This post was originally published on November 8, 2021 and was updated on May 6, 2023.
Information in this blog post was obtained from HubSpot Blog, HootSuite Blog, Carro, and Statista, and Youtube.
Have you ever spent the entire afternoon watching YouTube videos, sometimes for no purpose? That is, you can't stop your finger from sliding across the screen with your eyes dry, but wide open?
According to HubSpot, YouTube has always been a source of entertaining content, but it’s also staking its claim as an essential tool for marketers. In fact, more than half of all marketers (55%) use YouTube as part of their marketing strategy. One-quarter of internet users spend 10 hours or more watching videos, and YouTube has more than two billion active users worldwide. The platform is so extensive that it can be accessed in 76 different languages!
How about another question: Have you ever thought of using YouTube to boost your business? If you aren't using this platform, you are likely missing out on some great opportunities.
There’s no better time than now to figure out how to promote your YouTube channel. Fortunately, I’ve put together a 10-step YouTube marketing strategy to get you started.
A 10-Step YouTube Marketing Strategy
According to Fergus Baird and Katie Sehl at Hootsuite, a simple, 10-step YouTube marketing strategy includes the following:
Step 1. Create a YouTube Channel for Business
Create a YouTube channel with your regular Google account. Be sure to create a brand account. With a brand account, multiple authorized users can log in simultaneously. So it’s a good option to keep available as your business grows. With this unique types of account, you can also open and manage multiple YouTube channels.
Step 2. Learn about Your Audience
Please take time to learn about YouTube demographics. With a YouTube channel for business, you have access to an analytics tab, and you can use this tab to learn about your YouTube audience.
Step 3. Research Your Competition
Like any platform, YouTube is a competitive space. By auditing competitors, you can understand how your channels measure and identify opportunities.
Step 4. Learn from Your Favorite Channels
Look up your favorite brands and do the same as they do!
Step 5. Optimize Your Videos to Get Views
YouTube is a video search engine. Just like Google (which owns YouTube), video results are ranked by title, keywords, description, and other factors. Optimize your videos so that they have the best chance to appear in search results and get more views. For example, write a strong title.
Step 6. Upload and Schedule Your Videos
Check your channel’s analytics to see if there’s a day or hour that tends to have a high amount of viewership and engagement. Once you’ve pinpointed the best time to post, aim to publish regularly within this window.
Step 7. Optimize Your Channel to Attract Followers
By optimizing your channel make it easier for people to find and follow you on YouTube. A great way to optimize tour channel is by completing your YouTube profile.
Step 8. Try YouTube Advertising
YouTube advertising can be an effective way to expand your reach beyond your channel.
Step 9. Try Working with an Influencer
One of the best ways to showcase your brand and reach a wider audience on YouTube is by working with an influencer. According to Sara Donnawerth, influencer marketing utilizes popular, engaging social media creators to include branded product use or showcasing that can lead to your brand awareness, site traffic boosts traffic, and overall drives a brand’s message to a target audience. The key is to identify the right content creators that fit your products, as they already have a platform to market to your target audience.
Step 10. Analyze and Adapt
Use YouTube Analytics to monitor the growth of your channel and track the performance of your videos. When you publish a new video, keep an eye on:
Significant changes in subscriber count
New or changing audience demographics
Video playback locations and traffic sources
Device reports (mobile, desktop, smart TVs, etc.)
At HubSpot, Basha Coleman says that with 2.1 billion active users, YouTube is no longer just the home of funny cat videos. YouTube is a serious marketing platform that provides opportunities for your brand to promote content in a truly visual and engaging way. And now that you have finished reading this blog post, you can start YouTube marketing!
For more information on how to market with Youtube check out this post by Ying here.
References
Statista. Global time spent with online video 2020. (n.d.). Statista. Retrieved from
HubSpot Blog. (n.d.). Youtube marketing: The ultimate guide. HubSpot. Retrieved from
Koval, M. (2021, January 5). Advice for your channel in 2021. YouTube. Retrieved from
Martin, M. The complete guide to youtube marketing in 2020. (2020, September 9). Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. Hootsuite. Retrieved from https://blog.hootsuite.com/youtube-marketing/.
Donawerth, S. (n.d.) What is influencer marketing? Here's how influencer marketing works. Carro. Retrieved May 6, 2023 from https://getcarro.com/blog/what-is-influencer-marketing/.
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