YouTube is one of the oldest platforms out there that took off in 2005 and has since continuously risen in popularity. Current estimates for active users on Youtube are around 2.6 billion, making it a great platform for creators and brands alike to portray themselves to viewers.
The way YouTube works is that it provides a platform for individuals with accounts to upload, subscribe, comment, like, share, and generally interact with videos uploaded by creators or anyone with an account. The website can also be used without an account, but it restricts you to only being able to watch videos.
The main element of YouTube that makes it run the way it does is its algorithm, which tends to start showing favoritism toward certain topics that gain traction, meaning competition is high within the platform. If your brand has a strong customer base, the transition to YouTube and its marketing will be smoother.
The reason YouTube may be the right platform for your brand is thanks to its broad audience range and ease of accessibility worldwide. Though it may have had a decrease in ad revenue recently, it is a great base platform for spreading correct information on your brand and products or services.
With the correct strategies present here provided with some brand examples, YouTube can bring anyone great success. The best part is, that this also doesn’t require any degree to do.
How Does YouTube Work for Brands?
You have three main options when deciding to migrate to YouTube. The most notable one is creating videos for your brand, such as tutorials, promotional videos, or maybe even reviews.
You can also collaborate with other creators with larger followings to promote each other in a sense. Opportunities for advertising also arise thanks to the platform and all these methods can be quite successful when done right, which means paying close attention to the YouTube algorithm.
When you look at a video, there are a few elements you notice right away, the first being the thumbnail, then the title, and then perhaps the length of the video or how many views it already has. What you don’t notice as a viewer are the elements of a video that lurk in the background, such as keywords, hashtags, and affiliate links.
Why Using YouTube for Marketing is Beneficial
We’ve already touched upon some of the benefits of Youtube marketing, so let’s expand on them.
Adding your brand’s website into the description alongside the correct keywords in your video title allows for viewers to become potential customers by not only allowing the algorithm to guide them to what they seek (which in this case would be your product) but also giving viewers the ability to browse and buy items.
Thanks to the website being an international platform, you also become able to reach a wider audience, which is an important factor to think about when marketing a brand that has worldwide or broad shipping opportunities.
Having videos on YouTube also allows people to further explore your brand and find other products they might be interested in. The format of a video allows it to also feel more personal and realistic for viewers since there is minimal tweaking involved regarding the products.
As for proper advertising, your company can run pre-roll ads on the platform that show up on other videos for viewers who don’t have a monthly subscription to YouTube Premium.
Keep in mind the platform doesn’t guarantee you success, but the niche your sector is in, the strategy you take, and the social media metrics you pay attention to can guarantee it.
Creating The Account
Your first step is to create a company account on Google, or in other words, a brand account. Using the Google email, you can create a YouTube account and set it to being a brand account, which will allow multiple people from your team to access the account and also let you expand to multiple channels if need be later on.
Once your account is created, it is time to personalize it according to your brand and what it represents. This means adding a description/introduction to the “About” area of your channel, as well as profile and banner pictures, and any links to your website or other social media.
Determine your Target Audience
The key to marketing is to know your audience and YouTube is here to make it easier for you thanks to the analytics tab as well as countless sources on this topic found on the internet.
There are over 2.6 billion active users on YouTube, a fact that was mentioned earlier. In addition to that information, approximately 77% of those users are between the ages of 15 and 35, meaning your most likely target demographic should be young for this to be maximally efficient.
In the Analytics tab, you are able to see what kind of groups are mostly watching your videos, which will be shown through a bar graph. One option your brand has is also to interact with your audience through reels, comments, and live streams. This can allow your brand to further see who you are attracting.
Analyze your Competition
Depending on your sector you are likely to have some competition on this platform, so analyzing it is essential in maintaining your brand. Pay attention to other accounts similar to the one for your brand and analyze their content and other elements of their channel.
Elements such as views, subscriber counts, likes, quality of videos, and comments are the most important when looking at other accounts and your own. When seeing how your competition runs it is important to also pay attention to the content they put out and what feedback they’re getting as well.
This advice doesn’t mean you should copy your competition, but create a successful and unique brand account, something that is adept for entry-level marketing.
See What’sTrending
You can often notice trends on the internet, especially for thumbnails on YouTube. Clickbait isn’t recommended if you’re planning on maintaining a professional air to your brand account, but adding eye-attracting thumbnails to your videos can help you get more clicks and views.
Understand The Algorithm
The algorithm for Youtube is more complicated than that for Google while remaining similar. YouTube uses SEO that becomes personalized, which means it not only takes into account a searched keyword and the most popular videos related to that but also watch history and preferences.
This is why adding proper keywords, descriptions, website links, making catchy thumbnails, and all other mentioned elements are important for your success in marketing on YouTube.
Example of successful YouTube Marketing
One of the best and most well-known examples of extremely successful YouTube marketing is Adidas. They make professional videos with sleek thumbnails and titles that feature famous individuals present in that specific video.
Their page is cleanly branded and easy to navigate, with their brand motto present in their banner and an introductory video that plays automatically.