How To Do YouTube Content Marketing

Content Marketing today is nothing like it was 20 years ago. Marketers now have to manage multiple social media presences, blogs, apps, email lists and more. While this may seem overwhelming, there are also huge advertising benefits that can be found in each outlet you utilize.

One very important tool to use is YouTube. While the site is home to thousands of viral sensations, any company can build a successful YouTube marketing strategy to grow their business with a few simple strategies. This article can guide you on how to do YouTube content marketing effectively and with purpose.

Why Use a YouTube Marketing Strategy?

While video advertising seems to lend itself naturally to some industries, there are other types of businesses that may seem less likely to benefit from this type of marketing. The fact is, though, that almost every company can grow their audience and create excitement about their product with YouTube.

It may take a little creativity at first, but once you get the hang of it, the video ideas can seem to naturally expand and snowball from each other. Also, videos allow you to convey emotion and experience that is impossible to create in any other marketing medium. Some users prefer to watch and listen to information rather than reading it, and a visual setting can allow you to explain and demonstrate things that are confusing in the written word.

But when you create videos, you shouldn’t just film whatever comes to your mind. Although brainstorming is an important process to find good ideas, you need to use a YouTube marketing strategy. The content you publish should have purpose; whether that’s to increase sales, inform customers or gain authority.

So, how do you do YouTube marketing? There are lots of things you can do to effectively promote content and gain followers. One of the biggest ways is through content marketing.

3 Content Strategies for YouTube

What is the difference between a YouTube marketing strategy and a YouTube advertising strategy? They often go hand in hand. Marketing to your customers requires you to think about their needs and how to best reach your target market. Advertising involves the active process of promoting to those customers.

Content marketing is great middle ground, especially for YouTube. It focuses on reaching customer needs while promoting your work in an effective way. If you want to improve your reach on YouTube, focus on your content. Ads are helpful, but you will see a wider range of success when you create consistent, quality content that reaches your target market. Here are three YouTube content strategies you don’t want to miss out on.

1. Create Quality Content

YouTube content is just like any other form of marketing and the basic rules apply here as well: your content has to be good. Well-thought-out, fully-developed, targeted material will hold and attract viewers, while weak content will discourage them.

Most marketers now realize that posting free content online is an effective way to create value for your clients and potential customers, so don’t be afraid to give away some good information for free. Doing so will not only set you apart as an authority but it’s also required in order to stay vital in the YouTube world.

Businesses can get creative with the content they produce. Video and audio allow a lot more freedom and artistic license, and that’s why over a billion hours on YouTube are watched every day. People enjoy it.

Although you should be creative and come up with quality ideas, make sure they are aligned with your brand voice, brand image and marketing goals. Think about all the topics you can cover, as well as how you can present them, but always link them back to your YouTube marketing strategy.

2. Optimize Keywords

When you think of titles for your video, don’t forget to apply keyword optimization on this site just as you do in your normal SEO content strategy. The right keyword will allow users to search and find your video amongst the thousands of segments already on the site. Here are the steps for finding the best keywords for your title:

• Create multiple keyword titles. Think broad and cover all the bases that your video could be about to make it more searchable. For example, “Kindergarten Number Games to Improve Your Child’s Confidence” includes many different possible keywords to make it appear in several searches.
• Include the year. Often, when people search for something, they want time-relevant information, so including the year will give you a better chance at being found by those searching for recent videos.
• Add more descriptive words. Don’t just say, “Ninja vs. Blendtec,” say, “Comparison of Ninja vs. Blendtec for Best Kitchen Blender of 2015.” Many users will include these words in searches so you should have them in your title. “How To…” and “Top Three…” are also other options you could use depending on the content of your video.

You can also use general keyword search tools to find out important words that can be worked into your titles to make your video show up in general Google searches as well.

As you search for good keywords, don’t forget the power of a good title. YouTube users don’t spend a lot of time looking through videos to watch. They find the titles that catch their attention, and that’s a big reason why they will click on your video.

3. Encourage Subscriptions

One of the best ways to get your product’s name out there and keep it fresh in viewers’ minds is to get each user to subscribe and be notified of new videos every time you post. Some companies offer incentives, such as special coupon codes for subscribing or contests once a certain number of subscriptions is reached. Having a user follow you will greatly increase the chance that they will see new content and remember your business when they need it, making the extra effort to gain subscriptions worth your time.

And the more subscribers you have, the more weight your channel carries to new or interested viewers. By publishing consistent and relevant content, you can guarantee subscribers that they will receive informative, new videos in a timely manner.

Ideas for Quality YouTube Content

The most difficult, yet fun, part of your YouTube marketing strategy can be the video creation. Before you begin, define exact objectives and what you want to achieve. The goals you determine will have a huge influence on what kind of videos you produce. Here are some possibilities to consider:

• How-to’s: Some of the most popular clips on YouTube are how-to segments. Things that are difficult to understand on paper may make more sense when someone visually shows you how to do something. This can apply to almost any business but may require you to think outside the box.
• Webinars: Advances in technology have made it possible to have an interactive session with your audience via a webinar. This can be incredibly useful in finding out what your followers really care about and how you can improve their experience.
• Special Guests: Inviting a special guest can benefit you in two ways. First, there’s a new face to look at and different opinions to hear. Second, if you choose a guest who already has a large following, you’ll have exposure to an entirely new group of users.
• Backstage and sneak peeks: If you have an upcoming product promotion, giving your audience exclusive information and footage can create a sense of intimacy and loyalty as well as build excitement.

There are thousands of ways you can use videos in your content marketing strategy. Another way to generate ideas is to take a look at competitor’s YouTube channels to see what types of clips are working within your industry.

Create A YouTube Content Marketing Strategy That Works For You

No matter what you sell or offer, the bottom line is that you need a content marketing YouTube strategy. Depending on your budget, there’s a lot of things you can do such as outsource scriptwriting for your videos, hiring a YouTube film crew or investing in better video equipment. However, creating quality content and incorporating SEO practices can and should be done in any content strategy.

As you learn how to do YouTube content marketing, keep in mind that the information needs to be relevant, useful, entertaining, unique and valuable in order for viewers to stay interested. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a YouTube content strategy that can grow your presence as well as your company.