Almost 80% (which is over 1,000 million) of all Internet users in the United States watch over six billion hours worth of video on YouTube, according to Social Bakers. YouTube is a must for businesses and brands that want to share stories and for marketers who want to get some traffic to their web pages. It’s also great for a business that wants to communicate with impact and to generate leads to build their business.
For businesses today, it’s all about “Don’t just say it; show it”. YouTube allows you to do just that. Millions of users subscribe to their favorite YouTube brands, celebrities, and channels every day. Every subscription is a vote of commitment from users to those respective YouTube channels.
To begin, you will need to set up a YouTube channel as your business. Your goal is to then use the power of video and the strength of the community to help grow your business. If you’re not sure if YouTube really applies to your company, keep reading.
Here are some reasons why you should be using YouTube for your business:
Video leads to high engagement
According to CNET, more than 100 million users engage with the videos they watch on YouTube in some way or form. This means that they like, comment, and share videos. On repeat engagement, they even subscribe to channels to make sure they don’t miss out on new video updates.
User engagement is the precursor to the high-interest customer base for your business. The more engaging your videos and YouTube channel is, the more potential and existing customers tend to recall your brand. They will also trust your communication and feel more comfortable to spend (when they are ready to spend).
Improved conversion rates
Christine Austin of Impactbnd said that over 52% of consumers who watched product videos stated that they are more confident about their impending purchase decisions. Businesses that use video for marketing report more than 72% improvement in conversion rates.
In essence, most of the time the sale is already done while your prospects watch your videos. By the time they decide on a purchase, they are already sold. All you have to do is to have a way for them to make the purchase. Be it an e-commerce store, an appointment, a phone call, an in-person visit, or whatever services that your company offers.
Make those messages stick
More than 95% of viewers retain messages better when they watch a video (compared to only 10% retention with text). When you start communicating with your customer base with videos, they’ll remember your messages longer. The impact you’ll be making is undeniably impactful. This leads to a better brand recall, more confidence in your brand, and higher sales, compared to not using video.
Active video views and increasing subscriptions, watch time, retention, and engagement are all signs that you are doing well. The content you drip out, the engagement you brew up, and the overall activity on your YouTube channel are all proof that you are getting close to doing well with your marketing.
By 2019, 80% of all global Internet traffic (and 85% of all United States Internet Traffic) will find its way to video, according to Cisco.
From videos to sales
Let’s say, as a business, you care less about branding, engagement, user retention, and video views. If all you cared about was lead generation and sales, a video will still be powerful as a part of your digital marketing strategy. With tools — like Wistia’s Turnstile — you can let viewers watch a video and sign up as leads. Another idea would be to showcase or demonstrate your products or services and have them click right through to make direct transactions with your business.
Persuasion is a major requirement for effective and sustainable sales. Videos fill in the gap by allowing you to persuade, influence, and sell at a scale that was unthinkable just a few years ago.
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