Increase YouTube Video
Earlier this month I attended a Digital Hollywood panel devoted to building audiences and awareness on YouTube.
This is a very common topic here in Los Angeles. With film making, celebrities and the history of Hollywood permeating every corner of the city, we were the first region to truly embrace YouTube for what the platform could be – a way to entertain, educate, delight and shock audiences with amazing visual content.
So if this is a common topic, something Hollywood content creators and the marketers they work with should know inherently, why is it still on the Digital Hollywood agenda? Because no matter how great your content is, it means nothing if your content is not seen.
Almost the entire panel discussion, fueled by questions from the audience, focused on how to generate views of the variety of videos being uploaded every single day. There are hundreds of thousands of beautifully shot, high quality videos on YouTube that no one has ever seen. Why is that? Because the concept of if you place it here, the audience will come is antiquated and completely misleading, even for producers creating content featuring famous celebrities. The simple truth still stands, there is no such thing as great content, only seen content.
So how do YouTube video stars get their visibility? What makes one video go viral, while another video fails? Just like every other marketing and communications program, video programs need to be supported with paid, earned, owned and shared marketing programming.
In this session, the three top ways to ensure views of your YouTube videos are:
- Create relevant content – This may seem obvious but there are still a huge number of marketers creating aspirational content, or content meant to activate new fans, versus content meant to create actual audiences. In reality, content should be made for every touch point in the customer journey, but if you are on a limited budget or time, focus on creating content for the most active of your prospects and customers. Create content that these existing brand fans will enjoy and share with their friends and reap not only views of evangelism.
- Tag your content for search – When it comes to placing your content on YouTube, the description and keywords you use are just as important as the content itself. Utilize titles and descriptions to entice audiences to view your video. Include relevant keywords and well as real-time keywords, and while you don’t want to use an incorrect headline, writing a compelling, interesting headline will increase views dramatically.
- Pay to promote your video – If you spent money to create content, you have to use money to promote it. Videos should be promoted via earned, paid, owned and through partnerships. Smart brands are increasing impact of their content by increasing potential audiences.
- Paid promotion: To promote your YouTube videos there are two successful kinds of paid promotion that you can do. First, consider paid advertising across active social channels and via Google AdWords to help relevant audiences find you via search and social. Secondly, issue a press release to alert media outlets, bloggers and more that your video or video channels exist. Include a short summary of the types of content you include and, if possible, frequency of updates, to generate views
- Earned outreach: Don’t forget to alert your PR contacts of your new content marketing program. Media outlets are always looking for visual content to accompany industry pieces; let them know your channel may contain the content relevant to their readers.
- Owned channels: You have to tell people about your video; how else will they know your program exists? Promote your new YouTube content on your website, social channels, email signatures and intranets to increase views and shares of your content.
- Initiate partnerships: The single fastest way to increase the views of your YouTube videos is to ask likeminded, more famous YouTube personalities to share it for you. Yes, this may require an exchange of money but it works.
Leading marketers know that video is one of the top tools in today’s marketing arsenal. Not only are desktop and mobile video consumption rates through the roof, the medium is so impactful that within seconds it can build, and deepen the relationships between a brand and its customer. But first you have to distribute it.
What other ways are you finding success in promoting video content? Please let us know in the comments below.
