Maintaining a presence on social media has become inevitable for businesses around the world – that’s how they reach and engage with their customers. But there’s going to be one more important marketing method for companies in the future.

And that is Video marketing! - 27 Resources That Will Make You a Whiz at Video Marketing

According to Cisco, video will account for 69% of all internet traffic in 2017. And of course, YouTube tops the list of online video platforms, and has grown to become one of the most effective mediums for advertising today. Preparing a well-thought of YouTube strategy becomes increasingly important for YouTube marketing.

If you’re not yet doing YouTube marketing strategy for your brand, start now because:

1. It has a wide reach and generates plenty of traffic

YouTube has over 1 billion users, who spend millions of hours per day viewing videos

Since March 2014, there’s been a 40% year-on-year increase in the number of YouTube viewers per day

YouTube is localized in over 70 countries and is available in 76 languages

It has greater reach than cable in the US

It’s huge on mobile – more than 50% of YouTube views are via mobile phones

The earning potential is enormous. Recent statistics show that every year, there’s been a 50% increase in the channels earning 6 figures annually

2. There’s a package for everyone

There are different packages for businesses of all sizes. As a startup, you can use the free services and advance to paid services as your popularity grows.

3. Results are immediate and measurable

A simple visit to your channel will reveal how your videos are performing. You can also use analytics tools to gauge the effect of your video advertising efforts.

4. It’s a social network

The fact that YouTube is also a social network means that in addition to hosting your free videos, you can friend, like, share, comment, subscribe and ‘favorite’. All these features bring people with similar interests to your videos.

5. It’s a search engine

When thinking of YouTube, think of it as a search engine. It is, in fact, ranked second in terms of search engine popularity. YouTube marketing is now an essential part of any promotional strategy.

6. Centrality

When visitors come to your channel, they can access your video content and link back to your websites. They can also access any content you ‘follow’ – or even content about your business that’s shared on other channels.

7. Interactivity with other social media platforms

Linking your channel to other social media accounts allows visitors to interact with your content from other platforms. This saves a lot of time that’s usually required for setting up different campaigns.

How can you take advantage of YouTube to reach your target audience?

To start off, create a channel that you’ll use for YouTube advertising. The name you select for your YouTube channel should be directly related to the brand you want to promote. If you have a blog or a website, make sure the domain name and the channel will link to each other. When your channel name is identifiable, its relevance will register to visitors and they’ll automatically want to click on it.

Next, work on the visual appeal of your channel. Describe what the channel is all about and add links to relevant content that you may have shared in websites and other platforms. This makes it easier for visitors who want to check your credentials again or learn what your brand is all about. Do not neglect the margins on the left and right side of your channel. Use them to showcase pictures and other content related to your brand.

Your next step should be to work on videos. YouTube marketing success is determined by the number of viewers you attract. To Increase viewership, you have to create videos that have the ability to attract and connect with people.

Just like with written content, video content has to be relevant to your target audience. Before you start creating content, find out what your customers want. Do they need an answer to a question? Are they trying to learn how to do something? Are they looking for a product that will solve a problem they have? When you know this, your use of videos to get leads will be very strategic.

Below are different types of videos that will improve your popularity on YouTube and help you better in YouTube marketing :

1. Trailer videos

When targeting new subscribers, it’s important to introduce yourself and your business. A trailer video allows you to do just that.

Your trailer video should be short and simple, and consist of 3 parts:

Introduction - State your name, the name of your business and your qualifications. A well-crafted introduction will not only lend a human face to your business, but will also instill confidence about your ability to do what you claim you can do.

What you do - Tell your viewers what benefits they’ll get by doing business with you. Your aim at this stage is to establish a personal connection as customers are more likely to subscribe when they connect with you.

The call-to-action - This section is important because it directs viewers to do what you want them to do. With your call to action, you are telling them, “subscribe here to get the amazing benefits I’ve just told you about”. Include details about how and where to subscribe. This is also a great opportunity to re-direct them to your blog or website.

