When we started Viddyoze in 2015, one of the first things I did was create a YouTube channel.
At the time, I had no idea how to use it. I just knew that video was the future, and YouTube would play a big part in that. Google doesn’t tend to buy dead ends, after all.
Fast forward to now, and YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine. People use it for everything. Learning a new skill. Entertaining the kids. Hosting live events. You name it; YouTube does it.
So, the big question then: why is YouTube marketing important? In my mind, there are two reasons: exposure and money. The potential reach is immense, with over 2 billion eyes on YouTube every month. Plus, YouTube pays – the average US channel made over $1,000 per week in 2022.
In this post, I will talk you through the marketing on YouTube process, from choosing your goals and branding your channel to creating content.
Keep reading, and I’ll show you how to make YouTube marketing work for your business with YouTube marketing examples, tips about YouTube strategy, and more.
Define The Goals Of Your YouTube Marketing Strategy
To create effective video content, first, you need a YouTube marketing strategy. To this day, that’s the most important thing I’ve ever learned about YouTube marketing.
For Viddyoze, the strategy is simple: drive people into our marketing funnel. To do this, we focus on content that raises awareness about our product; we target keywords related to topics such as videos, video strategy, and how to make videos.
Really, it’s all about subtlety. By making YouTube videos about general topics related to our niche, we can show viewers exactly why they need Viddyoze without ramming the hardshell down their throats. For example, the video below does two things.
1) It shows you how to make an awesome video for YouTube
2) It shows how much work goes into making awesome YouTube content
The content is valuable because it shows viewers how to learn a new skill. At the same time, it’s bound to make some people think, “Wow, that looks like a lot of work; there must be an easier way.” And, of course, there is – Viddyoze.
Some people like to go all out with big, in-your-face sales-style content, but our bag is different. I’m a big believer in organic YouTube marketing. Plant the seed and wait.
Of course, there are other goals you can build your strategy around. Here are a few of the most common:
- Increased brand awareness
- Establish your brand as a thought leader
- Generate new customers
- Retain existing customers
- Improve your owned traffic
Create Your Channel And Apply Your Brand Stylings
When I made our YouTube channel, much trial and error was involved. One thing I wish I’d understood better at the time was the importance of branding.
Brand first, create later. That’s my mantra. Many content creators out there advise new businesses to start creating content immediately. In my opinion, it’s better to have your YouTube channel branded first. It gives you a clear reference point to build on.
A branded YouTube channel allows you to spread awareness for your business, build loyalty, maintain consistency, and stand out from your competition. The potential exposure for businesses is massive. Here’s my go-to checklist for creating a brand account:
- Include A Call-To-Action In Your Banner Image: This is the main image on your YouTube channel. Make sure this stands out.
- Use Your Banner Links To Funnel Visitors To Your Website: We use the YouTube banner to send traffic to our website from our brand account. The CTA is simple: “Find out more.”
- Claim Your Custom URL: This is essential for driving traffic to your channel. Ideally, this should be your brand name. For example, ours is https://www.youtube.com/@Viddyoze
- Optimize Your Channel Description Preview: This one line of text should (see our example below) contain a CTA before the cut-off.
- Use Your Logo As Your Profile Picture: a bold logo immediately lets visitors know who you are and that they’ve landed in the right place.
- Break The Fourth Wall In Your Channel Trailer: This is the video that plays as soon as a visitor lands on your channel. Use it to welcome them and explain what your channel is all about.
Check out this post for the nuts and bolts of creating YouTube channels.
Plan Your Content Calendar And Posting Schedule
If you’re a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk, you’ll know his views on posting content regularly – he gets asked about it a lot as you can tell from his video below.
His answer? Post quality content, often. For the most part, I agree with this. The more good video content you post, the more exposure your brand will get. At the same time, I appreciate it takes work to create a constant stream of must-watch content.
Ultimately, successful YouTube marketing depends on consistency. You must post regularly, whether once a week or once daily. If you’re starting out, I’d aim to create a video every other day, say three times a week.
