How to Run a Do-it-Yourself Campaign on YouTube

16th September 2014

Every year businesses will spend millions of pounds on television advertising alone. However, with increasingly decentralised audiences using multiple devices at home, a fantastic YouTube campaign can offer brands a noticeably cheaper advertising alternative- an alternative which could attract millions of consumers to your website in just a single day.

The first step for businesses should be creating a polished and well-structured DIY tutorial of your product in action. But this alone is not going to bring in big numbers of visitors. In order to engage viewers, these videos have to be of genuine use to your audience and of course, the marketing of your video content also has to be very carefully thought out.

We’ve compiled a list of Do’s and Don’ts as a basic guide to ensuring your YouTube campaign gets results. And of course, if you would like to see more on Hurricane Media’s Video Marketing work take a look at some of our testimonials or get in touch with us using the contact information below.

YouTube Do’s

Do make sure everything audiences need is there

Firstly, it’s important to view your company’s YouTube channel as a stand-alone destination for visitors. Click through rates from videos to websites sites are very low (less than 1%), and this means that your viewers need to see the complete product story from the very first glimpse of your channel. And, more importantly, they have to be able to find the information they need easily in order to maximise your chances of getting sales.

Do use relevant and timely content

Ensure that you are regularly adding videos to your YouTube channel, in order to attract returning visitors and establish your channel’s authority with SEO rankings. DIY video tutorials, in many cases, can be thought of as evergreen content (i.e. content that remains relevant and useful always). But, it’s also important not to forget to include timely content on your YouTube channel too. Seasonal content is a great example of this, e.g. during the summer months DIY videos of jobs around the garden will keep your channel relevant.

Do keep it audience focused, not corporate

 Every video that appears on your main YouTube channel must offer something to your viewers, but this needn’t be limited to purely informational content. Videos that entertain or make people laugh, whilst still being relevant to the rest of your video content, will reflect your company’s human side and will give your channel an authentic voice, which will in turn engage viewers and make them more likely to share your content.  

Do use tiered content

Referring to content as belonging to different ‘tiers,’ helps marketers segment which pieces of content appeal to which kind of customer at differing stages of the buying process. For example, a visitor who has never interacted with your brand before will most likely find it useful to have a brand introduction video as the first thing they see on your channel.

This introductory video should be short, punchy and relevant to their particular needs. The stages after this initial video should then gradually reveal more and more detail of your product as the viewer continues to surf your video channel. Videos that appear further down the sales funnel can also be less ‘shiny’ and polished looking, as viewers start to drill down to the nitty-gritty of the product you’re selling, which in turn will further influence their buying decisions.

YouTube Don’ts

Don’t use it as a place to store all videos

Companies should not feel like every single video they make has to appear on their YouTube channel. If the videos were made years ago and they’re of a low quality, then cut them. Everything on your main YouTube channel should be geared towards making the best impression on visitors.

Don’t just order by popularity

Just because a video was hugely popular last year, it doesn’t mean that it will still be relevant to your audience today. If your business is currently pulling in a different direction, then your YouTube channel will need to reflect that. Popular videos are still going to get views, but make sure that you are also drawing attention to videos that aren’t quite so popular too.  

Don’t put all recent activity at the top

This tip again comes down to ensuring that the videos displayed on your YouTube channel are specifically chosen to be there because they will be of use to viewers, not just because they are the latest videos you made. For instance, an interview of your company’s CEO may very well contain some interesting insights, however from a customer’s perspective, who may only be interested in learning how to hang a door, seeing the head honcho interviewed about his company’s values isn’t required viewing.

Don’t mix consumer and corporate

Obviously a there are a lot of corporate communications brands will want to put across in video, in order to promote things like their environmental policy or social responsibility. However, these videos should have their own dedicated YouTube channel and the videos on your main YouTube channel should be wholly centred on the audiences you are trying to attract. Mixed messages on your YouTube channel will send your audience mixed messages and they will quickly click away to find a competitor who they feel speaks more directly to them and their needs.

To discuss your future video marketing campaigns with Hurricane Media, get in touch.

Call us: 01179 240773

Send us an email: info@hurricanemedia.co.uk

Tweet us: @hurricanemedia

Photo credit: Screen Grab from Home Depot YouTube Channel

 

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