What Small Businesses Should Know About YouTube in 2021

The idea of starting and maintaining a YouTube channel can be somewhat intimidating for a lot of small businesses, at least until you learn the value. You may already have a presence on Facebook and Instagram, but this year might be the right time to expand your video-based marketing content. YouTube is the perfect video platform.

YouTube has the best ROI for video content, and it’s the number one purchase driver on social media.

A separate study found 85% of marketers who published content on YouTube found it was an effective strategy.

Sounds compelling, right?

The following are some of the basics small businesses should know about YouTube right now.

Reasons to Create Business YouTube Videos

Beyond what was mentioned above, the following are reasons to consider investing some resources into YouTube and video content in general.

• Having videos in any capacity can improve your Google rankings. You can use the same videos on your website and YouTube, helping you on both search engines, and yes, YouTube is a search engine.
• Having video content significantly improves conversions.
• You can reach a new audience that you might not have access to only on Google.
• Video consumption on mobile devices increases every year. People on their mobile devices tend to prefer videos to reading information.
• When you use videos, it can be an excellent way to explain otherwise potentially complex topics or highlight the features and benefits of your products more effectively.
• Video content in general, on YouTube and otherwise, drives engagement. People are likely to share and interact with a video more so than they are a written post.
• It can be challenging to connect with your customers in a personal way, especially in an online-driven world, but videos can facilitate that.

Setting Up a YouTube Channel

There’s more to it than this, but the following are some general steps to setting up a YouTube channel:

• Create an account, and use your business name to get started.
• Customize your profile on YouTube. You want to include all relevant business information.
• You can add channel art, which is like personalizing your Twitter or Facebook banner. You can, for example, use the tagline and logo for your business here.
• Create a channel description with your mission statement and a light call to action. You should also put your business email address. You can add links to your About section, so include them to specific pages on your business website.
• Create a trailer for your channel that lets your viewers know what they can expect from your content.
• Begin interacting with other users. There are a lot of ways to do this, including liking and commenting on content, sharing, messaging or subscribing.
• Verify your channel.

General YouTube Marketing Tips

As a small business, there are a few general tips to keep in mind if you’re using YouTube as part of your marketing strategy.

First, identify and target what are known as transactional keywords. You want high-volume, low-competition keywords that also indicate someone intends to buy something or take action soon. This is what’s meant by transactional keywords. These are what will help you get the highest conversion rates.

Your videos should also include a call-to-action, but don’t wait until the end because many viewers don’t make it to that point. Instead, have your CTA in the first few seconds of your video. If you can offer something of value, like a free download, even better. You can still add a CTA to the end of your video as well.

Every piece of content you create needs to add value to the lives of your audience.

Take time to create a few pieces of valuable content rather than rushing to put up a lot of filler.

Types of Videos

You can be creative in the types of video content you use for your business, depending on your industry, but some general formats do often work well for small businesses.

A brand or business introduction is a great foundational video to include on your YouTube channel. Let viewers know who you are, but also how you might be able to solve a problem for them.

Customer testimonials and reviews are helpful for customers, as are how-to videos.

Finally, you can do frequently-asked question videos or give your audience a chance to meet your team or see behind-the-scenes at your business on a daily basis to build a connection with them.

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