How YouTube can be used to promote your business

by sweta on July 23rd, 2010 4

Just like Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites have now become the part of our daily schedules, my free hours are often spent laughing hysterically at the funny videos or watching music albums on YouTube. The Google owned video streaming portal is one interesting and mammoth assortment of the versatile videos that certainly are way more than just a source for some real life gags or viral video sensations. YouTube carries great business prospects that still remain unexplored by many. Think of more than 100 million videos viewed each day with tens of millions of unique visitors, YouTube offers the perfect opportunity for businesses to capitalize on, giving new dimensions to the way they can market their products and services.

So how can we integrate YouTube in our business practices? The question has been answered in various forums and blogs on the web bringing to light the immense potential of the video streaming site following the three Es of the social media world, Educate, Entertain and Engage. So lets plunge deeper into the secrets or aspects that you may have ignored about YouTube, but can boost up the performance of your business taking you and your venture onto new heights. The videos that you may post on YouTube will largely fall under the three main categories of sharing knowledge, marketing the business and providing customer services with the miscellaneous covered at the end.

Informing and sharing knowledge:

1.) Frame out a short clipping giving an insight into your business, your missions and visions with a quick gist of what your company does.

2.) The executive presentations that involve discussions about the company future plans, work progress, or past profits and losses, employee performances and so on, can all be video taped and broadcasted on YouTube for the people seated in remote offices to also become a part of what happens at the headquarters.

3.) You can also transform your podcasts into a YouTube video, thus reaching even more customers.

4.) Interviews with the industry experts sharing their experiences and giving expert remarks will also boost up your employees as well keep your audiences engaged.

5.) You can also provide valuable tips through videos and upload those on the site.

6.) Another ways is to frame out research reports on your business area and then making a video presentation on it to make it more appealing.

Marketing:

1.) Start by setting up a channel that well potrays your brand updating it with the latest events surrounding your company. The username must be chosen cleverly as well that blends perfectly with your brand.

2.) For more people to know about your channel, spread the word around by including the links on your official website, blogs as well in your profiles at various social networking sites.

3.) Give your videos an appeal in a way that even a short clip well demonstrates your products and services.

4.) Don’t be too monotonous to just fill in some moving pictures or a company official giving elaborated speech over what you have for the customers. Show how your product works in real, show what people are talking about your services and what impact your product has on the market.

5.) You can purchase a keyword, and your video will come up first when someone searches for it (a lot like Google AdWords)

6.) Broadcast the different events whether seminars, awards or even celebrations to give viewers a look into the culture of the organization.

7.) You must have seen videos on the Google offices in different regions of the country. Shoot such videos, tour around in the office and upload them on your channel. It will keep you connected with the others as well the customers.

8.) You must also interact with the YouTube community leaving your views and video responses on the topics that match your industry and business. Encourage feedback and reviews and build relationships to cross-sell products and services.

Customer Services:

It really becomes hectic at some moments to answer every enquiry on your help desks or respond separately to same iterating problems again and again. YouTube here provides the maximum output to your hard inputs becoming one amazing stress buster without compromising your customer services. How? Read on.

1.) Make and upload “how to” videos on YouTube explaining how customers can use and explore your services and products.

2.) Place yourself in the customer boots, frame out queries that you may have while using the product and then make videos answering the probable doubts. Its interesting for both the company as well the customer.

3.) Find the reiterating issues and problems and provide solutions in the videos.

4.) Stay connected and keep updating your YouTube section to avoid the impression of not being serious about the customers satisfaction.

The points above comply with the business needs of product based companies and may well be kept in mind to market your brand in a way that it reaches the maximum audience thus favoring your growth and credibility. There are some other ways too YouTube can be exploited in a good way to reap profits.

Selling Product Placement

YouTube has become rather strict in this area warning users not to include commercial messages in their supposedly amateur videos. But abiding by the YouTube regulations, you may benefit from selling product placements. When reviewing a product do state a disclaimer in your review as to whether you are paid or have been offered a free trial by the company. Also be a little careful in including the third-party content in such videos as that may upset your sponsor or attract infringement claims.

Earn using Google AdSense

That’s usually what all the sites do and your YouTube Channel or a website too can make some earnings by selling ads around embedded YouTube videos. Keep your videos interesting to have more traffic on your site that will in return also increase the probability of the more click-throughs on the content targeted ads you place on your site.

So we see how YouTube serves the businesses best helping them from building brand to marketing and then keeping up the good name in the market. Especially if you run a small business with limitations on storage and bandwidth, having YouTube host your videos can be a real cost saver. YouTube also offers the analytics, demographics and conversion rate information thus helping you to keep track of your performance. Its simple and fruitful. As Michael Miller, author of ‘YouTube For Business’ says in his book, “You can reach tens of millions of people with online videos, and it costs absolutely nothing to put them up. All it takes is a video camera and a plan.”