YouTube is the worlds largest social media network with over a billion active users per month. It is a place where users can connect with friends, family, and other people with shared interests. The question is: how can businesses use YouTube to reach a large audience and make an impact?
Websites such as YouTube come in varying degrees of complexity. Large platforms with hundreds of thousands of videos can be daunting for first-time site builders. Fortunately, there are many tools, tricks, and hacks to make the process much easier and less tedious. In this article, we’ll discuss seven ways that you can use YouTube to grow your business.
1. Create compelling content.
In order to engage and retain users, content is king (or queen). Without interesting, engaging content, your video won’t be worth watching.
You can gain a competitive advantage by creating high-quality content that is interesting, well-made, and educational. The more you can do to draw in and engage the audience, the better. This means creating compelling content that will keep the viewer watching and coming back for more.
The golden rule of engaging content is to provide value to your audience. If you are wondering what will compel people to keep watching your channel, consider what you are offering. Your video’s message should seamlessly tie into your product or service because, at the end of the day, that is what the viewer is there for. Consider creating guides, how-to guides, or instructional videos for your products. The possibilities are endless!
2. Build a community.
One of the best things about YouTube is that it is a place where people come together. It is a place where users can share content, connect with other users, and create influential communities.
If you want to attract potential customers to your company, consider establishing yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry. One way to do this is to contribute to online communities and answer questions. By engaging with your audience, you are demonstrating that you are listening and that you care about their needs.
Additionally, you can use YouTube to gain online credibility. If you are a business or brand that is looking for credibility, establishing yourself as an expert in your industry can help. This, in turn, can help you to establish yourself as an impartial party to the conversation.
3. Engage with your audience.
Even if your product isn’t video-related, you can use YouTube to gain credibility and build engagement. However, the better you engage with your audience, the more you will grow your channel.
This is because people love to feel as though they are connecting with an author or expert. When you engage with your audience, you are demonstrating that you are thinking about them and that you are trying to understand their needs. Additionally, you can use the information you get from engaging with your audience to improve your content and grow your channel. For instance, if you are reading comments under your videos, you can find out what content is most appealing to your audience.
4. Brand yourself.
One of the best things about YouTube is that it is a place where users can discover new things. If you want to attract potential customers to your company, consider establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. This can be done by creating brand-related content (videos, blog posts, and so on).
You can then use this content to drive traffic to your website or social media accounts. Consider creating video guides that explain how your product or service works. If you have a blog, consider using it to provide additional value to your audience. For instance, maybe you are an accounting firm and you have a blog that provides useful tips for small businesses. In that case, you can establish yourself as an expert by creating helpful blog posts about accounting topics such as taxes, payroll, and so on.
5. Test different marketing strategies.
You can always switch up your marketing strategy to see what works best for you. In order to find out what works, you can use tools like Google Analytics to track the performance of different marketing methods. Additionally, you can use tools like HubSpot to follow the success of different marketing campaigns.
As you may assume, YouTube’s biggest draw is that it is a place where people want to gather. If you want to attract potential customers to your company, establish yourself as an authoritative voice in your industry, create helpful content, and engage with your audience. The more you do, the more you will grow your channel and, ultimately, your business.
6. Measure, track, and analyze results.
In order to determine the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, you should be able to track the results from your digital marketing strategies. Fortunately, there are numerous tools available to help you do this. For example, if you want to see how many views your YouTube videos have, you can use tools like YouTube Analytics to track the numbers. Additionally, if you want to see which social media platforms are generating the most engagement, you can use services like Klout to identify the most influential people in your industry. By doing this, you can determine which platforms may be worth exploring more heavily if you want to grow your business.
7. Monetize your channel.
Last but not least, we have monetization. YouTube monetization can be a great way to put money in your pocket. You can use Google Adsense to create ads that appear alongside videos. When someone clicks on an ad, they are taken to a website with a small ad. This means you are earning a small amount of money every time someone clicks on an ad.
Additionally, you can use YouTube’s affiliate program to earn a commission from advertisers. Finally, you can create professional membership sites and sell and promote affiliate offers on your channel. The possibilities are endless!