTube consumers increases the content watched by a giant 50%. Additionally, the fact that nearly half of their audience connect via mobile means you can reach your audience anywhere, at any time!

Now, while this makes video marketing seem easy, there are some complexities that need to be considered. Firstly, with the mass amount of content available to people, getting your video noticed by your intended audience can be a real challenge. Your video’s success does not happen by chance and it’s necessary to have a well thought out strategy before uploading anything.

So, let’s check out how you can harness the power of YouTube for small businesses!

Attention

Every minute of every day, over 300 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube—creating massive competition for views, attention, and customer conversion.

Just like food dropped on the floor, YouTube videos have a “five-second rule”—yes, it’s a strange comparison, but hear me out. Given the ocean of videos available to users these days, it’s only natural that they tend to have very short attention spans; if your video fails to capture people within the first five seconds they’ll soon click elsewhere. The onus is on you to know your demographic, and while it’s impossible to create content which will appeal to everyone, you need content that will draw them in. In this situation, your best bet is to research similar businesses that have a strong video presence and do your best to emulate or learn from them.

Take for example Rokenbok, a company who’ve truly paved the way for online video marketing. The children’s educational toy construction brand traditionally held in-store demos to promote their products, but given the rise of online video, moved toward filmed demos; reaching a much wider audience as a result. Recognising they could build their brand from these videos, Rokenbok has since spent several years building a strong online relationship with viewers, and these days, everyone from young children to grandparents is uploading videos of themselves building Rokenbok products. Today, the brand is synonymous with family, education, and fun—and it all began with a few online videos!

Consumer Driven Content 

Have you heard of GoPro? Even if you have no idea what a GoPro is, chances are you’ve heard about them—and that’s mission accomplished as far as a brand is concerned. However, as a company, GoPro have only been around for five years. So how did they get so popular?

Firstly, the company capitalised on their unique position. As their products enabled customers to record themselves  in all types of situations, GoPro realised they didn’t need to make any videos of their own; instead, they could share those of their customers, allowing all promotion to be done entirely by their consumers—a unique way of video marketing that many companies have since replicated.

Regardless of whether your company sells cameras or something else entirely, there’s still an opportunity to encourage users of your product/business to populate YouTube with content. As a start, encourage reviews by asking consumers to film themselves using your products in exchange for incentives (eg. discounts etc). You don’t have to be the only one making videos about your business; by encouraging others to do it for you’ve won half the battle already!

Demos On YouTube

Demonstrating products is by no means a new thing, however, with the digital era, it has shifted primarily from in-store to online. 

Take for example Case Hut, a mobile phone cover provider who—while their products need little explanation—still regularly upload videos showcasing their newest products. Using their YouTube presence they briefly review the features of each new case, converting customers by informing the viewer as to why Case Hut is better than its competitors (as they test all products firsthand). Additionally, Case Hut’s videos also allow users to ask questions that can be answered in the next video, and encourages them to subscribe for future product reveals.

Given that their latest video has amassed 3494 views, it’s easy to see the benefits; if even just  1% of those viewers bought one phone case, over $1500 could be generated by just one video!

When it comes to your own business, filming and editing these types of videos is quite simple—you just need a good camera and a willing presenter to get the key points across.

Ask The Internet 

Answering questions via video is especially effective for companies with a complex nature, such as pensions or insurance companies. If a business has already answered the questions their target market are asking, they’re much more effective in marketing their services.

The most common way for people to find information online is by asking questions—and in 2017, this is increasingly done via voice search. Now, think about your YouTube channel, and imagine you had all the answers to these questions via video? The effect this could have on your Google ranking and brand visibility is massive!

Vape Club, a UK-based retailer, are a perfect example of this. As vaping is a relatively new topic, many potential consumers would, of course, be found online searching for information. To take advantage of this, Vape Club created a series of blogs and videos addressing the most frequently asked questions. Did it work? Well, their Beginner’s Guide to Vaping has amassed over 1.5 million views, so it’s fair to say that in this case, the power of video is pretty clear!

Answer The Public 

Answer The Public is an amazing tool that can help you decide on what type of video content to create. Just type in a keyword that’s relevant to your business, and Answer The Public will generate some relevant FAQs. Select the ones which are most appropriate for your business and then compare those with the search volumes of those same questions in Google AdWords; all that’s left to do then is choose the questions with the most searches and you’ll be on your way!

Often, many small businesses look at YouTube and feel intimidated by the sheer size of it— and that’s understandable. No one wants to spend money on a video only for it to be viewed a dozen times. However, if you follow these steps you can ensure your video attracts an audience. That will soon prove to you the power of online video marketing!

Looking for help with some ideas or more information about YouTube for Small Businesses? Get in touch with us today on 1300 859 600 and let’s get filming!

 

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