by Kyle Johnson
One of my current favorite tools in my social media marketing toolbox is YouTube. With over 1 billions searches a day, over 800 million unique users each month and over 4 billions hours of video watched each month it is my go to site for video
hosting.
Those statistics show people are going to YouTube, searching for various topics and are consuming lots of videos. But how can social media marketers use YouTube to their advantage? Here are five ideas.
1. The high production value myth. Let’s get over one misnomer: your video content does not have to be world class. YouTube users like videos that are a little “down and dirty.” I’ve encouraged my clients to shoot video with their phones.
In my day job as an artist manager, I’ve witnessed one of our artists (Go Fish) see sales spike as a result of a fan posting what amounts to a PowerPoint presentation for one of their songs, “Christmas With A Capitol C.” That video with zero production value has gone on to have over 18 million views.
Also, there are several fantastic apps that allow you to do some minor editing (like a fade in/fade out) that will be well worth your time and investment to use.
2. Correct keywords are important. If we know lots of people are searching on YouTube, then having specific keywords about your video is very important. Use keywords that describe the topic of your video but are also generic. I also use the author’s full name and their Twitter handle as a keyword.
3. Correct video title is important. Say the file name of your video file is “Batman_Is_My_Hero.mov”. Once uploaded to YouTube, that becomes the default title. That can be edited and changed to remove underscores and the .mov. This little change makes you look like you’re a pro.
4. Correct links in the description are important. YouTube has recently started allowing users to put links that are clickable in the description. That means you can send people who are watching your videos back to your website, the hub of all your social media activity.
5. Claim your channel. YouTube allows you to setup your own YouTube channel. This allows you to have a specifically branded URL and fully customized background. Check out Volkswagen USA’s channel. They have incorporated a unique background and links to Volkswagen’s other social media platforms. Users can also subscribe to your channel and get updates of new videos in their inbox. Here is a helpful link on information on how to setup your YouTube channel if you’re ready to get started.
These are just a few reasons why social media marketers should be using YouTube.
What has worked for you and YouTube? Have you employed a method that has been successful for you?