That might sound like a lot. With Viddyoze, it’s easy to achieve. Our video software is so easy to use; you can create a new YouTube video every day in just a few minutes.
There are tons of different kinds of content you can create, too. All of the content ideas I’m about to show you can be made with Viddyoze. Plus, we’re running a free trial RIGHT NOW. That means you can test out the software for absolutely nothing.
Brand Awareness Content Ideas
Brand awareness content has one main goal: to tell as many people as possible that your brand exists. As a result, this kind of video marketing is light on the hard sell and heavy on education.
Your aim is to give the viewer something interesting or useful that relates to your niche. This content is supposed to introduce the target audience to your brand and pique their interest. Once you have your YouTube audience’s attention, you can move them along the marketing funnel toward a sale.
Here are six examples of brand awareness content that I’ve used at Viddyoze:
- “How To…” videos: Teach your target audience a skill or concept that relates to your industry
- Ultimate Guides: Explain a topic in detail. For example, the above video we did on the importance of product videos and how to make them
- Expert interviews: Interview a prominent figure in your industry about a newsworthy topic
- Future Trends and Predictions: Make a series of videos offering commentary on industry events
- Beginner Training Courses: If you offer a service, create a series of training courses
- Thought Leadership Content: Create content that offers insight into your niche and shows off your expertise
Lead Generation Content Ideas
Once you’ve got the attention of your target audience, it’s time to start talking about your products.
By this point, the people visiting your YouTube channel are thinking about making a purchase. Now, you must create videos that position your brand as the solution to their problem.
There are five types of videos I like to use to generate leads on YouTube:
- Product Demos: Relatively short videos that show how your product works. Keep the emphasis on the problems it solves
- Case Studies: Real-life examples of your product in action. Like product demos, the best case studies show how a product fixes an issue or problem
- Video Testimonials: Create social proof with a glowing review from a happy customer
- Industry-Specific Explainer Videos: Explain an industry-specific issue in detail
- Product Comparison Videos: Compare your product to a competitor’s, highlighting your pros and cons
Customer Retention Content Ideas
YouTube channels are an excellent way to keep your existing customers. Using a customer retention marketing strategy, you’ll maximize the value of your consumers.
The trick with customer retention is to give your consumer more value than expected – little bits of content that teach them about your product or service. Ikea is a great example of this. Ikea’s YouTube channel is packed with helpful content that a person might need after buying a product: assembly tutorials, installation tips – that sort of thing.
We do the same thing. Once someone subscribes to the Viddyoze platform, we send them tons of useful content, showing them how to get the most out of our software. Check out the below promo video guide to see what I mean.
Here are some other customer retention ideas to add to your YouTube marketing strategies:
- Tutorials: Show someone how to use your product with a detailed tutorial – our promo video above is a great example
- FAQ Videos: A good one for your customer service teams, these short videos give customers fast answers to simple questions about your product
- Training Webinar Recordings: Provide regular training so that users can get even more out of your product – particularly good for software businesses
- Advanced Tips And Hidden Feature Videos: Light-hearted, easy-to-digest content that reveals surprising things about your product
Traditional YouTube Vs. YouTube Shorts: Which Is Best For Your Brand?
When it comes to video length, some people swear by long-form content, like Vanessa Lau:
And some people prefer short videos. Think Gen Z, the TikTok generation, etc.
I’m somewhere in the middle. I think the best kind of content length depends on your audience. Honestly, there’s no reason you can’t do both. Look at Mr. Beast. Most of his content is 25 to 30 minutes long. He then repurposes most of it for YouTube Shorts, appealing to a totally different audience.
To help you figure out which kind of content is best for your YouTube marketing strategy, here are a few YouTube marketing tips to consider.
Organic Reach
When TikTok launched internationally in 2017, it changed the social-video game almost overnight. After a few short years, the platform outranked legacy social media companies like Facebook. In 2022, TikTok was the most downloaded non-game app.
