How any kind of SME can benefit from using YouTube in marketing
By Charlie Britten
19 Jun 2020
YouTube is the world’s largest social media platform for video sharing, which means it offers firms marketing possibilities way beyond what many realise are possible.
YouTube is an enormously popular website. One of the oldest social media platforms, it was started in 2005 and in just a decade it reached a billion users. According to the latest data from Statistica, last year the figure had climbed to two billion, and there’s no reason to suppose it won’t carry on its upward path. Indeed, YouTube now gets more views than TV.
In the UK, YouTube has close to 40 million users, making it a narrow second to Facebook in popularity. Moreover, it does not require a personal account to log on: Anybody can visit the site and see video content.
All content is there
Of course, with size comes enormous variety. From things like live streaming of current news, sport and events to personal videos and any number of wild conspiracy theories - everything from the flat Earth to the bizarre idea that nuclear weapons don’t exist - the site is a veritable jungle of different content.
However, as with anything on the web, it is possible to cut through all this using the site’s search functions. That means there is a clear place for video content that can help promote a firm and, therefore, play a key role in marketing efforts.
This has long been recognised by marketers, with the Statistica research finding eight out of ten regard YouTube as the best video sharing site for this purpose. Quite apart from the sheer size of the potential audience, the various functions of a site that is designed specifically for videos mean it gives you plenty of flexibility.
Alongside this, the fact that it is used increasingly by marketers means it is a place people and businesses looking for products or services will increasingly come to look.
How can your firm benefit?
The question SME owners may ask is: Can my firm really benefit from using YouTube? The answer is invariably yes. While the answer may be obvious for online operators like E-Commerce firms, it also applies to all firms.
Indeed, the very fact that content with video embedded in it is more popular means it makes sense, whatever your firm does.
Moreover, the use of YouTube means you can gain several specific benefits:
- The video can be almost any length
- There are no limits to how often someone can view it
- You can also link the video to other social media you may use, helping to stimulate interaction and open up more communication with potential and actual customers
- A YouTube video is recognised by search engines, boosting your overall SEO
Despite all this, it may seem a difficult notion to communicate what you do if you provide services rather than goods. After all, goods are easier to see visually. But there are many ways to do this and much depends on the kinds of video that you use.
There are various formats available and the right one can give you a brilliant video that can be posted both on YouTube and linked to your company website.
What kinds of video are available?
There are various opens open to your firm:
- Whiteboard videos are very simple videos that use a blank white space with simple text and animation, plus a voiceover
- Infographic videos use a series of animated charts to help simplify and explain data
- 3D Avatar videos are made using 3D graphics featuring a character representing a firm explaining about their products or services
- Kinetic Typography is a video using a succession of written statements against a static picture background
The important feature of all these videos is that they can help break down what might otherwise be hard to understand concepts and make them much easier for the viewer to grasp.
A further benefit is that research has shown that web page visitors are more likely to stay on a page if I has a video embedded in it. This can, of course, link straight to YouTube.
Therefore, the combination of your web page and YouTube can offer homes to a video that can go a long way to helping nurture interest and understanding of your products or services.
How BeUniqueness can help
At BeUniqueness, we can help you make the most of the opportunities video marketing can offer. That includes videos that can both be placed on your website and be available on YouTube, so that you will have your own presence on the world’s largest video-sharing site.
We can also develop a wider digital marketing strategy for you that will combine video with other tools to enable you to reach more potential customers, gain leads and enjoy a healthy return on your marketing investment.