Video content is set to grow in 2016, here’s how to get started.
With broadband speeds improving and consumer expectations increasing, video content is becoming an increasingly vital part of digital marketing. YouTube is the most well-known and widely-used hub for video content on the web, so it’s essential that your business starts utilising it. But what can you do to ensure that your new YouTube channel is successful? How can you get started on YouTube in a way that will ensure your business has a future there? We’ve compiled four tips we believe will help you to get started on YouTube.
1. Don’t just use YouTube to advertise
The main purpose of your new YouTube channel is to market your goods or services to prospective customers. However, if you only post videos that showcase your products in the same way that a traditional TV advert does, your audience will quickly lose interest. You can use your YouTube channel to build up a loyal customer base by providing interesting, engaging content.
For example, why not try uploading videos that give your customers tips on how to use your products or that talk about the history of your business? The UK luxury car company, Jaguar Cars, use their YouTube channel to include ‘instructional videos’ for Jaguar owners. It’s a clever way to save time, as well as answer the ‘how do I do that?' questions.
The most successful businesses on YouTube are the ones that mix high-quality advertisements with rapport-building videos designed to tap into consumers’ interests. Jaguar, for example, also have a playlist of videos that celebrate their heritage without directly aiming to sell specific products. It’s not a car for everyone’s budget, but allows a niche business to talk directly to its customers.
2. Embed Calls to Action in YouTube content
Not every YouTube video should be an advert, but video should still ask the audience to get involved in some way.
Look for ways to incorporate calls to action into each of your videos: your more sales-oriented videos should call on customers to buy particular goods, whereas your rapport-building videos could call on prospective customers to find out more (by following a link), to get in touch with you or to offer their feedback.
Calls to action are important because they are a way of directly engaging your audience. The more you engage your audience, the more likely they are to identify strongly with your brand and therefore convert into customers.
3. Take advantage of the flexibility of video content
Video content has the power to grab viewers’ attention because it can fluidly display a huge variety of content types, including live-action footage, animations and moving graphics.
If you want your videos to stand out on YouTube, it’s worth experimenting with the medium’s different capabilities and showing viewers a variety of content types. Jaguar uses YouTube to show the driver’s perspective. A great ad and a test drive from your own home!
4. Respond to comments
YouTube’s comments section is a hotbed of discussion and enthusiasm, so keep a close eye on what viewers say about your videos and respond accordingly. By demonstrating that you are able to listen and take feedback onboard, you can improve the reputation of your business within the YouTube community and ultimately attract more prospective customers.
By engaging your viewers’ interests, getting them involved using calls to action, keeping their attention focused with interesting content-types and responding to their comments, you can turn your new YouTube channel into a digital marketing success story!Labels: getting started on social media, youtube