With Google’s ever-changing metrics, it can be hard for businesses to stay up to date on social media marketing best practices. YouTube has recently garnered the attention of content marketers, due to its high traffic and ability to boost rankings.
But you can’t just upload your YouTube videos and rest on your laurels, waiting for the traffic to roll in. You need to implement a strategy to create social media buzz and move your videos up in Google rankings, netting a higher ROI for your efforts.
YouTube’s value
Businesses that know the value of YouTube are already ahead of the game. Video marketing is quickly becoming the darling of internet marketers, as YouTube ranks second among all search engines, after Google. And some experts believe video will eventually outperform all other social media tools.
You can position your business to take advantage of the shift toward video marketing, as it’s easy to develop user-friendly marketing videos using the same content marketing principles you would use for other social media tools:
- Design: On YouTube, you can create “channels” for your business’ marketing videos. To further brand awareness and increase authority, your channel should include only those videos that are relevant. Think of your channel like your website; your brand should be just as carefully constructed on your YouTube channel.
- Intention: To build videos that get traffic, each video that you create should have a specific intention. There are several types of “content” you can create here, as with a blog. If your video serves two purposes, you’re likely to get weak results. Before you proceed, make a decision about the video’s purpose. Is it generate leads? Build your brand? Create conversions? Keep that purpose in my mind during all stages of video production.
- Scripting: Not everyone can be an oscar-winning writer, but a good outline is all you really need to create a successful YouTube video. Here’s one basic structure you can use: introduce your business and brand; briefly describe the benefits offered in the video; unload the value (or benefits you promised); conclude; and end with a call to action.
- SEO: To rank high, you’ll need to follow SEO practices as you would with any other social-media tool. First, choose the targeted keyword phrase; use the keyword when naming the file and when titling the video; include tags; and write the meta description. This description should include a link back to your main website, a few sentences (including keywords) about the video and the actual YouTube URL.
You can quickly get up to speed on YouTube marketing with a $7 download from Digital Marketer, which features more detailed information on designing and creating your SEO marketing videos.
The experts at Social Strategy1 can help you develop a social media strategy that builds brand awareness and boosts ROI. Contact us today to learn more.