Published: June 18, 2018
In the past, if you wanted to use video to reach your audience, your only choice was television. This meant paying a high price for a short time that you hoped the right people were watching. However, the rise of online video-viewing platforms, such as YouTube, have changed the game. YouTube has become the holy grail of videos online. These days, you can find a video about anything you can imagine on YouTube. But … can you find your business?
The Value of YouTube
You might be thinking that using YouTube isn’t right for your business. However, with all of the options YouTube offers and the large audience it captures, it would be hard for that to be true. Afterall, YouTube has now recorded 1.5 billion monthly users who consume at least an hour of YouTube videos per day on mobile devices alone.
The main reason that YouTube is so promising is because it is a video platform. There is a reason advertisers swarmed television advertising when it first became available. Video is a far richer sensory experience than simply reading text. Because of this, video is more engaging and often leads to higher levels of recall. In a world where our time and media is now extremely fragmented, YouTube has the ability to engage users with shorter attention spans, even amongst all the clutter. When used well, its power can be instrumental in driving action.
Maintaining a YouTube Channel
The most common way to use YouTube is to maintain a channel. By creating your own channel, YouTube gives you a place to store your videos as well as a presence on the platform should users be looking for you. You can organize your channel into playlists and craft videos that are especially useful to your audiences. For example, you might want to include video demos for prospects who are just starting their buyer journey, and video referrals for those who are closer to making a final decision.
You don’t have to rely on organic traffic to your channel either. You can point users to specific videos housed there through email marketing and digital advertising. This is a good use of YouTube, but not its only capability.
Utilizing YouTube Advertising
You can also utilize YouTube advertising to elevate your business. There are multiple options available in this advertising arena. From unskippable bumper ads that appear between videos, to discovery ads that display while a user is consuming other content, you can find an advertising option to fit your campaign goals. These advertisements can target users in a variety of ways, including affinity segments, life events and consumer patterns.
One of the newer advertising options that YouTube offers is the ability to target users based on past keywords they have searched on Google. This is especially powerful because it can reach users who may be interested in your product offerings, but have never encountered your brand before. For example, if your company sells computer software, you can show ads to users who visit YouTube after having searched for computer software related queries in Google. The key here is the ability to serve the user’s intent and make them aware of your brand’s ability to fulfill their needs.
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By Tonita Proulx, Business Partnerships
