You may have probably subscribed to tons of YouTube channels. You enjoy watching the videos and have probably bought particular products after watching an especially convincing video. While for some people, YouTube is all about entertainment, it has also become a very powerful marketing tool.

YouTube video marketing is a strategy that many marketers apply every single day. With more than 1 billion active users, the potential to reach a wide pool of audiences is very high. In our article, we will go into an in-depth exploration as to why you need to consider YouTube marketing. Most importantly, we shall share with you fantastic tips on how to find success with YouTube marketing.

Interesting Things to Know About the Potential of YouTube

Research indicates that up to two billion people log in to YouTube on a monthly basis. It comes a close second to Google regarding the number of people who visit online platforms. In terms of video content viewing, YouTube is in the second position after Netflix. You will typically find people between the ages of 18 to 49. But even those above that age are most likely consuming some content from it.

Perhaps one thing that could explain its popularity is its simplicity. Creating content is easy and there is no limit to the subjects you can cover. Whether you are targeting product reviews, beauty tutorials, DIY tutorials or even gaming, you are unlikely to miss videos that will cater to your needs.

It is interesting to note that YouTube has not been around for very long. The first video went up in 2005, but since then, the explosion of the platform has been exponential. The Google-owned platform has become such a useful marketing tool that 80% of marketers use it for their brands and products. Audiences can easily access YouTube on their mobile devices, and more than 70% of viewership comes from such.

It would be remiss of any brand or business to ignore this robust marketing tool. You must, however, find the right way to do it if you hope to find success in it. You can imagine the amount of competition with everyone trying to reach a limited pool of audiences. It is easy to get lost due to the amount of video content going up every day, every minute.

Do not fret if you have been struggling; we have put together a comprehensive guide for you.

• Creating a YouTube Channel

Think about YouTube as you would any other social media platform. You must create an account so that you can use it as you wish. The same goes for YouTube, where you have to create a channel. However, you will find that maintaining it is a little bit more complicated than a social media account.

You must invest time and resources in creating compelling video content. Do it consistently so that you build a list of subscribers and keep them there. Remember, the competition is fierce and there is so much material to digest on the platform. Posting an occasional video is a recipe for failure. If you do not have the patience or ability to create videos, you may want to consider using other platforms instead of YouTube. There is a lot of time, resources, and effort that goes into filming, editing, marketing, and analyzing whatever content you put up.

Setting up a YouTube channel requires you to have a Google account. Since you are using it for business purposes, and may not be the only one running the platform, do not use your personal Google account. Instead, consider opening a business account so that you can give access to multiple people.

A business account has the advantage of allowing you to open more than one YouTube channel.

Creating a Google business account

• Log in to Google and sign in
• At the page bottom, click on create account > select to manage my business on the Pop-Up >Fill in relevant details> agree to the terms and conditions > congratulations, you now have a Google Business Account.

Creating a YouTube Brand Account

Login to YouTube > sign in > fill in the relevant details > account module > select my channel in the drop-down menu > select use a business or other name > follow the prompts to create a brand account.

• Understand Your Audiences

So you have opened your YouTube channel, but do you really have a good understanding of your audiences? Look at different factors when building an audience profile, including:

• Where the audiences live
• Age
• Viewing preferences, whether desktop or mobile
• The content they like to consume. Younger people may not have too much time to watch long content. If you're targeting them, you may want to learn how to create short, impactful videos
• What time do they consume the content?

Collecting qualitative and quantitative data is critical. You will, for example, find a lot of information from comments and reviews.

YouTube has a community tab where like-minded individuals share information and can answer any questions you may have.

• Conduct A Market And Competitor Analysis

It is important to see what kind of competition you will have on the platform. It also helps to know what your competitors are doing so that you can do it better or avoid it altogether if it doesn't seem to be working. See how many subscribers and viewers they have, and most importantly, read comments.

Some research will give you a good idea about what people are saying about the competitors and their videos. Since you will be competing in the same field, you may very well find some of their audiences on your platform and vice versa. Also, focus on the keywords, product descriptions, and titles, since these are critical elements in attracting audiences.

• Stalk the Other Channels

We don't mean stalk in a bad way, but it helps to see how the most successful channels present their content. Focus on those that have very many subscribers and learn some tips from them.

• Promoting Your YouTube Channel

You want to attract audiences to your YouTube channel. Here is what you need to do:-

• Create an attractive YouTube platform with easy to access relevant information such as visual identity, about section, and contact information
• Ensure your content is unique, engaging and something your target audiences will respond to
• Your titles must be catchy so that you grab the audience's attention
• Implement SEO strategies such as using strong keywords in descriptions, title, and description. A strong SEO strategy will help with the SERPS or search engine rankings
• Engage with your audiences by responding to queries, criticism, and liking comments. A brand that does not engage with audiences will most definitely lose them.
• Take advantage of custom thumbnails to make your videos more appealing
• Use your videos to promote other content on your platform in what we may refer to as cross-promotion
• Organize your videos into playlists so that you keep your audiences on your platform. It results in a higher chance of them consuming more of your video content
• Running promotions such as contests and giveaways is a fantastic way to grow your subscriber base
• Remember to ask people to subscribe to your platform and ask for engagement and feedback
• You can run YouTube ads if you have the budget,or use influencers, allowing you to leverage on their existing subscribers
• Take advantage of your other platforms such as social media, website, blog posts, email and Q&A sites to create more awareness of the YouTube platform.
• oConsider partnerships or collaborations with other companies that are not in direct competition with yours. You both benefit from gaining access to each other's subscribers for similar goals.

• Content Creation

Our guide would not be complete without touching on content creation in a little more detail. It is perhaps the most challenging aspect of having a YouTube channel. Yet it may very well be the most fun part of it.

You have many options with the type of videos you can put up, such include:-

• Customer testimonials
• Product demonstrations
• How-to video tutorials
• Product reviews
• Case studies
• YouTube live
• Event videos

Creating effective videos

Here is what you need to create compelling videos

• Have a goal in mind before starting your project
• Come up with the storyboard
• Think about the different elements you would want to include in the video, such as graphics, slides among others
• Decide on how long you want the video to be
• Think about the location depending on the type of video you are shooting
• Make sure you have the right video equipment, including a camera, tripod, and powerful microphone
• Whoever you choose to do the narration must be engaging and have a good grasp of the subject. No one has time to watch a boring and uninspiring speaker when there is so much great content on the platform.

To ensure consistency, it is vital that you create an achievable calendar. Most people think creating YouTube content is easy and will initially post a lot of content before losing momentum.

• Measure Your Performance

Take advantage of Analytics to measure the success of whatever you are doing on the platform. In understanding areas of weakness, you can take the necessary steps to improve or correct anything you may be doing wrong.

Final Thoughts

YouTube is an excellent platform for the astute marketer, but it pays to do it well.