2. Stats videos

The great thing about sharing numbers is that they make your business look organized and reliable. To a consumer’s eyes, citing relevant market research, or sharing research that you’ve conducted means that you keep up with current trends. You know what’s going on in the market, ergo, you know what is good for them.

For YouTube marketing, showing Statistics increase shareability and this translates to more traffic and higher conversions for your business.

It’s actually quite simple to create and share relevant stats videos. As long as you have relevant data and a great soundtrack, you can create great graphics using desktop tools like Adobe and share them with your audience.

3. Testimonials

When your customers give video testimonials about the experience they’ve had interacting with your brand or using your products, this gives your company a good reputation. You can capture testimonials yourself or request customers to post their stories online. You can then share the links to their videos on your channel and even add them under the favorites section.

A great testimonial should include:

An introduction - This makes other viewers believe the people in the videos are real customers.

The before scenario - Where customers talk about the problem they had.

The journey that led them to your brand - Often, customers will struggle with a problem and try product after product until they arrive at the right one. In your video, your product should come out clearly as ‘the ultimate answer’ to other people with a similar problem.

The after - This part should be the coup de gras. Your past customers should be talking about how exactly your product helped. If customers have videos or pictures of what the ‘after’ looks like, it will add credibility.

There are millions of products and services that are created to solve the same problem. Testimonials are your way of standing out from all the other products available online.

4. Q&A videos

If you already have a Q&A on your website, convert those answers into videos and upload them onto your YouTube channel. When you give helpful answers, you establish yourself as a knowledge resource. Within no time, people will be flocking to your videos whenever they have a question.

5. ‘How to’ videos

Majority of people go online to learn how to do things. If you have ever created a ‘how-to' article with pictures, then you know how difficult they can be to create. They are also not nearly as effective as videos, which can deliver clear demonstrations. The ability to pause and rewind videos also makes them a great tool for teaching.

Not all the above video styles will suit your Youtube marketing strategy. Find the one that’s best and work on creating a compelling “call-to-action” in your videos so you can inspire viewers to subscribe, share, buy, or download.

Features that make YouTube a great tool for marketers

YouTube has tools that you can use to attract viewers, increase their watching time, lead them to subscribe and propel them to connect to your website. Using a few or all of the tools below will make a significant difference to your social media marketing strategy.

1. Audio Library

A video without a sound track can be quite boring. Music lends entertainment quality to videos and also evokes the right emotions in people. The YouTube audio library has a lot of free audio tracks which you can use to give your videos a ‘wow’ factor.

To get to the audio library, go to the video manager, and you’ll see audio library under creation tools. You can apply filters in the library, such as duration, mood, genre and even preview tracks. When you have the right song, download it.

2. Fan Finder

Not everyone will be interested in what you have to offer. Through the Fan Finder, YouTube allows you to submit free channel ads targeted at people who are most likely to be interested in what you are offering.

To use fan finder, upload a channel ad just like you would any other video. Then go to video manager and select fan finder under channel settings. Once you submit the channel ad, it will stay queued under fan finder until it’s approved.

Don’t assume that people know about your channel, so the first thing you should do in your ad is to introduce yourself before you talk about your offer. If you don’t grab the viewers’ attention within the first 5 seconds, they will simply skip on to the next video.

Channel ads should be engaging but short. They should also have several mentions of your brand or product as this makes them memorable to viewers. Most importantly, they should contain a clear call-to-action.

3. Associated Website Annotations

Associated website annotations allow you to link to your websites directly from the video player. There are two main steps involved in using annotations:

a) Verifying your channel

Before, you associate your websites, you need to verify your account under the following link

Youtube verify

Also follow Youtube features to check your account standing.