YouTube’s response was YouTube Shorts.
Shorts only launched in 2021, so it’s still relatively new. That said, the numbers look incredible – Google recently announced that it had surpassed 50 billion daily views. Early signs suggest the organic reach is better on shorts than on YouTube’s main search results.
Using Shorts, digital marketing expert Fei Wu helped grow one of her client’s channel views by 300%. After a month of working with Shorts, 78% of traffic came from Shorts.
Video Length And Themes
As I said earlier, there are lots of different takes on video length for YouTube. For example, marketing YouTuber Dexter Clark says videos over 8 minutes are better for monetization. Why? Because there’s more room for ads.
While I agree with that – more ads can lead to more revenue – you still need people to watch your video in the first place. To make that happen, you need high-quality content; the type of content you make will often dictate the length.
If you’re making an in-depth guide that shows the viewer how to use your product, you’ll want to make a longer video. On the other hand, Shorts are typically used to drive brand awareness.
Check out the above challenge by Glossier. It’s a perfect example of a quirky video designed to get the brand name Glossier in front of more people.
User Demographics
YouTube’s largest share of viewers comes from people aged between 25 and 34 (they make up over 20% of the social media platform’s global audience). So far, there’s no concrete demographic data for Shorts, but TikTok, the platform Shorts was set up to rival, is a fair comparison.
On TikTok, the biggest user group in the US and UK is aged between 10 and 25 years old. Clearly, a much younger audience; I will assume it’s a similar story for Shorts.
YouTube Shorts (and TikTok) videos are much more playful and entertaining. They’re heavy on competitions, challenges, and skits to engage this younger audience.
Create A YouTube Exclusive Offer Or Lead Magnet To Promote During Your Videos
The next step is getting people from YouTube to your website. In my experience, this is where businesses make most of their money. To do this, you’ll need to create a YouTube marketing funnel. You can find out exactly what that is and how it works by following the link.
First, you need to create a lead magnet; this is valuable content that users can get in return for their contact information. Once you have that (an email address, for example), the lead becomes warmer and easier to sell to.
Typical examples of lead magnets include:
- In-depth guides
- eBooks
- Free web courses
- Quizzes
- Digital tools or calculators (for example, HubSpot’s website grader)
- Case studies
- Checklists and online resources
Next step: getting the viewer from a video to your website. To do this, include multiple CTAs in your video. It must be clear and easy to follow. First, explain your lead capture and how it will help the viewer. Secondly, tell them how to get it. For example, “Hit the link in the description to get your free eBook.”
Lastly, You’ll also need to set up a landing page to funnel your YouTube watchers where you can capture their user data with a form to access your lead magnet.
YouTube SEO Basics
I will only go into a little detail about YouTube SEO because we’ve covered it in-depth before. But if you’re serious about making money on YouTube, I’d recommend you read that blog in detail before making your first video.
Whether it’s YouTube or Google search results, the point of SEO is to drive traffic. To do that, you need to game the system and make it work for you.
At first glance, YouTube SEO is similar to general SEO. You need to research keywords, gauge search intent for keywords and terms, and then create content that matches those keywords and terms. It helps to include keywords in the video title, video description, and subtitles for your content.
Now, for the other part. YouTube’s algorithm rewards channels that keep people on the platform. That is YouTube’s ultimate goal, after all. The longer people watch your content, the harder YouTube will push your videos in its search results. We call this audience retention; you can learn about it in this expert guide.
5 Ways To Promote Your YouTube Video
I like to call YouTube a “chicken and egg” platform. To do well on the social media platform, YouTube must collect preliminary data from your content.
In other words, if no one’s watched your video, the YouTube algorithm can’t push your content. To get around this, you must promote your YouTube channel in a certain way. Get those early views, and YouTube can begin to push your content in the YouTube search results.
