YouTube marketing begins even before you set up your channel; it starts with you defining your goal. Do you want to increase social shares, brand awareness, or views on your channel?

Here is a secret; aim to achieve one goal for every video you create, and eventually, your YouTube marketing strategy will come together.

This article will give you helpful information on how to plan and execute a successful YouTube marketing strategy.

Is YouTube Marketing Worth it?

Some might argue that video is everywhere, which is true.

Facebook Watch, IGTV, even LinkedIn has video. So why spend your time and money on YouTube advertising when you can just promote your video content through your other social channels?

Let’s look at the facts:

Video marketing is the future. And there is no better strategy than getting your business on one of the biggest social media platforms.

In as much as social media platforms are all about video, YouTube is currently the most thriving channel that is entirely dedicated to it.

Why Market your Business on YouTube?

If you think people only go on YouTube to watch videos, you are wrong.

Well, they might be watching videos but why are they doing it?

Viewers are constantly learning, researching, and deciding when watching videos. Sure, some are just passing the time, but a large percentage of people use YouTube to discover new products.

A lot of people go on YouTube for how-to content, to watch the news, and even to find something fun for their kids to watch.

That’s the magic of online video; all these viewers are segmented into audiences that your business can target.

YouTube videos can increase your brand awareness and build customer trust as well as boost engagement.

But…

Even with all its advantages, only about 9% of U.S. businesses use YouTube to market their products, and one has to wonder why.

Perhaps it’s because of the notorious YouTube ads that keep people from watching videos, or the fact that YouTube is largely for entertainment content.

Here are other reasons why businesses may not want to advertise on YouTube:

  • After watching your video, YouTube directs viewers to other related content which means you might be helping your competition.
  • Businesses also complain about the lack of a diverse audience as most of the people watching videos on YouTube are young.

There may be setbacks, but this doesn’t mean you should quit before you start. It means that you need a better strategy, and we know exactly how to help.

YouTube marketing is worth it – all you need to have is a plan.

A Simple Marketing Strategy for YouTube

Step one; set up your YouTube channel.

This might seem straightforward, but by creating a channel, you are making a commitment to consistently create, edit, and market your content on YouTube.

This is why we think that opening a channel should be among the last things you do when setting up a YouTube marketing strategy.

Setting up a Plan

To succeed at YouTube marketing, all you need to do is create a channel that consistently puts out great content.

That’s it!

With high competition on most social media platforms, marketing on YouTube is just another way to promote your brand.

So follow the same guidelines that have helped you build your Instagram and Facebook pages.

Define your audience and make content that is suited to their needs – and finally promote your videos so the intended viewers see them.

You may be asking yourself what types of videos to upload on your channel.

Well, that depends on your audience, but here are a few ideas you can use:

How-to Videos

Tutorials are a great way to engage your audience and teach them how to use your products in different scenarios. If you are selling food supplies, showing awesome recipes that serve your viewers could get more people on your channel.

Product Videos

Teach your audience about the benefits and uses of your products, or even how to access and easily use your services.

Client Testimonials

An easy way to build the credibility of your brand is to show client testimonial videos on your YouTube channel.

Never underestimate the importance of word-of-mouth advertising. Your potential customers may be convinced if they heard what your current clients have to say.

Interviews

Set up informative and fun interviews with thought leaders in your industry. This is especially true if your business falls under a technical field. Your consumers could always benefit from hearing what the experts have to say.

Video Blogs

You can summarize the content of your blog posts into a video and upload it for your audience to watch instead of reading.

You can and should repurpose your YouTube videos and include them on your landing pages and email campaigns.

Creating Great YouTube Videos

Now that you know what types of videos to upload on your channel, the next order of business is how to create awesome content.

You will need to get the right equipment if you are going to shoot live videos, and the right animation designers if you are going to create motion graphics.

You can also create videos that feature only words and other B-roll footage, but that can only hold for so long before you need to up your game.

And don’t forget to consult one or two seasoned voice-over professionals to really bring your videos to life.

Here is a cheat sheet for creating captivating YouTube videos:

Intros and Outros

Always go all out on your opening.

The first few seconds matter the most, and you should strive to keep the attention of your viewers within that time.

End screens increase the likelihood of viewers watching your call-to-action. You can make use of outro-makers to create outstanding end-cards for your videos.

