6 Tips to YouTubing Excellence
Retail is largely a visual industry, so it’s interesting that the most visual of all social media outlets, YouTube, is vastly underused in our marketing world.
Check out these stats:
- YouTube has over 2 billion users. TWO BILLION.
- Eighty percent of people under 50 watch YouTube every day.
- It is the world’s second largest visited site, right behind Google.
- Over 1 billion hours of YouTube videos a day, more than Netflix & Facebook combined.
And yet . . .
Only 9% of small businesses use YouTube.
YouTube is the hottest, ripest new social media out there. In light of the reduced foot traffic in retail, it just makes sense for product manufacturers and retailers alike, to showcase their visual genius – products, demos, presentations – on this worldwide stage. The key is to publish stellar content and steadily increase your online presence by getting views, likes, and followers. Here are six quick tips to do just that!
1 – PLAN YOUR CONTENT
Since you probably already know the kind of video you want to create and the audience you want to reach, you need to plan your content. Do you want to entertain or to inform? Do you want showcase something new or feature a popular product? Get a plan for the types of videos you want to do so that you can start uploading them frequently and consistently in early days. Most regular YouTubers create a month of content at a time. If you’re not sure exactly what your audience is most interested in, try some keyword searches to look for highly-ranked results. Use the Keyword Planner inside Google Ads or the Keywords Everywhere extension for the Chrome browser, both of which will show you common phrases people use when searching for content related to yours. They will also provide a tally of related searches done each month. An extra tip: “How to” Videos are by Far the Most Popular searched and viewed on YouTube. Use YouTube’s management tool TubeBuddy to analyze your keywords and phrases to see which ones have the best shot for high volume.
2 – EQUIP YOURSELF
You don’t need to invest in a lot of high end equipment right away. Many video creators do just fine with their smartphones. However, if you want to have excellent content that your viewers will connect with, it’s smart to eventually invest in the right equipment. Think light, sound, and camera. And think of them together. It doesn’t matter how great your video is if the sound if warbly or low. It doesn’t matter how great your sound and lighting are if your video has a glare, a shadow, or a blur. Most YouTubers use DSLRs or mirrorless cameras. They use tripods and studio lighting. They use shotgun or lavalier mics for the best sound. Remember That Your Video is Telling a Story, and a story is multi-sensory. Your audience needs to connect with the sight and sound of your video. Make sure it’s up to par.
3 – OPTIMIZE YOUR VIDEOS
Once you upload your video, you might feel like DaVinci after a masterpiece. It’s done! Well, no, it’s not. You still need to optimize your content to help it rank up. Give your video a strong, descriptive title that viewers are likely to type into the search bar, and make sure to include your main keyword/phrase. Write a good description (about 200 words) using your keyword, their synonyms, and long-tail keyword variations. It’s not a bad idea to search other videos similar to yours to see how THEY described their videos and the keywords they chose as most important.
4 – BUILD YOUR NETWORK
While YouTube isn’t the same kind of social media site as Twitter or Facebook, it is still all about the connections. Users can share, connect, collaborate, and comment just like other sites. So, it’s important to build your network inside the platform. Comment on other similar vloggers’ videos, give shout-outs to other creators, recognize key subscribers. The more active you can be in and among the platform, the better.
5 – CONNECT WITH VIEWERS
Closely related to your network connections are your personal viewers. As you slowly gain more and more followers, make time to connect with them. Always respond to comments and messages as much as you can. And take a minute to follow and like their content, if they have some. The more personal you can make your channel seem, the less promotional it will appear, and that draws people in to your content.
6 – BEST PRACTICES
Finally, remember to use your best manners with online relationships. Ignore rude or inappropriate comments. Double-check your personal social media pages to make sure you are a consistent presence online – viewers are almost always interest in the personal lives of the people they follow. Please your audience by consistently uploading new videos — get it out there! Have fun diving into the online video world of YouTube!
