There’s a misconception that YouTube marketing can only be done with a big budget and fancy equipment. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
As anyone dabbling in content marketing knows, video is a versatile and highly engaging medium that not only gives audiences a real-life picture of what’s going on, but also is relatively easy to share across multiple platforms. It’s easy to digest, entertaining and is readily accessible to just about anyone with an internet connection – and YouTube is regarded as the first to capitalise on this.
While many platforms like TikTok and Instagram now prioritise short form video as their format of choice, there’s still a case to be made for using longer video formats as an effective marketing tool for small businesses. What’s more is that YouTube marketing methods provide more options for both organic and paid advertising tactics, offering greater choice for business owners who need the flexibility.
A Beginner’s Guide To YouTube Marketing
With over two billion active users, YouTube offers small businesses one of the best ways to reach customers and prospects. Despite being the second-most popular social media platform and the second-largest search engine, embracing YouTube marketing doesn’t seem to get anywhere near the level of hype that it deserves.
If you’re new to this arena, the good news is that it’s easier to master YouTube marketing than most people initially think. There’s no need for a recording set up that costs thousands of dollars, and if you get it right, you won’t need to rely on paid advertising methods either – so where do you start?
Know Your Audience – If you already have a channel running, then the Analytics tab in your YouTube Studio can give you insights about your audience and their preferences. While combing through your social media analytics may not be the most fun part of YouTube marketing, this vital data provides a blueprint on who your audience is, what they like to watch, and how they like to watch it. Don’t waste this data, and use it to form your content strategy.
Optimise Your Content – YouTube recommends content to its users based on how Google recommends search queries to its users. However, the big difference with the other search engine is that YouTube also takes into account the watch history and personal preferences of every individual. As such, no two person’s search results are ever the same on YouTube, but you can do your part by adding the right keywords and a detailed description.
Aim To Add Value – When done well, YouTube marketing has the power to not only attract the eyeballs of audiences, but to retain them. With millions of videos to choose from, an audience member will usually need a reason to keep watching yours. If you’re stuck for content ideas, make videos that answer FAQs, resemble how-to guides, are list based, or simply answer queries related to your products or services before a user gets the chance to ask the question.
Repurpose Your Videos – There’s a myth that producing great content requires hours and hours of time, effort and money. By repurposing content already ‘in stock’, you’re effectively recycling and improving your team’s work output. As such, don’t forget to embed your YouTube videos into relevant pages on your website, cross post it to your brand’s Facebook page, and include one in your next email newsletter sent to your existing customers.
Partner With Infleuncers – Once you’ve started to get into your groove with YouTube marketing and are confident in the quality of your content, it’s worth partnering with a like minded influencer who operates in a similar niche or industry. While it’s important to find a channel or an influencer who aligns with your brand and its value, it’s also important to make sure that they produce content of a high standard so that it doesn’t reflect poorly on your own efforts.
Needless to say, video marketing is rapidly becoming a key staple for any successful content marketing strategy, and it doesn’t require loads of expensive gear or training to get started. However, if you have a vision for what your brand’s visuals look like on screen but lack the confidence to bring it to life, it’s easy to feel deflated.
If you’re one of the many small business owners who lack the time, energy or experience necessary to master content marketing, the good news is that it’s never been more affordable to offload this task to the experts – but where do you find them?
The Key To Good Marketing Is Great Content
Here at Content Hive, producing top quality digital content is exactly what we do best. We have itemised a list of digital content services, and allocated credits next to each of these. This means that each month, you can use your credits with us to produce digital content such as blog articles, social media posts, videos and even animated Instagram stories. By using this model, we believe that it enables us to produce high quality content with faster delivery times.
If you aren’t quite sure where to start on your digital marketing journey and would like to speak to a professional, why not book in a free discovery call with us at Content Hive today to discuss how we can get your brand buzzing online.
