5 reasons why your business should be on YouTube
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words is a video worth?
Regardless of how many words are actually spoken during a video, we know that video captures the storyteller’s emotion in a way that words alone simply can’t. This makes it an ideal marketing tool, yet, surprisingly, most businesses aren’t yet harnessing the power of video and specifically YouTube.
Here are 5 reasons why you should market your business with video and bring YouTube into your marketing mix.
1. Reach: Your target audience is on YouTube
Youtube is the second most popular search engine in the world with around 1.3 billion users. Google, being number one, owns YouTube. So it should come as no surprise that SEO best practices for Google stand true with YouTube as well.
Marketers should take into account who their target audience is and where they spend their time online. Almost 5 billion videos are watched every day, it goes without saying that you should consider YouTube. However, lots of people either aren’t confident in front of a camera or think they’ll get lost in the crowd of content. To make sure your YouTube videos get seen by your targeted audience, make sure you employ keyword best practices with a strategy and purpose in mind. This is something we can help with! Or, try out this free tool TubeBuddy.
2. Intent: Your customers want to find you on YouTube
Contrary to other social media channels where users subconsciously swipe through content, with YouTube the user has an objective in mind. That objective can be finding a solution to a problem (“how to install a kitchen sink”), improving a skill like (“5 tips to edit video like a pro”), or entertainment (“best vine compilations”).
The advantage that you have is the ability to step into the shoes of your target audience. Make it easy for your target market to find your brand by thinking of the questions that your customers are asking and addressing them in the title and description of your videos.
3. Engagement: People would rather watch videos than read
Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. This explains the plethora of “how-to” videos and guides designed to teach viewers that proliferate YouTube. 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service by way of video than alternatives like text or infographics.
An added benefit of posting video content to YouTube is its syndication. YouTube isn’t the end destination of your content; it’s just the beginning. YouTube makes it extremely easy for your content to be shared with others through other channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email, and other websites.
4. Conversion: YouTube engagement helps you acquire new customers
The increased traffic, engagement, and shares spurred by YouTube ultimately lead to conversion — and the statistics show it. According to Brightcove, 76% of users are more likely to buy a product online after watching a video.
Overall, businesses who use video grow revenue 49% faster than non-video users. The math adds up to a positive ROI for your business. YouTube’s algorithm is designed to help users find the right video to answer their question, and then keep them engaged and watching. Even better, YouTube supports marketers by providing tools like playlists, cards, and end screens to keep users engaged with your videos. This encourages your YouTube video viewers to become your email subscribers, leads, customers and ultimately, advocates for your brand.
5. Starting a YouTube video channel is easier than you think
Arguably the biggest reason more marketers aren’t leveraging YouTube for their business is…themselves. One survey found that 83% of marketers would increase their reliance on video as a strategy if it weren’t for perceived obstacles like time, resources and budget. But getting started with video is likely much easier than you think.
Your business can use YouTube to address customer questions, promote brand messages, portray life at the office and much more. The reach, engagement opportunity, and conversions are there; it’s just a matter of getting started. The biggest time drain you’ll find with YouTube is video editing, and lucky for you, this is something we offer support with. Get in touch and we can quote our video editing services.