How to Generate Attention on YouTube as a Small Business

The YouTube community accounts for two-thirds of the premium online videos watched on devices by millennials. Despite this, only nine percent of small businesses use the platform. However, for brands that do use YouTube, it has become a lucrative advertising channel. Plus, it brings with it the opportunity to target specific groups and interests.

Sometimes the success of a video can be somewhat of a surprise. That is viral content can capture the public’s imagination and hit the magic formula for getting shared across the world. A perfect example of a seemingly inconspicuous message is the ALS Charity Ice Bucket Challenge. This video raised £88 million in just a few short weeks.

Investing in content on social network such as YouTube has proven results. Social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk says that due to the advancements in competition on social media, every successful company must now also be a media company. This means that companies are now spending more time and money to put out great content in their feeds.

Creating compelling content for YouTube is, of course, a goal for many SMEs. Naturally, they want a share of that viral magic for their own businesses. In this article, we list a few top tips for YouTube success that any SME can utilize for their own brand.

 

Understand What Your Customers Are Looking For

You should always develop YouTube content to appeal to the target demographic of the company producing it. Irrelevant or gimmicky content that has little to do with the company’s products or image is unlikely to prove successful.

US toy firm Hot Wheels has found a way to use YouTube to grab kids’ attention. They thereby, market successfully in a very crowded marketplace. Hot Wheels’ videos show action-packed footage of its toy cars racing in realistic competitions. Their videos instantly convey the thrills and excitement of these toys. It’s not particularly sophisticated, but it’s certainly effective.

 

Highlight Your Unique Selling Point

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best. Hebridean whisky distillery Lagavulin demonstrated this brilliantly with its Christmas YouTube campaign. The firm hired actor and comedian Nick Offerman to star in a 45-minute video. In the video, he does nothing but sit in a comfortable armchair in front of an open fire drinking whisky. No words are spoken, but the atmosphere is superb. What’s more, the message—that you can’t hurry a good whisky—is made abundantly clear.

The company repeated this tactic over the 2016 festive period. Again, Nick Offerman appeared for the whiskey company in an hour-long countdown to the new year, to great effect!

It’s a basic marketing principle.  Consumers like brands that they perceive hold values similar to their own. Lagavulin worked on that principle with this video. That is, they created content that whisky lovers could relate to personally. SME’s that are looking for YouTube success will need to find their own unique connections with their customers.

 

Demonstrate Your Products’ Abilities

A superb example of using videos for product demonstration is CAT, the heavy plant manufacturer. CAT has produced a video that shows mini-diggers playing Jenga, as well as machines carefully moving around a china shop, among other activities.

This video is just one in a series of Youtube hits that form part of CAT’s #BuiltForIt campaign. The campaign highlights the precision handling, maneuverability, and strength of the company’s product range in a fun and engaging way.

 

Answer Your Customers’ Questions

A good example of how YouTube can be used to answer common customer questions is Vape Club. Vaping is a fairly new phenomenon. Moreover, many new products appear on the market all the time. This means that there is a constant stream of questions coming from both existing customers as well people interested in trying e-liquids for the first time.

Vape Club saw an opportunity to position itself on YouTube as experts in this field by producing videos that answer those common vaping questions. You could easily replicate their method by using a simple free tool called “Answer the Public.” This tool allows the user to further home in on the core questions others are asking within their niche.

Vape Club produced the first-ever video guide for e-liquids. They called it “A Beginner’s Guide to Vaping.” The video provides simple and easy-to-understand answers to typical questions asked by those new to vaping. People have watched the video more than 1 million times. Moreover, it directs more than 2,200 visitors to the Vape Club website every day. Clearly, that one YouTube video is an investment that has paid off handsomely. What’s more, it is one that can inspire other SME’s.

 

Tap into Your Target Audience’s Interests

It’s also important to keep abreast of news, trends, and events that might be of interest to your target audience. Tapping into the latest celebrity news or happening can be a great way to create a YouTube buzz around your own brand. If you’re aware of what your target demographic is following and talking about, you can present yourself as being 100% in tune with their needs and interests.

Your first YouTube video is unlikely to be an instant success, but perseverance is key. If you keep a tight focus and produce regular high quality content, your audience will soon grow. YouTube videos don’t have to be highly polished, professionally produced masterpieces. However, they do need to be interesting and relevant to your target audience. Moreover, anyone can produce a viral hit, with potentially huge rewards for online success. For SME’s looking for a low-cost marketing opportunity, YouTube certainly has to be worth a try.

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