YouTube Can Help Your Brand Reach a More Targeted, Streamlined, and Engaged Audience
As of July 2023, YouTube boasted 246 million U.S. viewers. Not only is YouTube one of the most popular search engines in the world, it’s also a top-tier social media network. This makes it a uniquely powerful and engaging platform for your brand.
According to YouTube statistics, “viewers are 4x more likely to use YouTube versus other platforms to find information about a brand, product, or service.” With over 2.7 billion users worldwide, people choose to watch YouTube because it’s more accessible than cable, and it also allows them to search for exactly what they want to know and need to learn. Keep reading to learn the top 4 reasons why we think YouTube is a fantastic investment for every business.
Intent-Based Search
YouTube users head to the platform to specifically key-in what they’re searching for. This means users already know what they want to search prior to hopping on the app. To effectively grow your own audience, you should be creating content that answers questions, educates, informs, and entertains. Posting a minimum of three videos a week can help you hone in on what your audience wants to learn from you. Remember, it’s all about your audience! Regular platform management will also help you identify new areas of interest within your industry to help give you an advantage against your competitors.
YouTube is a free marketing platform with a captive audience. It’s one of the most important social channels in marketing that supports creators and businesses alike. Invest in creating meaningful content that your audience will identify with and you’ll see a return on your investment. Intent-based search and knowing your target audience go hand-in-hand on YouTube.
Targeting
Get to know what your audience wants by consistently publishing organic content to your channel. We recommend three videos a week, though some encourage up to one video a day. The key to everything is consistency. So, decide before you begin whether you have time to produce one video or seven videos a week for 52 weeks a year– yeah, consistency is that important.
Then, begin defining your target market. What are they searching for? What is valuable? What are frequently asked questions that you answer? Put together an outline that makes your audience the center of everything you create. List the video topics they are most interested in watching and then get recording. As you get to know your audience via your channel’s organic analytics, update your outline to track the interests of your audience and learn how they find you.
It’s also affordable and accessible for viewers, which leads to a broader audience. People can use the online version of YouTube for free and can purchase more premium options like YouTube TV for a small monthly cost. With the rise of big streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, it’s no wonder that YouTube is following suit as more and more people are cutting the cord with cable.
Increased Engagement
The average user spends 19 minutes daily on YouTube, and video for business is here to stay. Why? Videos have a high conversion rate. Customers are 12 times more likely to watch versus read content, and because YouTube allows you to show up more authentically, it can increase customer engagement. Your audience wants to be able to relate to your business and feel like you know who they are. Video content lets you tell a story through your marketing and show up in a more casual, fun way. By speaking directly to your audience, you increase your authentic connection and also encourage more engagement, such as comments and likes.
YouTube also gives you access to global audiences who perhaps would not find your business otherwise. Unlike videos on other social platforms such as Instagram or Facebook, YouTube provides the functionality of embedding sign-up links directly in video content. You can expand your email list or direct to your offers straight from your videos. This provides greater opportunity for you to convert leads to customers. Out of all YouTube users, 68% say they have watched videos to help them make a purchase decision, and are 2x more likely to buy a product they saw on YouTube compared to other platforms.
Even better news? You can repurpose your existing assets for YouTube videos. Maybe you’re reading all of this and thinking that YouTube sounds good, but you like your current digital videos, or you just paid to have them produced and don’t want that money to go to waste. With some resizing for YouTube viewers’ screens and thoughtful, platform-minded editing optimizations, your existing videos can likely be repurposed for YouTube. The same is true the other way around, too! If you create YouTube videos, you can repost that content to your other social platforms, blogs, or websites.
Cost-Effective Ads
YouTube TV has 6.3 million subscribers and continues to grow as cable and other live TV subscribers decline. It’s no wonder businesses are taking advantage of its ad space. While there is, of course, value in traditional television ads, it’s important to go where your audience is — and one of the most prominent mediums is YouTube.
Want to increase engagement? Ads can increase your channel’s watch time and engagement with your videos. Produce :15, :30 or :60 second teaser videos about your brand that will hook new subscribers and bring them back to your channel to learn more about your offer. Don’t take our word for it — consumers themselves find YouTube ads more relevant than traditional television ads.
Want to target new audiences? After you’ve built up a video library, you can create a lookalike audience of your existing subscribers in your ads settings to help you reach people with similar interests. YouTube ads are run through the Google ad platform and they allow you to develop target audiences where you can serve your message to warmer leads who are likely to identify with your brand and take action. When done effectively, ads will increase your lead generation, build brand awareness and increase your subscribers.
Don’t want to break the bank? Perhaps one of the biggest factors that sets YouTube apart from traditional television is cost. Thanks to features like bidding, YouTube is a key platform for stretching your dollars and using your marketing budget as effectively as possible. Unlike traditional TV advertising, YouTube helps ensure the right people are seeing your ads. This ad medium is an effective way to reach new clients at more efficient costs than traditional television or even OTT.
So, What Are You Waiting For?
Now that you know the top benefits of YouTube for your business, you can get started on taking this invaluable marketing step for your company. If you’re looking to personalize content, grow your brand, and gain new potential leads, YouTube is a great investment to make.
Whether your goal is to gain awareness for your business, sell services, or partner with B2B affiliates, YouTube can help you get your word across to the right people. Take initiative for your company’s marketing strategy and get started today.
For more information, insights, and assistance, Swell Media Solutions is always here to help.
About
Swell Media Solutions is a boutique marketing agency that works with business owners across a variety of industries to drive growth and create on-brand content that’s consistent with our partners’ purpose and vision. Our team of designers, copywriters, and digital marketing specialists are trained in organic and paid social media management, digital advertising and mass media management. We work closely with businesses to develop marketing strategies that elevate brand awareness and increase brand loyalty to optimize growth.
