01 May Ready to Leverage Video Content for Advertising? Get Started with These Tips
Did you know that YouTube is the second largest social media network, trailing only slightly behind Facebook? In 2018, YouTube boasts an audience of 1.5 million active users.
Where YouTube also makes some important gains compared to Facebook for content exposure and crowd sourcing new customers, is that the engagement rates are higher in YouTube currently. Globally, YouTube viewers spend a minimum of forty-minutes a day watching videos or browsing content on the visual network.
A new April 2018 survey conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in New York, revealed that video advertising spend activities by large brands (those with $1 million or more in budget) has increased by 53% in the past two years.
The IAB survey included feedback from 350 brand marketers and media buyers and revealed that approximately 59% of total advertising budget was allocated exclusively to digital video advertising. The average spend for each respondent, was $20 million dollars per year.
Still not convinced that video marketing offers tremendous promotional and sales value for your brand? Check out some of these quick stats:
- By 2020, online videos will make up more than 80% of all consumer internet traffic (85% in the US). Source: com
- One minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. Source: Forester Research
- 59% of B2B Executives say they would rather watch a video than read text.
- Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video, compared to 10% when reading it in text. Source: Wirebuzz
Video content cannot replace the value of on-page written copy, but the two work together to grab the attention of prospective customers, and invite them to learn more about your brand, product or service.
Should your business be invested in producing quality video content for advertising? Absolutely. But before you dive in, let’s review some of the important elements for creating rich media content and videos that provide more than views or impressions, but real revenue for your business.
Getting Started
When you create your Google My Business ecosystem, YouTube is one of the tools that is directly connected to your business profile. If you have another YouTube with a large number of subscribers, which may predate your Google Business listing, contact a digital marketing provider for assistance to connect the two entities, for better results. Remember to set up your YouTube page with the same keywords, company profile description, hours and contact information that is consistent with your other digital properties.
There are three basic steps to focus on, when initializing activated marketing on YouTube.
- Brands need to create compelling entertaining or informative content.
- Content needs to be optimized (we’ll get into best practice for search and audience recruitment through subscribers).
- Brand content needs to be shared consistently through social media, content syndication, blogs and sponsored advertising.
Video marketing starts with a script and a strategy. Who are you trying to reach with the broadcast? What information is most important, and what are the key points that you want your audience to leave with? Finally, create a path that allows the customer to immediately take action (subscribe, visit the website, or connect on social) following the broadcast, while you have their attention.
Effective marketing of your video content involves more than simply uploading them to your YouTube account. You should be tooling your videos for search with the same keyword strategies you use for your website, blog and business profiles. Google owns YouTube, and the same search criteria applies for video content; keywords matter, so don’t forget to optimize the video description field to get results.
Spend some time considering the best title for your video, and completely fill-out the video description field (including a link to your website, email and contact information) to encourage customers to take the next step and browse products and services on your site. Intuitive marketers also add a CTA (call to action) link at the top of the video description, to prompt viewers to subscribe to the channel.
Organize your branded videos as part of a play list. YouTube recommends similar videos automatically, but you can direct your audience to a series of videos contained in your playlist, to keep them engaged with your content (rather than other suggestions, or competitor advertising).
Livestream Video for Lead Generation
It is hard to resist the temptation of watching a live streaming video. It is something that consumers enjoy, as long as the video is informative, entertaining and allows them to comment during the broadcast and share their opinion and feedback. If they enjoy the video, customers are also likely to share it on their social networks, expanding the reach of your content.
Livestreaming is a powerful tool that brands can use to get attention. But did you know that there is software that allows you to broadcast to multiple social networks and YouTube simultaneously? Check out this video from Wirecast Studio, to learn how easy it is to integrate cost-effective broadcast television tools in your digital marketing strategy.
Creating leads that you can follow up on after a livestream video is easy, with a variety of different methods. First, you can promote a link from an email marketing platform like MailChimp, that is unique to your broadcast. Put the link in the video description and mention it with an incentive during your broadcast. Subscribers will then be added to your list, and you can send a coupon or special offer, following your event.
Remember that a livestream video is recorded and can be repurposed as valuable content by embedding it on your blog, the same way that you would share a podcast. Rich media gives your website audience another reason to return and engage with your content and brand. It can also be shared in Facebook with a pay-per-click boost, to reach customers subscribed to your page who may have missed your event.
Watch for some more tips on creating a high-traffic YouTube livestream video event on our blog and contact our team to learn more about video advertising services for your business.