Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Contrary to what most people seem to think, YouTube is not just a vapid online video streaming platform that features videos of adorable kittens and hilarious animal antics. YouTube, with a larger cumulative membership base than Facebook and Twitter combined, also serves as a very effective social media platform. Some people might look askew at this observation, and that can be forgiven.
Because in the cursory glance, YouTube doesn’t make its marketing viability apparent. Neither does the often obscene and inane comments on most video channels help its claim to be a social media platform. If one scrutinizes a little more closely though, one would notice the enormous marketing potential that YouTube possesses.
Besides the massive number of members and casual viewers who regularly surf YouTube, the involvement of the visual media in this website only adds to the effect o the punch that YouTube can pack in putting across an idea. And what is marketing if it’s not putting across an idea to the target demographic?
Various web marketing blogs always ask entrepreneurs to face one cold hard fact at the onset; their video is not likely to generate video-virality in the way videos of kittens frolicking in the grass do. But that should not deter from engaging in creating a marketing drive for YouTube, because the focus of such a marketing drive would be to engage and conscript the loyalty of a specialized section of the demographic.
The following are some tips that small business entrepreneurs can use to design an effective YouTube marketing strategy.
Buying Ads
If the likelihood of your company’s video on YouTube going viral is almost nil, you should buy ads on YouTube to increase your visibility. The low ad-rates on YouTube (a mere third of the rates charged by Google AdWords) would help you in getting more bang for your spent buck. By buying ‘promoted video’ slots on YouTube, you can easily increase the visibility of your company’s channel. Just be sure to make your content in relevance to the search terms. Your Ad’s position in Goolge would be determined by that relevance.
Using Comments, A/B Testing and Hot Spots As A Substitute For Focus Groups
Larger companies who hire big-shot ad agencies to run TV spot commercials for them, have to put the ads through focus groups. If you are a small company or a DIY advertiser, the best substitute for a proper focus group is the comments section below your video. Although most of the comments are likely to be either idiotic or obscene or both, there is also likely to be lot of valuable observations and constructive criticisms from intelligent members, which can give you a valuable insight into your videos.
Besides that, YouTube also has other tools to gauge the effectiveness of your videos. Like the technology called Hot Spots, which allow you to track when YouTubers are tuning in to your video and consequently tuning out of it. Another option that is worth following id that of A/B testing, a practice that big ad agencies indulge in too. You can run two different versions of videos for the same content and track which version gets the better response. This would allow you to pick a winner.
Check out our previous articles:
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