With a projected audience of 2.85 billion viewers by 2025, YouTube is the second most popular social media platform and the second-largest search engine, after Google. YouTube isn’t just a platform to release fun videos. It can also be incorporated into your social media marketing strategy to help your business convert subscribers to followers.
In this article, we discuss the benefits of using YouTube, how to promote your business’s YouTube channel, learn from YouTube influencers and convert your subscribers to business followers.
Benefits Of Using YouTube
YouTube has more than 2.5 billion active users worldwide.
According to Statista, about one quarter of internet users spend 15 hours or more a week watching videos. Since YouTube has more than two-and-a-half billion active users worldwide and is the second most popular social media platform, marketers should use the built-in audience to gain followers.
Here are five benefits of using YouTube within your social media marketing strategy:
1. Easy Access To Your Audience
With YouTube gaining popularity each year, you’re guaranteed to reach your audience by creating video content that can educate users, entertain them and provide solutions to their problems.
2. Improved SEO
In recent years, Google’s search results have grown to include videos alongside popular blog posts and websites. This is because Google Universal Search looks for videos, images, news and books to provide the most useful information. When creating your social media marketing strategies, take advantage of this feature by writing high-quality articles on your site and creating complimentary videos on YouTube. In so doing, you build backlinks to your site and allow your audience to find your content on Google.
3. Evergreen Content
YouTube enables your business to repurpose content you’ve already created without spending additional resources and time. You can repurpose podcasts, infographics, presentations and blog posts. This enables you to create multiple versions of the same content.
4. Consistent Audience Growth
Creating videos allows you to reach people who otherwise would not see the other content you produce like podcasts or blog posts. YouTube’s wide audience allows you to connect with people all around the world.
5. Increased Brand Recognition
Make sure your video content has a personal touch. It allows people to develop trust with your brand, which makes it easier to decide whether to purchase your product or service and dramatically increases your list of potential new clients.
If you’re a marketer for a business, consider creating video content as a strategy for your social media marketing campaigns. Video marketing allows you to create powerful, cost-effective content that many people will see.
How To Promote Your YouTube Channel
Need to establish a recognizable YouTube channel for your business?
Before you begin promoting it you need to first establish a brand identity for your YouTube channel. To start, you need to create a brand account on Google. A brand account connects to your YouTube channel and allows up to 10 team members to manage the account. Next, make sure you pick a channel name that’s similar to your business name, so it’s easy to recognize. Finally, research what your target audience likes. YouTube Analytics provides valuable insights into your subscriber demographics and watch time.
Also, make sure you take advantage of the YouTube’s comments. Ask viewers to comment on what they would like to see in your next video. This improves engagement metrics, which increases your chances of making it to the “front page” of YouTube, and it allows you to get a pulse on your most engaged audience members. All of this can help you craft a powerful social marketing strategy for your YouTube channel.
Here are several promotional suggestions you can use to improve your subscriber count:
1. Use Engaging Titles And Thumbnails
Titles and thumbnails can make or break your videos. Without an eye-catching title and thumbnail your audience may not know that your content will hold your interest. However, you don’t want to grab your audience’s attention through clickbait headlines (a title that doesn’t accurately represent your video and brand).
2. Optimize Video Visibility
Many businesses want to increase their views, and one strategy to implement this is through YouTube SEO. YouTube algorithms use categories, keywords and tags to put your videos on a user’s homepage. Revise your titles and descriptions to include language that is representative of your video’s content and that your audience members would search for. Next, use categories to help YouTube get a better understanding of who to show your videos to.
3. Engage With The YouTube Community
With such a gargantuan audience size, YouTube represents many diverse niches. To show that you are part of your community, YouTube algorithms consider your interactions with other content creators. Liking someone’s comment goes a long way to demonstrate your trustworthiness and connection with your audience.
4. Cross-Promote Videos
When you cover similar topics on YouTube as those on your website or podcast, it’s important to drop links in the video description and encourage viewers to check out your content. This persuades viewers to watch your videos all the way through and find additional interesting content.
5. Use Strong Calls To Action
There is nothing wrong with asking for engagement. Either use the description section or directly state calls to action in your videos. Be clear and tell your viewers what you’d like them to do such as watch your other videos, visit your website, subscribe to your newsletter, listen to your podcast or review products and services your business offers.
These promotional suggestions can improve your business’s visibility on YouTube and convert your subscribers to business followers. If you want to gain views and win over potential customers, consider implementing these suggestions in your social media marketing strategy.
How Top YouTube Influencers Promote On YouTube
While YouTube has an expansive platform, only a few influencers have multi-million subscriber counts. One of the most popular YouTube accounts is Mr. Beast. Mr. Beast has 231 million subscribers and started creating videos in 2012. In every video, he connects with the audience by trying to make the world a better place by doing things like planting 20 million trees, giving millions of dollars to charities, donating cars to people that need them or giving money to subscribers. He uses a variety of calls to action in each video, whether that’s telling his subscribers to like, comment or share his video or visit his website and purchase the latest merchandise. He always makes sure he connects with his audience by inviting them to view his videos and potentially change their lives.
YouTube is a great platform to share your interests with the world because there is a large chance someone will share the same interests. For example, the gaming community uses YouTube to share interesting videos on specific games, provide “how-to’s” or watch users play with their friends. One of the most popular gaming accounts is Markiplier. He started his channel in 2012 and has about 36.3 million subscribers. Markiplier does a fantastic job of engaging with his audience. His titles and thumbnails are top quality, and his descriptions have keywords and tags.
Every popular YouTube account has one thing in common: they all engage with their audience. Using calls to action and linking to your content, website and social media platforms will help you find success on YouTube.
How To Convert Your Subscribers To Business Followers
Building trust and credibility converts YouTube subscribers to business followers.
Once your business has an established YouTube channel it’s important to understand how to convert your subscribers into business followers. Here are three ways to increase your business following:
- CTAs: Create calls to action at the end or beginning of your video that tell your audience to subscribe or to check out the description which links to your website, social media platforms and any specific product or services your business offers. This allows your subscribers to check out your company and develop a connection with your brand.
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Use search engine optimization (SEO) within each video. By using keywords, tags, hashtags and categories your videos will draw attention from search engines like Google, which in turn connects your subscribers to your business and allows them to make purchases from your website or check out your social media platforms.
- Quality Content: Create videos that build trust and credibility with your audience. Videos give your business a way to demonstrate personality and give your customers a more memorable experience. According to HubSpot, including YouTube video on a landing page can increase conversions by 80%.
The more videos you have to help educate and inform your audience the more they will trust your business and brand. The more trust you achieve, the more followers you gain.
Do You Need Help With Your Social Media Marketing?
If you find yourself struggling with creating specialized content for your business’s YouTube platform, contact us at Three Girls Media. Our experienced team of social media marketers strategically develop content that captures your business’s brand identity and improves your following. Schedule a complimentary phone consultation with our CEO, Erika Taylor Montgomery, today!
Special Offer:
Sign up for a complimentary consultation during January and receive an Email Marketing Guide valued at $475! We offer a 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs – no strings attached. Call 360-955-1410 or contact us today to arrange your consultation!