We all know that more and more businesses are jumping on board the “Facebook train” and they are sending as many Tweets as they consume cups of coffee, but did you know most small businesses express they don’t have the time to take on an additional social media platform—especially one that relies on video? The truth of the matter is this: creating original video content increases SEO, it helps launch your products to a larger audience, it is a powerful branding tool and it is simple to make.
Still not convinced? Let’s examine some YouTube statistics that speak real volume: If you plan on promoting your products to foreign markets, then smile because 80 percent of YouTube traffic originates from outside the U.S. Also, more than one billion unique users access YouTube every month and over six billion hours of YouTube are viewed every month—this equates to roughly one hour of viewing time for every single person on Earth! Every day, millions of new YouTube subscriptions are registered, and the number of daily subscriptions has tripled in comparison to last year’s numbers. Finally, Nielsen reports that more adults aged 18-34 access YouTube than they do any cable TV network. YouTube has a massive platform filled with loyal followers, and if businesses fail to tap into this wealthy marketing resource pool, they are potentially missing out on more followers and more clients.
Better SEO
There are a variety of reasons that support why utilizing YouTube increases SEO. For starters, Google’s algorithms favors popular content formats, so hosting YouTube videos on your webpages will help improve your organic ranking. Also, YouTube can serve as a powerful backlink—its Google page rank is a nine and since most SEO consultants will shoot for a five or higher, YouTube offers a nice SEO backlink honeypot for any business owner willing to invest his time. Finally, most people are more stimulated by video and studies prove that websites with video get people to stay on them longer. A video or two will keep a wider group of people interested in your content, and the search engine spiders will pick up on it!
Greater Advertising Opportunities
The more views your YouTube channel gets, the more equity it has which translates to more power and a higher ranking in the search engines. One way of increasing a video’s view count is to pair advertisements with videos to get greater value out of your marketing endeavors. There are three different types of ads to consider in bulking up your view count: in-search, in-stream and in-display. In-search adverts will appear as promotional suggested videos in a search results page and once the link is clicked the video will increment upon its start. In-stream adverts play as skippable pre-rolls prior to any video and the view increment initiates when a viewer watches an ad for at least 30 seconds. However, if they skip the ad or leave the page, the view will not register. Finally, an in-display advert surfaces in a related column where the view increment counts after the viewer has clicked on the video’s link and it starts to play. Anyone of these formats can be advantageous, but just make sure the advert runs in an appropriate channel. After all, it doesn’t matter what format you use; if you have an auto body shop business and you place your ads on a home gardening channel you won’t see any semblance of a return. Make sure to brand yourself where it counts.
The Beauty of Branding
Sometimes body language and visual cues convey a message in ways text simply can’t. A good video can demonstrate complicated steps in instructional materials, it captures the emotions embedded within visual attributes, and it can leave a lasting impression on viewers who may be more open to watching film than reading print. Think about it this way: if you wanted to learn how to massage a dent out of your car’s bumper, would you rather read a step-by-step online manual, or watch one on YouTube? In some cases visual cues are much more helpful, as they are rarely misinterpreted. Furthermore, a cheeky smile by the mechanic or an upbeat, positive vocal tone can easily draw people in whereas only skilled writers tend to have this effect on a more limited audience.
Step Away from the Boob-Tube and get on YouTube
Why watch TV after work when you can make a video! You don’t need to hire a professional camera crew to get your point across. A smartphone, a tripod and some free video editing software that came on your Mac will produce HD quality videos, at no charge. Take your mission statement, your brand and your vision and convey it loud and clear. You may not win an Oscar, but you will likely win over new followers when you post your videos on Facebook, and that will get you more clients.