YouTube is largely overlooked as a marketing tool in Sri Lanka. While working on our research we noted that even though other social media platforms, especially Facebook were being used quite aptly by many of the brands here. However, even the leading brands did not utilize YouTube in its full potential. Perhaps, it’s because it feels different to Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. It is looked upon more as a sort of entertainment hub where you watch videos as opposed to understanding that the videos are the marketing material for the brand or individual posting it. Cross-promoting is something that cannot be stressed enough when it comes to social media marketing strategies and increasing engagement. Most often, any videos and content shared across other platforms do not reach YouTube. We thought of sharing why it’s a great, cost-effective PR provider and how YouTube can be implemented.
Is Youtube a good enough platform to market my business?
Yes, it certainly is! According to research, YouTube is the fastest growing video sharing website in the world at the moment, it is also bigger than AOL, ASK, Bing and Yahoo combined. It also has 01 billion monthly visitors and reaches more US adults between the ages of 18-34 as compared to any other cable network.
Why should YouTube be used and how?
- Tapping into the wealth of YouTube traffic
Online video is growing rapidly and around 4 billion videos are viewed on any given day. Using this for your business means that you can easily reach your target audience in two ways. One is by posting creative and engaging videos and the other, by advertising on other people’s videos.
- Market on YouTube and be found on Google
When you search for anything on Google you may have noticed that an increasing amount of videos are also indicated in the results. This is done because Google combines and churns out a mixture of videos, images, news, books and local searches in order for you to have better access to complete information. So, it would be safe to say Google thinks videos are as important as text-only pages. Taking advantage of this means you can write great content on your sites and then create videos that complement that on YouTube. This will generate backlinks to your site which means you get found more on Google. Your page will begin to rank higher on Google. Hello SEO rankings!!!
- Content that never dies
Do you need to sort of revamp and re-purpose the old content that you have? Using YouTube means that you could go about this easily without the need to splurge so much on a new look. Re-purposing content is effective and allows you to appeal to the audience that likes that specific type of content. For example, a blog can be put into many formats such as video series, podcasts, infographics and presentations. You can create about 04 pieces from 01 idea and engage in an audience that is diverse and large.
- Grow a worldwide audience
Go global with YouTube. It is arguably one of the best benefits of using YouTube. If you manage a regular upload level, you will see that you are engaging with people who would otherwise not search for your business actively.
- The audience will promote you and even purchase your products and services
If you get really good at creating videos that have a human element, a personal touch, people will engage more. Customers buy from vendors they can trust and you can use the videos to connect with your market on an emotional level.
- Make use of their tools
AdWords is a great YouTube tool that you must implement in your marketing strategy. The tool will help you get super focused access to your ideal audience when advertising for videos that your audience is more likely to watch and search. Worried about the cost? You will only pay for engaged views, which is a view for at least 30 seconds. If your video is skipped, you will not pay.
Still think that YouTube is too much hassle, what with making videos and all that? The flip side is that you get to access a really diverse, broad audience that will form a bond with you which goes a long way when it comes to brand loyalty and trust, in turn increasing your credibility and ultimately profits. It’s easy, user-friendly, cost-effective and really just a lot of fun that lets your brand get cracking on some great creative opportunities.