3 ways to make YouTube work for your marketing strategy
No longer able to be called “up and coming”, video content is a vital part of marketing strategy.
The statistics linked to video content are incredible. A recent infographic by HubSpot has shown that;
- video in an email leads to a 200-300% increase in click-through rate
- YouTube reports that movie video consumption rises 100% every year
- after watching a video, 64% of users are more likely to buy a product online
- 1/3 of all online activity is spent watching video
- in 2016 video ad spending will reach $5.4 billion
With such staggering return on investment rates and a clear user affinity with video as a platform, there’s no better time to capitalise on the video hype.
With YouTube boasting that almost a third of all people on the Internet use the site, there’s no better place to start, and this week we have our top three tips on how to make YouTube work for your marketing strategy.
1. Build a community
Just as other social media sites are so successful because they tap into the social and communal aspects of the internet, using YouTube as part of your marketing strategy should be about building a community between your brand and your users.
For inc.com contributor Samuel Edwards, building an engaged YouTube community is far more valuable in the long term than the quick win that comes with viral video.
He argues that ‘while there’s nothing wrong with creating viral video content, it’s not the kind of sustainable advertising strategy you want to pursue.’
Create content that is meaningful for the viewer. Be sure to consider what response or action you want the user to have afterwards. Doing so, according to Edwards, will help build a consistent and loyal community that keeps on coming back to your brand.
2. Look into monetisation
According to online publication Small Business Trends, looking into to monetising your YouTube strategy could be fruitful.
Simply creating video content and watching the views role in works well for the first few months. But, delving into the background analytics will create valuable insights that can push your strategy forwards.
It is argued that ‘this will help make sure that you know how to monetise your videos and create more relevant content and market it the right way to get viewers to do what you want.’
Make sure to monitor everything from traffic sources to earning reports. It will be far easier to tailor your future content if you do! You’ll learn about the wants of your audience but also to the needs of your strategy. This will help to ensure you get the best return for your time.
3. Don’t over-focus
While clearly there are vast merits to be enjoyed from a strong YouTube strategy, this shouldn’t be done to the detriment of your other platforms.
This is exactly what was cautioned by Mark Ritson (of Marketing Week fame) in an article for The Australian recently.
Ritson argued that ’it’s one thing to celebrate the power of a new channel like YouTube in contributing to a successful campaign, and quite another to exaggerate its relative potency.’
He claims there is a ‘culture endemic in modern media’ hailing the death of traditional media. But it is important to use YouTube as one element of a wider marketing strategy, not your only stream. Combine with other digital forms such as cinema, TV or even non-video content such as editorials and print.
YouTube content can help build audiences loyal to your content and wider brand. It should be integrated into your wider strategy to make sure you capture attention online. Video content is only set to grow, so you need to make a start now!
Want to talk about your video strategy? We can help! Just get in touch.
