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5 Ways to Get Your Corporate Video Noticed On YouTube
YouTube is not just one of the biggest video sources on the Internet; it’s one of the biggest websites on Earth, and one seventh of the planet visits it every single day. That’s a huge resource for companies, but by the same token, it’s a tough site to get attention on with millions of minutes of video uploaded every day. How do you compete?
Disable Any Advertising Features
You generally only have five to ten seconds to capture your audience’s attention … but depending on what features you’ve enabled in your account, YouTube might burn those second on an ad it inserts before your video. Or it might insert a banner ad underneath, distracting your audience. You’re not using YouTube to promote someone else’s business; as much as possible, disable advertising and let your viewers focus on what you want to tell them.
Be Detailed In Your Metadata
If you’re using YouTube, remember that it’s a Google product. And Google loves nothing more than precisely classified content. So make a point of filling out every field with detailed information. Pick a handful of tags that make the most sense, and write up an accurate description with plenty of detail. If you’ve got an SEO expert, run your metadata by them and craft it as necessary. Similarly, choose the best possible thumbnail for your video. If it’s not particularly action-heavy, go with a close-up of a face. Humans have a deep-seated reaction to faces.
An important point: Don’t try to “game” Google. The company is very familiar with attempts to try and fool its algorithm, and much of what’s out there is little more than speculation. You can’t beat Google: Join it instead.
Use The Tools YouTube Provides
There are plenty of different tools you can use when you upload to YouTube, ranging from links in the description to detailed annotations you can put into your video. Annotations in particular are incredibly useful, as you can insert links, ask questions of your audience, and otherwise engage with them. It makes your video interactive and draw in viewers. And, of course, get them to share your video with their friends.
YouTube is powerful, but needs to be used correctly.
Put It On Social Media
One of the more useful functions of YouTube is that it interacts well with social media: In many cases all you need to do is insert the link into a post and it automatically puts the video on your webpage. That’s useful for more than just saving you time uploading a video; it also allows you to take the “friction” out of watching your video. Any webmaster will tell you that the more clicks it takes to get your audience to do something, the more reduced your audience will be. Posting to social media and having the video load there will allow your audience to watch with a minimum of clicking, and means you’ll get more attention.
Audience First, Audience Last, Audience Always
Finally, always keep in mind who you most want to watch this video. Whenever you’re faced with a question you’re not sure about the answer to, whether it’s a tag to use or which category to file your video in, ask yourself what your audience would look for. That’ll lead you to the right choice, every time.
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