Since its inception in 2005, YouTube has become more than just the most popular video-sharing platform– it’s one of the most popular websites on the internet, period.
Consider these statistics (source):
- Over a billion hours of video content is watched on YouTube every day.
- YouTube is the third most visited site in the world after Google and Facebook.
- 400 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
- 6 out of 10 people prefer online video platforms like YouTube to live television.
Brands that market directly to consumers recognize YouTube as a powerful tool. In fact, studies show consumers are 64% likelier to purchase a product after watching an online video (source). But can B2B marketers use YouTube to the same effect? We say yes!
Today’s blog post offers an in-depth guide to YouTube success for B2B marketers. Let’s get into it!
Benefits Of YouTube For B2B Marketing
Before we jump into the guide, we want to provide you with a few benefits of using YouTube for marketing initiatives. Although this is by no means a comprehensive list, here’s what we view as the three most important reasons to promote your brand or company on YouTube:
Strengthen your brand. Videos provide the opportunity to engage with your audience on an emotional level. As the leading video platform, YouTube can help you build a brand identity and forge deep connections with viewers.
Boost your search rankings. Google includes videos within their search results– in fact, videos often rank higher than standard webpage results. Don’t believe us? Consider this: Video is 50 times likelier to rank on Google than plain text results (source). By publishing content to YouTube, you’re increasing the likelihood that you’ll be found on Google.
Best Practices for Using YouTube for B2B
Now that you understand the business benefits of YouTube, let’s get into some best practices to make your YouTube channel a success:
1. Produce engaging video content.
A fine-tuned YouTube marketing strategy won’t yield much success if your videos don’t offer compelling content. Unfortunately, many B2B marketers make the mistake of rushing to embrace the platform without a comprehensive video content strategy.
The good news is, there’s no shortage of ways to leverage video to create unique B2B content. Here are just a few examples:
Vlogs: Blog posts should already be a staple of your B2B content strategy– but you can also package similar content into digestible, visually appealing video blogs, or “vlogs”. Much like a blog post, a vlog can educate your audience on a specific topic in a casual, conversational tone. You can create entirely original vlogs, or repurpose topics you’ve covered in blog posts to fit into a video format.
Product demos: Let’s face it– product demos in written form are often boring and confusing. Instead, showcase your products using video. A short video can explain the value of your products in a much more entertaining and engaging format. And research shows, your customers are already searching for video demos. 43% of B2B buyers use online video to research products or services for their business (source).
Brand story videos: Brand storytelling has become increasingly important in the B2B space. Create short brand story videos that show your customers who you are and what you do. Include interviews with your employees to add a human element to your brand.
2. Build your channel.
Your YouTube channel is more than just a collection of videos– it’s just like any other social media platform. Therefore, you should approach your channel with the same attention to detail that you would with your company website or a landing page. Here are some details to consider when you first build your YouTube channel:
Banners and brand icons: Your YouTube channel should feature your brand’s icon and a custom banner, much like your social media profiles. YouTube also allows you to include social icons in your banner so you can provide easy access to your company’s other social media accounts.
Channel description: Your “About” section should introduce your audience to your brand. Briefly state who your company is and what viewers can expect from your videos. And, be sure to include a call to action along with a link to your website.
Playlists: Your channel likely offers several different types of video content, so you can create custom playlists to better organize your videos. Separate vlogs, product demos, webinars and other content into their own playlists to make your content more accessible.
3. Post consistently.
The biggest mistake companies make when it comes to YouTube is this: They post videos when they get around to it. If you don’t update your YouTube channel on a consistent basis, you will fail to grow an audience on the platform.
Include videos into your content calendar as you would blogs, eBooks, whitepapers, and other content. We aren’t saying you need to post a fresh video every day but stick to a schedule so viewers know when to expect new video content.
4. Engage with other accounts.
YouTube is an online community just like Facebook or Twitter. So, we recommend staying active within the YouTube community.
Follow relevant accounts, such as industry thought leaders and influencers, and engage with their content on a regular basis. Like, comment, and share videos that are of interest to your brand. This will help your YouTube channel gain notice from other creators within your industry.
5. Explore YouTube advertising.
There are several options to advertise your YouTube videos: Ads that play before viewers watch other videos, banner ads that display in search engine results, and promoted videos that appear with YouTube searches.
We recommend you focus on building an organic audience but use targeted advertising to supplement traffic to your YouTube page and boost important video campaigns.
6. Track performance metrics.
YouTube Analytics – a partner platform to Google Analytics – allows you to measure the success of your YouTube channel using a variety of performance metrics. Relevant marketing metrics include watch time, bounce rate, engagement, traffic source, and many more.
Use this data to uncover insights into who watches your videos and how they engage with them – and then adjust your YouTube strategy based on those insights.
Final Thoughts on YouTube for B2B Marketing
B2B marketers can do more than just boost social engagement on YouTube. As a B2B marketer, you can build a community around your brand and reach entirely new audiences. Before you know it, your YouTube channel may become an indispensable asset in your content marketing strategy.
Contact ZoomInfo today to see how our B2B contact database can improve and transform your marketing efforts.