23 May Expanding Your Online Following with YouTube May 23, 2023 By sma Marketing, Social Media business website, digital marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, SEO, YouTube 0 EXPANDING YOUR ONLINE FOLLOWING WITH YOUTUBE May 23, 2023 | Marketing, Social Media | YouTube, digital marketing, SEO, business website, Facebook, LinkedIn By Sydney Bailey, Director of Marketing Successful small business owners know the incredible value that a fully optimized online presence brings to their business. Facebook, Google Business, and LinkedIn all work alongside a professional business website to direct and convert visitors into clients. Depending on the industry, business owners might prioritize some of these platforms over others, but it’s clear that each plays an important role for small businesses. One platform that might get overlooked more often than it should is YouTube. Receiving billions of new views and videos every single day, YouTube’s international footprint is astounding. Present in over 100 countries around the world, the video-hosting website is also localized in 80 different languages. But with that said, small businesses usually aren’t interested in reaching an international, or even a national audience. Small business owners are rightly more concerned with reaching clients in their own cities. So this begs the question: How can YouTube be a benefit to small businesses? How Can YouTube Benefit Businesses at a Local Level? Out of all social media platforms on the market today, YouTube is perhaps best known for its intensely competitive nature. Vastly popular creators tend to dominate attention, and often leaving lesser-known channels to struggle to gain any traction at all. Small business owners who are considering how they can use YouTube as part of their marketing strategy should be realistic about what success means for them on the platform and develop a plan to track that success. Small businesses can create business channels and upload videos to reach a new audience that may not be present on Facebook or LinkedIn. As owners employ this strategy, their goal should not be to go viral or have their videos reach millions of views. Small business owners should be looking to convert their efforts into leads for their services and expand the reach of their marketing. The first thing that business owners should recognize is that videos are powerful attention-grabbers on all platforms. Everything posted on YouTube can (and should) be reposted on Facebook, LinkedIn, and even hosted on your business website. Videos are fantastic for search engine optimization since they capture attention for longer than images alone, and smart usage of calls-to-action should always direct viewers right back to the business website. With that said, small business owners can easily see their efforts go to waste if they don’t have an effective YouTube strategy. How To Develop A Strong YouTube Marketing Strategy The two pillars of YouTube success are quality and consistency. Small businesses don’t need the most expensive or impressive equipment to get started, but videos should meet at least a base level of tolerability for viewers. Make sure your videos aren’t shaky to watch or hard to hear. Your production doesn’t have to be pristine, but do your best to make sure the video isn’t painful for the viewer. Once a comfortable video-production process has been outlined, it’s important to maintain a standard level of quality and to make the general structure and content of future videos stay complementary and related. Viewers are more likely to continue tuning in to future videos if they know what to expect each time. If videos are uploaded inconsistently or if each new entry varies wildly from previous videos, business owners aren’t capitalizing on their previous work effectively. Videos should be viewed as extensions of the company’s brand, and small business owners should be very aware of the value gained from consistent branding. The final key to positive performance on YouTube is the same as all social media platforms. Engagement is king. Responding to comments on videos, then sharing videos to other social media platforms and doing the same there is a great way to promote relevant conversations. In addition, business owners should consider collaborating with other local businesses in their area (especially businesses that provide complementary services, rather than direct competition). By associating with other businesses in the area, owners have an opportunity to tap into an additional local audience. YouTube could be a hidden marketing resource that is underutilized in your area. If you’d like to learn more about how to make strong, engaging videos on social media, check out our previous article on the subject. If you'd like to learn more about the marketing resources gained when franchising with NPI, request a free info packet, and contact our recruitment team today! About the Author Sydney Bailey, Director of Marketing Sydney specializes in creative marketing strategy. In her current role, she leads the marketing department in implementing new initiatives to increase business for NPI and GPI franchisees. With experience in brand development, public relations, project management, and art direction, she also serves as NPI's in-house graphic and web designer. Sydney supports our franchisees on a daily basis with all of their print and digital design needs. Have an idea about a new campaign? Sydney will turn it into a reality! Comments are closed.