How to Beat Other Businesses on YouTube
YouTube is a wonderful platform that offers anyone the opportunity to upload their videos online and attract some of the most dedicated audiences out there. It’s a field of endless opportunities, but one that unfortunately many businesses (big and small) fail to understand. Simply following the basics guarantees you’ll be ahead of 80% of the other businesses on YouTube, bolstering your eventual video creation success!
Create Content You’d Like to Watch
It’s disheartening to see companies use their respective YouTube channels like asset dumping grounds. If you need a way to share your content for public relations assets, FTPs are the best option. Of course that’s not to say you can’t post your own ads on your channel, but a brand’s channel must bring value to their audience—what are they learning/enjoying from watching your videos?
“Content marketing is creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a target audience.” That’s why companies that create content other than promotional material for their channel, such as tutorials, livestreams, behind-the-scenes footage, see more highly engaged fans who are willing to buy their product and promote it for them!
Never Forget Your Look
Some brands neglect their channel’s design, which is a BIG mistake! Failing to take the time to create custom headers and thumbnails to establish a look to your YouTube presence is a sure-fire way to scare subscribers away. PlayStation has the right idea.
Your Aim is Not “Going Viral”
Then there’s that phrase everyone who works on YouTube shudders at: “going viral.” Your goal should not be focused on making a viral video. A piece of content becomes viral because it’s something people are eager to share—whether it’s inspirational, eye-opening, terrifying, endearing—so that should be your aim. The only way to encourage people to share your content is to create amazing content, and think outside the box.
Work With Influencers
Advocates are fans you’ve managed to collect as a brand on your own, loyal patrons who adore what you do and are usually the first to spread your brand’s message along to their friends. These are the people ready to subscribe to your channel!
On the other spectrum are influencers, those who are already successful and popular on YouTube and have the experience you crave. Their fans trust everything they say, so influencers are powerful assets for your brand.
That said, when reaching out to influencers, treat them like the professionals they are! It’s true that YouTube is a field filled with cute cat videos, but that should not diminish the amount of time and effort these creators put into their own work. Approach them with care and, if you have the funds, reasonable deals. The one detail I cannot STRESS enough is not to impose on their creativity: they are not producing an ad for you. They’ve formed a connection with their fans because they’re truthful with them, and creating ads for your product with ‘corporate talk’ is more harmful to their personal brand than your product. Keeping that in mind, and trusting them, will lead to peaceful and successful roads.