Using YouTube in Your Marketing Strategy

If you haven’t yet incorporated YouTube into your marketing strategy, you should. The statistics are simply mind-numbing: 

• YouTube reaches more adults with buying power during prime time than cable advertising. 
• Over 90% of all adults report watching YouTube videos.
• 75% of adults watch on their mobile devices, and the average viewing session is 1 hour. 
• YouTube’s audience is an even split of male-female.

Whatever demographic group you’re trying to reach, they’re on YouTube. 

This is not an article about “How” to use YouTube in your marketing strategy. It is about “Why” you should consider using it. Let’s begin by seeing what you know – or by seeing what you think you do.

Test Your YouTube Awareness

Answer these questions. Each correct answer is worth 50 points.

1. What is the second biggest website?
2. What is the second biggest search engine? (Hint: Google is No. 1)

If you answered “YouTube” to both questions, you have 100 points! That wasn’t so hard.

3 Reasons for Using YouTube in Your Marketing Strategy

Don’t expect some complicated techno-jargon. These ideas are so simple even a caveman could figure them out.

1. The people you want to reach are already there. According to Marketing Insider Group, “YouTube is not showing signs of slowing down . . . People of all ages, from all over the world, love watching videos online.” 

Studies concede that a growing percentage of consumers of all ages would rather watch a video advertisement than a printed article (like the one you are reading right now). YouTube exceeded 1.5 billion active users per month in 2017. And, the average time per user is over one hour.

We realize that you are probably not trying to reach the world market. However, the sheer volume of YouTube viewers is a reasonable indicator that a fair share of your geographic market is among them.

1. If they don’t find your business, they may see your competitors’. Here’s an idea. Go check YouTube (AFTER YOU FINISH READING THIS!) and search for your competitors’ businesses. Then search for yours. If your competitors’ businesses are there but yours is not, it’s a good bet that you had better start thinking about using YouTube in your marketing strategy.
2. It’s FREE! We shouldn’t have to explain this one.

3 Achievable Goals Using YouTube in Your Marketing Strategy

Promoting your business on YouTube can make you a star. Before you know it, you’ll be more popular than the local news anchors. That’s actually part of what makes using YouTube so advantageous.

1. Connectivity. People see your face. They hear your voice. When they come to your store, they may be strangers to you, but they feel like they already know you.
2. Personality. It’s one thing to have personality come through in a blog post, but it’s really only a glimpse. The audio and video content makes you a real person, not the incarnation of a never-to-been-known ghostwriter.
3. Credibility. I know you, believe you and trust you. Knowing, believing, and trusting may be separate stepping-stones, but they are all on the same path heading in the same direction. As they watch and listen, they will perceive your expertise, and they will gravitate towards it.

3 Effective Ways for Using YouTube in Your Marketing Strategy

We could come up with a long list, but our purpose here is to light a fire under your creative juices until they really get bubbling.

• Educate. YouTube presents a perfect opportunity to educate viewers with how-to videos about purchasing or using your products. If a 30-second commercial isn’t adequate for getting your use benefits across, a YouTube video is ideal.
• Demonstrate. YouTube is the perfect place to showcase your products in action. Brochures can be informative, but they may also get misplaced or discarded. More people are convinced by experiential marketing. Think of the proverbial test drive. The brochure was beautiful, but the driving experience made the difference!

There is a true story about an appliance salesman who set up an operating washing machine in the middle of the showroom floor. No obvious electrical connect, source of water or drain. Because that model was operational, that’s the one everyone wanted to buy. (This was before computers and the internet were a twinkle in Bill Gates’ eye.) The concept still works.

• Advocate. Enlist some of your loyal customers to give testimonials about your brand of products. Just as importantly, have them talk about how wonderfully you and your entire staff have treated them. Create videos in your store or in the beautiful backyards you help create.

It’s estimated that by 2022, online videos will make up more than 82% of all consumer internet traffic — 15 times higher than it was in 2017. That’s important because video viewers retain 95% of the message in a video. Those two facts alone should convince most small business owners that using YouTube in your marketing strategy is something worth looking into.

We’re not just whistling “Dixie.” We’re here to help you become more successful in marketing your business. They don’t call us The Get Smart Group for nothing. Want some tips on how to improve your business this year? Schedule a FREE 30-minute marketing consultation today.