YouTube for Small Businesses — Part 1 of 2
It’s an undeniable truth that video-based platforms are running the marketing game today. The rise and staggering power of TikTok, the many clones it has spawned and the partners it has roped in are proof enough that that’s where the money is.
With over 2 billion users and 30 million (million!) daily users, YouTube is undoubtedly one of the industry’s biggest players. An efficient campaign on the site could increase your reach by thousands of accounts, could expose you to a whole new client base. Just one question remains — how?
There’s so much ground to cover that we couldn’t possibly fit it all in a single post. Keep an eye out for the second (and final) part in this series for a host of different tips and tricks to make a splash on the video-based social medium but for now, let’s jump in!
The Blueprint
If you’re scrunching your nose, unable to accept the array of advantages that YouTube has up for grabs, here’s an incredibly small selection of businesses that are thriving on the platform and all the stronger for it.
The toy manufacturing powerhouse dipped their toes into YouTube before much of the competition and are still reaping the benefits of that. With over 10 million subscribers, LEGO’s channel encourages user-generated content that is both easy and engaging. They’re one of the biggest channels on the site and show no sign of slowing.
Coke’s marketing has almost always been top-notch, and their YouTube page is just another example of advertising done right. Filled with just the right proportion of blatant ads and feel-good shorts, Coke’s 3+ billion views are testament to their business acumen.
If you’re advertising for children, taking a leaf out of this highly successful Mattel franchise wouldn’t be a bad idea. They’ve mastered the art of varying the length of their videos, some being just a few minutes long, some lasting over an hour, so there’s content for whatever you’re in the mood for.
The basics
Now that we know the extent of what CAN be achieved, let’s start from scratch. Here are some of the basics to get you through setting your YouTube channel up:
- Choose a photo with 800 x 800 pixels for the best resolution. Make sure you test it out to capture exactly what you want in the frame.
- Feel free to switch up the channel title but keep it as close to your company’s original name as possible. This makes it easier to show up when you’re googled.
- Fill your “about” section with keywords that you want the brand to be associated with. This helps SEO optimize your space.
- You can add multiple “managers” to the account, each one of whom can add videos and make changes.
- Make the channel banner splashy but also on theme with the rest of the page.
Schedule content for spikes in engagement
Hurray! Now that your channel is officially up and running, we’ve come to the first — and possibly most important — rule of all:
KEEP POSTING!!!!!!
It doesn’t matter if you’re new to the whole thing and need time to figure out what exactly you want your content to look like. It’s always possible to delete, refine and curate your page at later dates. For now, just to get those numbers looking healthy, the most reliable tip is to churn out content at regular intervals.
You can do this directly, by uploading the video and then scheduling it to publish at a later date, or using platforms like Loomly, Sendible or Sprout Social.
Remember, the YouTube algorithm is the ultimate deciding factor. Whether your channel floats to the top of its niche or stays stagnant all depends on how much visibility YouTube decides to bestow upon you. The only way to help your odds is by doing the few things that we know are rewarded by the algorithm, such as posting consistently and…
Interacting, interacting, interacting
If you ever thought that YouTube was purely about the videos, you’re sorely mistaken.
The most successful channels, be it businesses or personalities, are ones that have managed to create a community of supporters, and the only real way to do that is by interacting with comments, following people back and delivering the kind of content that your subscribers would rather watch.
In the beginning, managing all this manually won’t be hard, but as you hopefully start growing, apps like Agorapulse can help you automate a lot of these routine processes.
Watch out for the second installment in this series for a fresh new batch of pointers!
