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Companies, You Too Can YouTube



We’ve all fallen into a YouTube black hole. First you’re watching a tutorial on how to clean white canvas shoes, and next thing you know, three hours later you’re watching a woman in Japan throw a birthday party for her five cats. How did this platform transform from videos like “Me at the zoo” to full-length productions?

Business News Daily gives some stats about the platform. YouTube was launched in 2005 and bought by Google in 2016, making it the world’s second largest search engine. Nearly 500 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube every minute! YouTube has launched several peoples’ careers in music, makeup, fashion and other industries. Businesses can also use YouTube to grow their fan base, educate their consumers about how to use a product, keep them updated about the launch of new products, go viral with a funny commercial, or even give an inside scoop into company culture. Nonprofits can also make use of YouTube, creating educational videos in support of their causes and showcasing the work they are accomplishing.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video is worth 1,000,000! YouTube is meant for longer, 3 to 5-minute videos, whereas 30-second to 1-minute videos are best suited for Facebook and Instagram. Some features of a YouTube account are: the ability to post videos, create playlists, subscribe to channels, interact in comments, and have ads play at the beginning, middle, or end of a video.

As previously mentioned, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine, which is why search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial to having your content appear at the top when consumers are looking for it (or even when they aren’t.) Make sure to choose to the correct keywords, ones that your consumers will use, not industry jargon.

YouTube allows you to pin a video at the top of your page that automatically plays when the page loads. I would recommend some sort of trailer letting the viewer know who you or your company are and what you’re about. You can also add your social media to your YouTube page for quick access. YouTube videos allow for longer engagement times, so show off your brand’s personality, creative side or humor.

Another tip for businesses on YouTube is to collaborate with influencers, people like PewDiePie, LaurDIY, Liza Koshy, and PointlessBlog. Sponsor one of their videos or send your products their way for a review. Be warned though, they should be fully transparent with their audience that they were sent these items or that the video is sponsored and be prepared for an honest review!

A quick list of things to avoid on YouTube are poor audio and video quality, infrequent uploads and not responding to comments on videos. I LOVE Jon Cozart, but his YouTube career lost momentum after only uploading an average of 3 videos a year.

Need some examples of successful business channels on YouTube? Gary Vaynerchuk grew his father’s liquor business with his YouTube show Wine Library TV, and he went on to launch his own communications company, VaynerX, and subsidiary VaynerMedia. A highly successful YouTube marketing campaign was Blendtec’s Will It Blend? where Tom Dickson demonstrates Blendtec’s powerful blender in an informercial-like parody by taking suggestions from fans to blend things like iPads, marbles, markers and a Thanksgiving meal. The Ellen Show, which originally airs on TV, has a thriving YouTube channel with 35.3 million subscribers.


Does it sound like your company could benefit from a YouTube channel? Check out this step-by-step guide from Sprout Social to get started! 

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