In the run-up to the holiday season, you’ll be bombarded with emails from brands eager to sell you their products. But how exactly do you deal with these marketing messages? More importantly, should you even open any of these emails?
The right way to respond to these messages is to become a customer for life. After all, you’ll receive plenty more emails from brands seeking to engage with you. So instead of clicking “unsubscribe” and removing yourself from their mailing list, you could sign up for a do-not-disturb list (DND) so you don’t receive any more emails from those brands. You could also look into getting a special deal through a cashback site like Earnest for shopping online. All of which points to one thing: becoming a brand advocate.
Why Should You Listen To What Danielle Tiedt Has To Say?
If you’ve been paying attention to social media over the past year, you’ll know that YouTube has emerged as one of the biggest platforms, if not the biggest. With billions of views per day, it’s fair to say that YouTube has changed the game. In fact, the video platform is so influential that marketers are reevaluating how they conduct business online.
In early November, we interviewed YouTube’s Chief Marketing Officer, Danielle Tiedt, to get her take on the platform’s marketing strategies and how marketers can get involved.
Here, we’ll share five ways in which you can really utilize YouTube to grow your business.
1. Create compelling content.
If you’ve been watching the platform for any length of time, you’ll know that YouTube is filled with funny, quirky, and exciting videos created by content creators who attract millions of viewers. (If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Tubefilter, a YouTube channel that curates content from across the platform.)
The trick to using YouTube to grow your business is to create compelling content that will keep viewers coming back for more.
This content can take many forms. At the very least, it should be entertaining, informative, and/or inspiring. To succeed on YouTube, you’ll need to find a niche and build a following around it. For example, if you have a fashion channel, create an annual lookbook featuring the best styles in summer and winter clothing.
Fashion content is one of the most popular genres on YouTube. The platform’s largest demographic is women between the ages of 12 and 34, and over half of those viewers are on YouTube to watch fashion content. (Statista)
On a related note, if you’re an entrepreneur looking to gain exposure, create a short video series documenting your journey so far. The video format offers you the opportunity to connect with potential customers in a less formal setting.
2. Leverage influencers and celebrities.
In today’s digital world, there’s no shortage of “influencers” and celebrities who can help your brand get exposure. Whether you choose to work with an established personality or grow your own celebrity, you can put resources into creating content that will resonate with your target audience.
To succeed on YouTube, you need to find an influencer or celebrity that will complement your brand’s message. For example, if your brand is focused on sustainability, work with a vegan influencer to help bring your target audience aware of the issues you are trying to tackle.
This way, when a consumer sees your hashtag (#vegan #vegetarian #sustainability) as part of a caption in a tweet, they’ll be more inclined to click through and learn more about your brand. (HootSuite)
3. Experiment with different metrics and platforms.
Just because a given channel has millions of views doesn’t mean that every video will be an effective marketing tool. (As YouTube creators ourselves, we know this all too well.)
To be sure, there are many benefits to YouTube, but if you’re looking to grow your business, it’s important to remember that views and subscribers are not necessarily the keys to attracting potential customers. (They can be, but it’s not always the case.)
To find out how effective certain videos are at driving traffic to your site, you can use video analysis tools like Vidyard and VIMO, which allow you to compare video performance across platforms. (You can also try out YouTube’s own video metrics here.)
Videos that appear to be performing well on other platforms can be repurposed for the web. If the video has a strong theme (e.g., fashion, style, trends, etc.), it can be used as a static webpage with a few still images or a fully-fledged blog post.
The advantage of this approach is that you’re not limited by the size of the video. (The disadvantage is that the content will be a little less interesting to viewers who haven’t seen the original video.)
4. Use keywords in your headlines and descriptions.
Although this may not seem obvious, if you want to find your video on YouTube, you’ll need to incorporate keywords into your headlines and descriptions. (For help, check out our guide to keyword research for video content.)
Since YouTube’s algorithm focuses on content that is relevant and useful to its audience, videos that incorporate relevant keywords will appear higher in search results. In addition, videos that have a high density of these keywords will also perform better in keyword searches.
5. Promote your channel on social media.
With over 500 million active monthly users on TikTok, there’s an incredible amount of competition for eyeballs. To succeed on this platform, create engaging content that will keep your audience coming back for more.
Besides, since TikTok is one of the biggest entertainment platforms, if you can capture the attention of its users with creative and engaging content, the audience will be more inclined to hear what you have to say. (Of course, you don’t have to promote your channel on social media to succeed on YouTube. But it’s a good place to start if you’re looking to grow your audience.)
In closing, we want to remind you that YouTube is a big place. It’s filled with all kinds of content, from videos to blogs to live streams. As a business owner or marketer, it’s important to find a way to stand out from the crowd and identify a niche.
This is easier said than done, but with a little bit of trial and error, you’ll be able to figure out how to make YouTube work for you.