Here are five ways to do that:
1. YouTube Ads
Put some paid adverting spend behind your video ads and push them out to your target audience. YouTube advertising allows you to target people already on YouTube and, therefore, people who can easily get to your channel. Keep an eye on YouTube analytics to see which video ads are performing the best.
2. Email Your Existing Customers
Emailing your customers when you post a new YouTube video is a no-brainer. We do this every time we launch a new video. It’s a super simple way to get those early views and, in my opinion, one of the most effective. I like to use the AIDA copywriting system to encourage clicks. Here’s how it works:
- Attention: Grab the readers’ interest with a catchy headline
- Interest: Explain how your video can help them in some way
- Desire: Employ storytelling to persuade them that this video is going to change their lives (concerning your product, at least)
- Action: Use a clear call to action to tell them what to do next – for example, “Watch Video!”
3. Send Push Notifications To Your Channel Subscribers
Every video you make should prompt viewers to subscribe to your channel; this is the first step to building a following. Then, whenever you post a new video, you can alert your existing subscribers. Like email, this is a simple way to direct viewers to your new content.
4. Embed Videos Onto Your Website And Blog
I like to embed videos on as many web pages as possible, particularly blog posts. Number one, it breaks up the text and makes the pages look more visually engaging. Number two, it drives views to our YouTube channel. Number three, videos help keep people browsing for longer, boosting our website’s SEO. YouTube provides an easy-to-use embed code.
5. Post An Announcement On Social Media
Social media posting shares the same principle as email and push notifications. Promoting your content across many channels is important to hoover up as many views as possible. Some people will follow you on social media but won’t be subscribed to your mailing list. For social, it’s important to link to your video AFTER the post in the comments section; this will help you generate more organic visibility.
Partner With YouTube Influencers
If done right, influencer marketing works like a YouTube cheat code. You can avoid manually distributing your videos by partnering with an influencer with their own in-built audience and following.
That said, influencer marketing can be challenging. First, you need to find an influencer or micro-influencer (someone with under 10,000 followers, often local to your business) that works in your niche. Finding any type of influencer for a fashion brand won’t be a problem. It might be more of a challenge if you sell and install security systems. I use BuzzSumo to find influencers in all niches.
Next, you must strike up a partnership that works for both parties. Your agreement could be a review in exchange for one of your products, it could be a one-off payment, or it could be a sponsorship-type deal. Either way, it is unlikely to be free.
In my experience, the pros usually outweigh the cons. As I said earlier, using an influencer allows you to tap into a ready-made audience. It also gives your brand credibility and social proof – if a trusted influencer vouches for your brand, their followers will likely do the same.
Here are a few ways I’ve used influencer marketing in the past:
- Brand awareness: Sponsor a series of content or an event for brand exposure
- Lead generation and sales: Use an affiliate model where the influencer is paid per click
Final Thoughts On YouTube Marketing
That’s it. Everything I’ve learned about YouTube over the last eight years.
I want to stress that these ideas have led to YouTube marketing success for us, and they can work for you too. All you need to do is open an account and start creating content. As Mr. Beast says, there’s never been a better time to start making content.
Get started with our FREE trial. For seven days, you can create as many YouTube videos as you want without spending a penny!
FAQs
How Does YouTube Do Marketing?
YouTube does marketing through SEO, paid advertising, and video marketing.
Is YouTube Marketing Worth It?
Yes, YouTube marketing is worth it. As I have explained in this article, anyone can use it to create videos, publish videos, build brand awareness, drive sales, and retain customers.
Can You Pay For YouTube Marketing?
You can pay for YouTube ads, but most YouTube marketing tools within the platform are free to use, such as YouTube analytics. You can also pay an agency or YouTube studio to run your YouTube strategy.
How Do I Approach YouTubers For Marketing?
Create a channel and use the YouTube marketing tools and ideas I have written about above. Once your page is complete, send the YouTuber a private message and ask if they’d like to collaborate.
What Are The Disadvantages Of YouTube Marketing?
There are no disadvantages to a YouTube marketing strategy. It is one of the largest search engines in the world.
