How to Increase Web Traffic using YouTube

YouTube for Business – Watch & Learn

In 2012, online video was the fastest growing ad format with nearly 55% growth. It’s popular because customers love getting their information this way, preferring to research products online before making instore purchases.

In fact, according to Internet Retailer, over half of consumers say that watching product videos makes them much more confident in their online buying decisions. Where videos are available, 60% of customers will watch them, and those customers who do, are exponentially more likely to add to their cart.

According to Marketing Week, video can also help you to appear higher in search results, with over 70% of the top 100 listings being video content.

So, if online video is so powerful in influencing consumers buying decisions, where’s your Youtube channel?

YouTube isn’t just a bunch of funny animal virals. It’s become one of the most loved and used social media channels – and by default, has also become the world’s second biggest search engine.

It’s an incredibly cost-effective platform for business. Though, with millions upon millions of videos, you need to know how to get stand out and how to direct your audience to where you want them to be.

Ultimately, the success of your video content comes down to watchability – if it’s interesting and engaging, people will share it and that’s how it becomes viral. But there are things you can do to boost your viewing chances:

Spread the word

Making your video available in more places means there’s more opportunities for it to be viewed. Embedding your video wherever you can, on your website and your blog and encourage others to do the same – ask relevant third parties to feature it and submit it to sharing sites. Creating backlinks in this way also increases your search engine prioritisation which further enhances your chances.

Get interactive

Comments and clicks will help your video to perform better in the rankings. So encourage people to comment or ask questions, and actively answer them – starting and maintaining a conversation has benefits beyond helping your content to be seen by more people.

Joining in that conversation is also a great way to keep the conversation going and keep people coming back for more. You’ll also be able to position yourself as a brand ambassador, police any negativity and turn it into a positive, and encourage more comments.

Secure Subscribers

Just ask! Provide a call to action within the video or in your captions and give the viewer a good reason why they should sign up for more. You can also embed a subscription widget on your site or blog.

Meet people where they are

Be relevant. Be timely. Talk to people about the things they’re talking about. It makes sense to create content around the big news, sporting events or seasons.

Because people will be looking for that information, and if they can get it from you, even better.

Short is Sweet

Short and snappy is the best way to get started. Say what you have to say and keep it interesting and relevant. Four to five minutes is a very long time in video, unless you have something really compelling to say. So don’t allow your production to be led by timing – make the content king.

This time it’s personal

Personal recommendations are highly effective in every part of business – online and offline. Ask friends to share your videos, ask for their genuine opinions - authentic recommendations are priceless in driving virality.

Maximising your YouTube presence can go a long way to maximising your potential. If you’re still not sure about how best to manage your social media strategy to benefit your bottom line over the longer term, talk to us today!