YouTube is only used by young adults to post ridiculous videos in the hopes of getting the most online hits, right? Wrong. YouTube channels are actually powerful social media marketing tools used by countless businesses and freelance professionals to advance their products and services. As such, if you aren’t yet using this social media tool, you’re missing out on great opportunities to advance your online presence.
As with any online social media tool, there’s a correct and an incorrect way to use YouTube channels for your business purposes. Here are some tips for effectively using Youtube to increase your online visibility.
Why Use YouTube?
Before learning how to use YouTube channels, you must first understand why this site is such a powerful marketing tool. There are several reasons why businesses have increased their popularity through YouTube channels:
- People are often more willing to watch a short video than read a long blog post, especially if the video is engaging and entertaining.
- Unlike television commercials, those viewing YouTube videos are actively searching for specific information. By posting videos, you’ll connect with those audience members most likely to buy your products and services.
- After all, Youtube is a too popular website to ignore it: people use it to find video reviews of any product they plan to buy, to share an advertisement and even to plan holidays (according to Timeshare Secrets, one in five people search Youtube to research the travel destinations they are planning to visit).
What is a YouTube Channel?
A YouTube channel is similar to other social media outlet such as a Facebook business page, but is used to post video content. Your unique YouTube channel will be filled with videos you post that are relevant to your business activities. Anyone from freelance professionals to professional news organizations can create channels.
Here are some of the top YouTube Channels:
Best Practices
Again, there’s a correct and an incorrect way to develop a YouTube channel. Here are some best practices to keep in mind during the channel creation process:
- Quality Rules – As with any form of online content, be it blog posts or Twitter updates, you must commit to creating high quality YouTube channel content. Online audiences know the difference between high and low quality production and aren’t likely to watch the entirety of low quality videos or visit your channel again if your work isn’t up to par.
- Create Consistent Branding – To maintain a professional YouTube channel, maintain consistent branding from one video to the next. This can include structuring video sequences in similar ways, inserting your logo into each video, or any other efforts consistent with your branding identity. Consistent branding not only applies to the video structures but also to other channel attributes such as your channel banner.
- Engage the YouTube Community – Others will be more likely to visit your YouTube channel if you engage in their video content. By taking a more active role in the YouTube community, such as by posting video comments, you can generate more traffic and rank higher in the channel results.
The best kept YouTube secret is the power it holds for business and freelance professionals to increase their popularity online. While many social media tools are available to connect with audiences, few are as engaging and effective as YouTube channels. By effectively using this technology, you can reach target audiences and receive the online recognition you deserve.
cc licensed flickr photo via Live Silver Prices