Next, from within your account, go to: creator -> Studio -> Channel -> Advanced. Scroll to “Associated website” and enter the website URL. It will default to “pending” status. You’ll get instructions to verify the website. Click on verify. This will direct you to Google search console. Ensure the google account that’s logged in is the same as your YouTube channel. Click on “Add a property” and then type in the URL of the site you want to add. Click on “continue” to verify. After verification, the status will change from “pending” to “success”.

b) Creating annotations

Within your account, go to creator -> studio -> video manager. Scroll to the video you want to edit and click on the pencil sign that appears when you hover over it. Select “Annotations” Click “enable” and agree to terms and conditions. Click “Add annotations”. This option will allow you to create a new annotation. Next, go to “Associated website”, by selecting “link”. Add the URL and click on “Apply changes”. The success button will activate once you finish this process.

This process will allow you to add a clickable link within a video. When viewers click on that link, it will take them to the website you linked it to.

4. InVideo programming

Attracting viewers is a great video marketing strategy, but it’s not enough. What’s more important is to keep them engaged and get their focus away from your competitors.

The key to keeping viewers engaged is through building a brand identity and creating authoritative content regularly. You can do this with InVideo programming, which makes it possible to embed a clickable thumbnail to the logo and videos within your channel.

You can access InVideo Programming by going to channel settings within the video manager, and then by uploading watermarks to videos you want to attract attention to. Your watermark can be a logo, a simple call to action or short description.

To avoid distracting viewers from the video, use watermarks that are transparent and have one color.

5. The ‘Related videos’ feature

For your video to come up as a related video, you’ll need to optimize tags and titles in order to rank better when a search is performed on YouTube. This means that when viewers finish watching the video they first clicked on, yours will be queued up to be watched next.

6. YouTube Live Events

Basic live streaming on YouTube is possible through Google+ Hangouts on Air. But there’s an even better service known as YouTube Live Events, which comes with more features for making professional broadcasts. You can only use Live Events if your account is verified and has a good standing.

YouTube live events has all the scheduling options on hangouts, plus more advanced features such as using multiple cameras or wirecast.

To use live events, you have to enable it. To do so, go to “video manager”, then click on “features” under “channel settings”. Once in features, scroll till you find live events then turn it on. Once it’s enabled, you can create a live broadcast by choosing live events under video manager, then following the instructions that appear.

What next for your business?

If you’re still hoarding your videos on your website, you need to get them on YouTube. When used correctly, YouTube can be a powerful social media marketing tool. The success behind YouTube celebrities and also brands like Old Spice and Apple is because they have put in a lot of thought and effort into their videos.

Whether you are new on YouTube or have been YouTube advertising for a while without much success, keep these things in mind as you make your future marketing plans:

1. Success on YouTube is all about building a fan base

Successful campaigns on YouTube are ambitious, creative and have notable people behind them. While you might not manage to get a superstar to be in your video content, you can certainly bring creativity and ambition to your content and wow your watchers.

2. Use the free services sparingly

A lot of videos you see on YouTube are made with a handheld camera. While this is one of the best qualities of YouTube, it might not be enough if you want to set your brand apart. Spend a little money on video production and instead of settling for free packages, put some money into YouTube’s paid services.

3. Think beyond product specs

Old Spice has many videos, but none of them talk about the product directly.

While your product is important, you’ll find that sometimes, the least effective way of getting a following for your brand is by talking about its specs in your video. Whatever you’re advertising, it’s a lifestyle or a concept you’re selling, so find a way of getting people attracted to the concept.

4. Understand viewer behavior

The attention span of viewers is so short that a long video might end up working against you. An advert is supposed to reel in consumers and once you have their attention, you can give them in-depth information. If your video is long, make sure its intriguing or entertaining enough to make a viewer want to spend time watching it.

5. Remember – out of sight means out of mind

Create a series of videos if you want to gain a lot of followers. When you have many videos and all of them link back to your website or other social media platforms, you’ll create a bigger following.

6. Bring intrigue to your videos

When you watch your video, ask yourself, ‘is it intriguing enough to make people want to watch it?’ Only launch your YouTube marketing campaigns when you’re convinced that they will captivate your audience.

If you’ve got any other thoughts, suggestions, or questions, please do comment below. Good luck with your YouTube marketing experiments!