How are you using YouTube?
Social media is essential for small business today. What used to be seen as a personal way to waste time chatting away with friends, family or even strangers has now become a professional tool for building business, increasing brand awareness and attracting new customers.
A YouTube channel is no exception to the social media phenomenon that is ripping through the small business world. This Google-owned social media giant has the potential to create exceptionally large followings for those with creative marketing strategies. Justin Beiber, for example, was discovered after his mom posted videos of him performing at a young age via his YouTube channel; less than five years later he is one of the highest paid and most sought after stars in the entire world. Imagine what could be done for a small business using well thought out and creative marketing strategies on YouTube.
To help small business leaders understand the value of a YouTube channel in their own marketing strategies, we have compiled a list of 9 essential steps for social media success. Today, we introduce the first three.
They are:
1. Customize your channel: Creating a YouTube channel is a quick and easy process, but following the initial set up you will have the opportunity to customize the look and feel of your channel. Customizing a page may be time consuming, but it will benefit your small business in the long run. Use colors that are consistent with your company image and consider incorporating your own branded materials into the channel’s aesthetics. Be sure to include all important company information and pick a channel structure that will be easily manageable.
2. Be mindful of the hearing impaired: Not everyone who can see your videos can hear them. YouTube allows users to insert subtitles or captions and in turn makes video content more readily available for millions of hearing impaired YouTube lovers throughout the world. Don’t limit your social media content to only those that can hear it.
3. Resist the urge to add over video comments: YouTube allows users to place comment boxes over their video footage with simple notes and comments. Avoid the urge to type into a little speech bubble as they are aesthetically displeasing and can often cause potential viewers to click elsewhere and ignore your YouTube channel, which is directly counterproductive to the goal of any creative marketing strategy.
Be sure to check back next week for three more tips and tricks for small business social media success on YouTube.
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Three Girls Media, Inc. is a public relations and social media management agency with teams in Silicon Valley and the Seattle area. We love working with small and emerging companies across the nation to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs.
Call 408-218-2391 or Contact us today to arrange yours!
Photo Credit: Jonsson