Let’s first start with why your small business needs a YouTube channel.
People are steering towards visual advertising, usually in the form of videos! The majority of social media now uses some video format — IGTV, Facebook, Twitter. When you post your videos onto YouTube you can easily link and embed them onto your other social media.
It doesn’t matter what age group your audience is — most of the time, they will want to watch a short video rather than read a paragraph.
Don’t underestimate the free advertisement! YouTube is a free platform and, therefore, you can advertise your products/services for very low CPM. With the invention of the smartphone anyone can start making YouTube videos.
You don’t need the fancy lighting equipment, DSLR cameras, or expensive audio mics. All you need is some natural light, your phone, a quiet space and some ideas.
YouTube videos are a great way to get more traffic to your website and social media as well. You can even see how much Google supports small businesses here.
If you have an online business, it will help show off your products and services easier, so that your customers are not quite as wary of buying online. If you have a local business, you can now create buzz for your company easier as well as adding the videos into your sales pitch.
Are you still unsure of whether YouTube is a good idea? Let’s look at some examples of how successful some businesses can be on YouTube.
Check out the HVACbillionare YouTube channel. He makes videos about his small business and does a great job engaging his community.
Do you have a successful business but still a small marketing team and budget? Don’t worry, you could be just like Mr. Fix-All Inc, who was only a handyman and now has a huge following. Or like Royalty Soaps, who is a 23-year-old entrepreneur who creates and sells soap.
Think your business might not be as interesting? Think again — this company that sells organs of the musical variety even gets in on the YouTube action.
Want to watch how even bigger brand names do it? See Target, Starbucks, Lowe’s and Home Depot.
Confused about what videos you could produce for your channel?
Here are some ideas for things to do:
- Sharing new products
- A day in the life of your product or service (behind the scenes)
- Tips and tricks to use your products/or services
- Testimonials from your customers
- Product comparisons
- Special offers/sales
- An "about us" showing the history of your company and why you do what you do, as well as key employees so that people can put faces to the names
Also, here are some don’ts for your new channel:
- Don’t worry about "likes or dislikes" or comments. The community on YouTube sometimes steers towards the negative and you can flag inappropriate things.
- Don’t change up your brand — stick to the same types of videos/locations/topics
- Don’t film in portrait mode — you have to film in landscape mode. Trust me.
- Don’t forget to post those videos everywhere on social media and your website.
Social media is evolving, and in order to properly advertise your business, you can keep evolving as well.
Don’t worry about making the videos perfect — people don’t expect movie quality on YouTube. They want good content and information to help them make decisions.
