Reach Solutions
Nigel Black
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10 March 2023
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4 min. to read

How to make the most of YouTube and produce videos that resonate.

The value of video is indisputable, with people now watching an average of 22 hours of online video per week. And at the centre of all things video is YouTube, which is not only the world’s most popular video streaming service but the second most used search engine after Google.

That’s right – we’re not just watching clips of crazy cats or people falling over, we’re actively searching for information, recommendations, and help, for valuable content that guides our spending decisions. This means that there’s a real opportunity for small businesses to showcase their products and services using YouTube.

Think about it this way: someone has a need or a problem, and they search for a solution and discover your video, which links through to your website, which secures you a new customer.

Many businesses we speak to understand the value of video, but they’re daunted by the prospect of actually producing video content. To dispel doubts, we’ve pulled together a simple 5-step guide that will help you create valuable, shareable video content that will attract your kind of customers.

01 | Understand your customers’ needs

As always, start with your customers. Ask yourself: “What do they want to see?”, or more appropriately, “what would help them?”. You will already have a good idea based on the most common enquiries you receive, or popular search terms entered on your website. If you need further guidance then it doesn’t hurt to ask. Why not use your social media channels to gauge opinion on the types of videos your followers would like to see? A simple poll will help here. Longer term, you could ask the question as part of a customer survey.

02 | Address your customers’ needs

You can now begin to create a content plan based on the insight garnered. To address those common enquiries, how about a series of explainer videos that answer frequently asked questions? Helpful videos showing how to solve problems or complete jobs (using items you sell, of course!) will provide you with great, evergreen content. If you’re trying to highlight the benefits of something you offer, then why not consider a short testimonial video from “another satisfied customer”? Few things are more persuasive to a potential buyer.

03 | Create your content

Once you have your ideas for content, it’s time to take the plunge and start filming. Anyone can create videos these days, using just a mobile device and some low-cost or even free editing software (such as Apple’s popular imovie). And there are some simple steps you can take to make it look great – the most important one being to make sure you get the lighting right. Poor lighting will impact on the quality of your video. Consider buying a tripod with a light; such things can be picked up relatively cheaply nowadays.

04 | Share your content

Having created video content, many businesses stumble with this step, thinking it’s fine to whack on their website and leave it. For a start, you want to host it on YouTube rather than your website (where the size of videos could negatively impact page speed and performance). Once there, you should give it as much exposure as possible by sharing it in all the right places – social media channels, emails, blogs etc.

05 | Track views and engagement

As with any marketing exercise, you need to continually monitor the performance of your videos so you can measure whether they’re meeting your objectives. Track the number of overall views, obviously, but also take into consideration positive engagement in the form of likes, shares and comments on social. Your most popular content can be used to influence the video content you produce in the future.
 

We can help with all aspects of your video marketing strategy.

Our experienced video production team can create everything from a single clip to a complete video-led campaign. And we don’t just hand you a great video – we can also share it with the millions of people who visit our network of news sites and social media channels every month.

Plus, as part of our Make It Happen initiative, we’re currently giving you 33% OFF montage promotional videos! Made up of still images, a montage video is a professional way of promoting your business using video, yet right now they cost just £200. That’s a saving of £100.

To claim this limited time offer simply enter your details below.

Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 25th June 2023.

I'm interested in a £200 montage promotional video

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