Is It Time To Start Marketing On Youtube?

‘YouTube reaches more adults 18-plus during prime time than any cable network does.’

This was the line that grabbed my attention today on entrepreneur.com when I was lost within a blog post about Youtube. This may seem a bit abstract and far removed from your digital marketing plan, especially if you’re a small business. However, what struck me was just how far Youtube has come and the power it now offers.

In my last blog, I talked about different video marketing ideas and briefly mentioned the origins of Youtube and how it has gone from being a limitless creative playground to a powerful search engine with a vast wealth of detailed content. The beauty is that it hasn’t lost its ability to facilitate creativity, it has just developed the power to share it with more people. It’s this combination that now means it can be so effective for marketing campaigns.

The initial line got me thinking, if the Youtube I’ve always known and loved for its creative credentials now has so much marketing potential, just what is the best way to utilise it?

Organic Content

Firstly, if you are going to incorporate Youtube into your digital marketing strategy then high quality organic content is a must. Viewers go to Youtube to watch quality content related to their areas of interest. Whether it be entertainment, education or information, quality is expected. This shouldn’t be a daunting prospect but an exciting opportunity to show off just how creative your business is and how everything you do is of the highest quality.

I won’t go over the different types of video you could create as I touched upon that in the previous blog and will go even further in part 2 (watch this space). However, what I will say is that Youtube allows you to push the boundaries of your marketing strategy. If your SEO and paid Google advertising campaigns sit well within the metaphorical box, then Youtube is squinting at a dot that is the box from space. Utilise the creative freedom it offers to not only re-create your brand message in video form, but to re-imagine it in ways that aren’t possible through most marketing channels.

What is the best way to utilise Youtube through organic content? Well, quite simply, create great original content. Show off your products and services, share your team’s personalities and create that truly original concept for a video that is going to make viewers come back to your channel regardless of what you’re selling. They might not come for your product or services, but they might just leave with them.

Paid Ads

Once you’ve got yourself a great set of original videos you’re then in a really strong position to begin running paid Youtube adverts. The reason I always think it’s important to have organic content before paid is that it gives something for the paid ads to link to. The paid advert itself will most likely not link to your Youtube channel, however, many viewers will still find their way there. So if there is a lack of content or no channel at all then it wipes away the credibility that has been built up through the time and expense invested in the paid ads.

Now I’ve got that off my chest, time to cover why it’s worth running Youtube ads at all. Looking back to the initial statement in this blog, Youtube adverts are now as influential, if not more than primetime video ads. Yes, this statistic only has a direct impact for huge companies investing in a lot of advertising space, however, the knock-on effects are relevant for all brands and businesses. The very fact that Youtube can deliver results on such a large scale highlights the reach the platform now has. Unlike in the days of just TV advertising, small brands can apply the same techniques, but on a smaller scale. Your digital campaign is therefore future-proofed and can grow as your brand does, learning and developing from Youtube ad performance along the way.

Just like Facebook advertising, they are pretty simple to set up and a small budget can be set if necessary. Facebook video is great and you should definitely be exploring that as part of your digital marketing strategy, however, Youtube allows you to target audiences of specific types of content. Facebook gives you interest groups, however, Youtube allows you to align your creative content with that of other creators. A unique platform that gives your marketing plan that extra bit of customisation.

Brand Image (video)

These two approaches have very practical implications. Produce good content, invest in adverts, reach audiences and attract customers. There is one thing arguably much bigger that Youtube provides and that is brand credibility. In the modern world, where digital is everywhere and even the most boring professions operate through the internet, quality video content equates to being a modern business.

It’s not as simple as banging a video on Youtube and suddenly hipsters from across the globe will be hurling their contactless credit cards at you. But what I am saying is that increasingly, brand credibility is being linked with how modern your business is and how modern your business is directly affected by your digital presence. You might be gaining a ridiculous amount of leads but, if 60 seconds of Google searching leads to tired photos of your office Christmas party from 2008, then that lead doesn’t turn into a customer.

The solution is simple enough and Youtube is the prime platform to kick on from. A selection of quality videos act as the cherry on top of your digital marketing efforts. Youtube is the hub of so many talented creatives that poor content is easily lost. However, on the flip side, great content can be more easily elevated. The community of Youtube (and it’s a big one) reward quality, with their time, comments and opinions. You quickly become associated with other cooler creatives and before you know it you’re not merely a brand but a hub for quality creative content. Youtube is a real opportunity to take your brand to the next level and elevate yourself beyond the realms of business and sales. So, what are you waiting for? Get started!

If all this seems like a big task to dive straight into, then worry not. Our Manchester based video creators specialise in producing high-quality professional video content that is tailored for social media. So if you want to guarantee that your video content is going to be the best it can be, drop us a message now.