Wednesday 21 December 2011

Tips For Using YouTube For Business


YouTube is the world's largest video sharing platform that generates more than 3 billion views every day. In fact, over 35 hours of footage is uploaded to YouTube every hour. Yet despite these unbelievable user statistics, businesses still are not utilizing the benefits of video marketing enough. The majority of people would rather learn about a product or service through a video than text. The fact that videos produce unique content help them in the search engine rankings. The most recent Google Panda Update showed that websites utilizing video ranked higher than those using text. There are numerous other examples that show this as well, but the bottom line is that using videos and promoting through social media is a viable marketing option for your business. With that in mind, here are 5 tips for using YouTube for business:
Using YouTube for Business | Tip 1- Virtual Tour
If you are a brick and mortar business, then one of the best ways to use YouTube for business is to provide a virtual tour of your office. I was surprised recently to find how well this actually worked on me. I was looking for a Chiropractor and researched a couple of sites. Ultimately, the Doctor I chose was the one who have a video tour of his office. It started at the front, went through the waiting area to the adjustment room. I was able to see the adjustment table and a demonstration of what treatment would look like. With all that information, his clinic stood out from all the others and I was able to make a decision to use his services prior to meeting him. Providing people with an experience of what it's like to use your services prior to contacting you will allow you to stand out from the competition.
Using YouTube for Business | Tip 2- Video FAQs
What are the top 10 most frequently asked questions of your business? If you know what questions your customers have, then why not use YouTube for your business to address them in advance on your website? While text is an easy way to do this, using a video to answer the questions yourself is much more powerful. There is increased value to receiving information from a person while looking at them as compared to receiving information via the written word. With a blog, you never know if the expert is really writing it or if it's just one of their interns. But with video, the user knows who is telling them the information and it adds credibility to your answers.
Using YouTube for Business | Tip 3- Testimonials
We've all seen testimonials like this: "This was the greatest product in the world!" Chris S.- Phoenix. Do you really believe this testimonial? You can use YouTube for business to create a far more effective testimonial, which is one that has a video of the person professing his or her positive experience of your product or service. I was recently looking for a Realtor and while researching, I found one who had over 10 video testimonials detailing their positive experiences. These video testimonials absolutely influenced by decision to use her as my Realtor. Anyone can put up text, but a video from someone is very authentic and far more beneficial.
Using YouTube for Business | Tip 4- How to's
Businesses that solve problems make profits. The bigger the problem you solve, the more money you make. One of the best ways to detail how to solve problems is to provide demonstrations. Video demonstrations are far more effective a way to show people how to do something than screen shots and text. For example, I was recently researching how to make minor repairs to my car. I made the changes and everything worked well. 3 weeks later, my brakes started squealing. When this happened, I remembered the company that gave me good tips and took my car to their service station. Had they not shown me how to perform something simple, I probably would not have gone to them for something more complex. Giving away knowledge via video is a great way to establish yourself as an expert.
Using YouTube for Business | Tip 5- Product Demonstration
If you have a specific product your are selling the you can use YouTube to demonstrate how the product works. Words tell but video sells. Using YouTube for business product demonstrations will give the user the first hand experience of how your product will benefit them. For example, Social Media in 7 Minutes has a software tool called the 7 Minute Dashboard. This tool allows you to manage all of your social media accounts from just one location. However, when you read the bullet points of what it does, the product loses its luster. But when you watch their demonstration video (here's the example) it really shows you the benefits of their product and how simple it is to use.
Using YouTube for Business | Conclusion
Using YouTube for business promotions makes sense. People are visual learners. Video allows the best media for explaining, demonstrating, and answering questions. By providing a virtual tour, answering questions, sharing testimonials, and providing demonstrations, you will be building tremendous rapport and establishing credibility with your customers prior to ever meeting them! Your company cannot afford to go without using YouTube for business any longer.

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