YouTube has statistics very similar to Facebook. They have one billion active users every month, which is about one out of every two people on the internet. People search YouTube for entertainment and educational purposes. This means businesses can easily get in front of their audience with a simple YouTube channel or some videos that demonstrate how to use their products, or what their services can do for their clients.
Using YouTube
So how do you use YouTube? Let’s look at a few key points when it comes to posting videos on YouTube before you get started.
Length of Videos
YouTube lets you record videos up to fifteen minutes by default. If you want to make a longer video, you can visit the upload page and click on the ‘increase your limit’ option. YouTube prompts you to verify your account using a cell phone. Be sure your browser’s up to date, so you’re able to upload the larger files. A longer video isn’t necessarily better, though.
If you’re focused on educational content, then it might be hard to fit it all into a few minutes; however, the most viewed videos tend to be less than five minutes. Therefore, don’t be afraid to start your experience on YouTube with some small, snappy videos instead of waiting until you have the time to make longer ones.
Video Types
When you’re making a video on YouTube, it’s imperative you focus on the content your clients, customers, and fans are looking to view. This means your videos have to be oriented toward serving their needs. When was the last time you called your friend and told them to watch the Home Shopping Network? Videos that look like an infomercial are less likely to be shared with others.
Providing information and tips people can use for their business or personal use will increase the likelihood of your video being shared. Position yourself as an expert in your niche and use YouTube as your long-term public relations strategy instead of just working on a sale.
Aside from offering tactics and tips, YouTube’s a great place to upload some client testimonials. Written testimonials are tricky, and it’s hard to determine if the testimonial was made by a real person.
Equipment
You can use a flip cam or a webcam to start if you’re on a limited budget. Be sure you use bright, natural lighting on your face, record in a quiet room and use headphones to reduce background noises.
Signing Up
To sign up for YouTube, you can sign in with an existing Gmail account if you have one. This integrates well with Google+ and lets you use Google hangouts. You can also sign up with any other existing email address.
When you select your username and your channel name, be sure you use your business name or a specific keyword or phrase pertaining to your industry. You should include the URL for your channel in your marketing materials. Be sure you add a channel description and trailer to help people understand what the channel is about, and what you should expect.
To optimize your profile on YouTube, be sure you include your website URL at the beginning of the video description and the About Us section of your profile. If you put this at the bottom of the description, fewer people are going to see it because they will need to click on the ‘more’ button to read the rest of the description for the video.
Images and Colors
In the channel settings, under the appearances tab, you can choose your background color and image. A graphic designer is a good person to hire for this to adapt your logo and other images central to your business for the background. Choose a color that matches your company’s colors. In addition to selecting the background image or colors, you should customize your layout in the featured link. The tabs section will let you determine how the channel is going to show up for others, so be sure to look at the different options and choose the one you’d prefer.
Editing
YouTube has some great editing features to improve videos in the ‘edit video’ mode. Enhancements will let you improve your video quality using the auto-fix feature, play with lighting, change the style of your video, blur faces, and correct shakiness with the stabilizer feature. You can use the annotations to add links to channels, videos, and playlists, or even prompt viewers to subscribe to the video. In addition, you can add some royalty-free music to your videos, or splice clips from multiple videos in the video editor section.
Last word
The video title is a headline for your video, so it should be compelling and descriptive. Make sure you have keywords in the first two sentences of your description so people searching for that specific information can find it. Google and Bing will search the first few sentences of your description for relevant words.
