Should Your Company Be Using YouTube for Marketing?

Has the thought, "Everybody else is doing it" crossed your mind?  After all, millions of people view something on YouTube every day.  Are you missing out if you don't YouTube, too?

How do I start?

Once you've made the decision to dive into video marketing, you need to plan what you wish to communicate and the format you wish to present it in.  Some common formats include:

How Your Product Works

If your company makes or sells a product, you need a video demonstrating it being used.  At the end of the video, invite potential new customers to visit your website. Note that you cannot "link" customers to a YouTube video; you have to embed the URL in the presentation instead.

How-To Do Something

One way to offer a series of videos is to prepare short how-to videos on each aspect of your product or on each product you offer. Simple searches in YouTube may give you some ideas. Try the following:

• Do you sell real estate?  Search "real estate for sale."
• Are you an artist?  Show your skill by making a "How to Draw _______" video. Example: How to Draw a Realistic Eye
• Do you manufacture something?  Show "How it's made."
• Are you a computer product expert?  Share "how to" instructions on the more difficult aspects of using a popular software, i.e., Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, InDesign, Illustrator, etc.

Be sure your video leads users back to your website!

Video Tutorials

If your product requires "some assembly," put together a video tutorial on the assembly process.  Visual learners benefit greatly from video tutorials.

Informational

Use informational videos to:

• highlight construction or design details in your products,
• take potential customers on a walk-through of how your product is built;
• emphasize why customers would want to work with your company,
• emphasize items of interest to a particular industry, or
• inform your customers of new products or regulatory changes that would be of interest to them.

Video Tours

Would customers find it interesting to take a video tour of your facility (search YouTube for "tour of [your field]").

Service Videos

Service businesses are now using YouTube marketing to discuss services they offer or to take clients on video tours of their facilities. Just be creative about the visual elements you choose.  Search YouTube for "tour of law firm" for ideas.

Educational

Educational videos usually adopt a step-by-step, "how-to" format. People don't like to be "sold" something, but they generally appreciate being "informed," so keep an educational tone to your presentation.  During this educational video, mention (at an appropriate point) that you are using product [X] (which is of course your product) because [X] is the absolute best product on the market for this particular task.

Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials lend credibility and should be posted on your company website as well as YouTube.  Click here to see an example of a customer testimonial from our YouTube space.

Which Should I Use?

Your choice of the above formats will depend on the message you want to communicate, your company's reputation, and your personal style.

We Can Help!

Still can't see the video vision for your company? No worries! YouTube specialists at Pro PR Marketing are available to help companies put together the perfect blend of marketing tools to win in today's social media arena.  Watch your ideas transform into strategies!   Click here to see examples from our YouTube space.  Visit our webpage today for information on all of our social media marketing tips.