YouTube, the online video-sharing monolith that has over one billion users worldwide, is leveraged for an infinite number of promotional purposes. Large corporations often use YouTube’s platform to share shocking or sentimental commercials that are intended to “go viral” and attract astoundingly high numbers of views. By doing this, they effectively make millions of people aware of their brand and etch their names in people’s minds. But how would YouTube work for small, local businesses that don’t have a national, built-in audience? Is it a worthwhile platform for them? We’ll find out in this edition of “Prospect Genius Reviews…”
The unofficial mantra of online advertisers is, “Content is king.” This is true whether you’re advertising for a national corporation or a local service provider. You can never have enough high-quality content. Not only does updated, informative content prove your expertise to prospective customers, but it also works to satisfy Google’s algorithm, which heavily weights relevant content. That’s why we’re always pushing our clients to keep a regularly updated blog. And if you think of YouTube videos as an extension of your blog, you’ll see their potential benefits: They demonstrate your expertise, showcase your personality, and provide you with valuable content to promote. Thus, Prospect Genius reviews YouTube favorably for small businesses.
However, bear in mind that YouTube will only be an effective advertising tool for your local business if you use it correctly. You should approach your videos the same way you approach your blog, focusing them on narrow topics that will ultimately help your prospective customers. For instance, if you’re an appliance repairman, you might create a short video demonstrating how to tell if your garbage disposal is clogged. Or, if you’re a car audio specialist, you might film yourself comparing the sound quality of two or three speaker brands. Since you’re the expert in your field, the possibilities are endless.
When you use your YouTube videos to provide tangible value to your customers, they will view you as the authority you are. In an article for Street Fight, Charlie Rall writes, “You want your customers to be engaged and have a positive emotion towards your brand at the end of the video.” When they feel good about your company, they’ll be more motivated to keep you in mind for future business.
Chris Silver Smith of Search Engine Land adds to this idea, stating, “These ‘public service’ sorts of videos may train consumers in how to be more discerning and, in the process, train them to choose you instead of your competition.”
But YouTube videos also appeal to Google as much as they do to people, and that’s not just because Google owns YouTube. Videos are the perfect thing to share on social media, and increased social signals may boost your local search rankings. Plus, as the experts at Webtegrity.com note, if your website has a video, visitors are likely to stay on your site for an additional 30 seconds to 2 minutes. This further ramps up your Quality Score with Google and gives your local search rankings another boost.
In all, the time it takes to produce a two-minute video and upload it to YouTube is well worth the benefits you’ll receive.
Stay tuned for the next edition of “Prospect Genius Reviews…,” where we’ll take a look at how Yext works as a lead generation tool for local businesses.