You also need to decide the structure of your videos, which brings us to the next subject:

Video Editing

This is the final stage of your content creation process.

You will need the right video editing software and a little knowledge of the subject. The good thing is that most video editing apps are intuitive and easy to use, but you might need the help of an expert video editor for the more complex stuff.

Here are some things you can do to give your YouTube videos an edge over the competition:

  • Add custom watermarks to your videos so your viewers can easily recognize the content.
  • Design unique YouTube thumbnails that instantly get the attention of the audience.

After creating a YouTube channel, you will need to customize it with easily recognizable icons, channel art, a description, channel trailer, and links to your other social media pages.

And now it is time to upload and promote your content:

Optimizing your YouTube Videos

You may have noticed that most if not all YouTube channels prompt viewers to subscribe or comment below.

This is because a large number of subscribers gets you even more subscribers.

When creating your videos, remember to include a call to action that prompts viewers to like and comment, and turn on their notification buttons.

Content that generates high levels of audience engagement ranks higher on YouTube search results.

CTAs

The goal is to make your viewers act after watching your videos – whether it is to visit your website, subscribe to your mailing list, or order something from your catalog.

Call-to-actions are very important when creating YouTube videos, otherwise, you will just be gaining views without adding any real customers to your list.

Also, remember to make your videos easily sharable across multiple platforms.

youtube marketing

A Strong Thumbnail

A thumbnail is a kind of visual title of your video.

It should instantly give your audience an idea of what they are about to watch. We have an in-depth guide on how to design unique YouTube thumbnails.

YouTube SEO

There is a formula to making your videos rank higher on YouTube, and the best part is that you don’t have to spend a dime.

The Title and Description

The title is one of the first things viewers notice about your video – that and the thumbnail. It is your job as a marketer to get the attention of your viewers, even if it means ‘tricking’ them into it.

Take Business Insider and TMZ Sports for instance.

Their YouTube video titles go something like: “This Incompetent Criminal Accidentally Knocked Out His…”  and “Why North Korea Sent Hundreds of Cheerleaders To…”

These titles are incomplete sentences that give viewers only half of the information, hence prompting them to watch the video and find out more.

That being said, viewers don’t like to be tricked into watching videos. Always represent your titles and descriptions relative to what is happening in your video.

To write great titles and descriptions, do this:

Include keywords in your title so viewers can instantly know what the video is about. The same goes for the description – make sure you use a relevant keyword within the first few sentences.

And always use the keywords in a natural way.

A lot of high-ranking channels use the YouTube description as a transcript, also including links to their website and other social media channels.

A food channel, for instance, might use the description to write the recipe. A music channel might use the space to write the lyrics to the song.

Transcribing your video content on the description is a great way to help viewers find your content.

Add Tags

Tags are a great way to describe your video. When people search for your content on YouTube, what words might they use?

Use both short and long-tail keywords as your tags.

Closed Captions

Another great way to rank higher on YouTube is to write a video script containing your chosen keywords and then included closed captions on your videos.

Learn more about closed captions and why you need to include them in your videos.

And don’t forget to time-stamp your YouTube videos.

Create Playlists

Consistency is key when it comes to marketing.

The colors and images you use on your YouTube channel should be consistent with the designs on your other social platforms.

A disconnect can cause customers to back away thinking you are a fake brand.

Organizing your content into playlists will help viewers get an idea of the type of content you create and even stay on your channel longer.

YouTube Analytics

To determine whether your YouTube marketing efforts are fruitful, you need to track some key metrics.

You can track your views by content, geographical location, and device type among other metrics. Demographic metrics can point to the age and gender of your audience and help you refine your YouTube marketing strategy.

Some important factors to pay attention to include:

Audience Retention

How many minutes are your viewers spending on your videos? Content with more watch time is likely to rank higher.

Traffic Sources

Where are most of your viewers coming from?

This metric gives you insight into where to promote your YouTube content.

You can do it all yourself, or you can let a video marketing agency tell your story. Bunny studio is the one-stop shop for all things design, voice-over, transcription, script-writing, and video.

Let Us Create your YouTube Video Ads!

A great YouTube marketing strategy takes advantage of every little detail that can get viewers interested. We have video editors, YouTube thumbnail designers, as well as SEO experts who can help you write engaging video scripts and meaningful descriptions.

We’ve got you covered.

Submit your project now!