YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google. It has 2 billion monthly active users (equivalent to one-third of the internet) and one billion hours of video are being watched daily on the platform. Over 90% of people surveyed around the world say they discover new brands or products on YouTube. The list goes on and on! The stats speak for themselves, and it’s undeniable that YouTube can and does successfully drive the discovery of content and engagement for all business types, including B2B.
In 2021, 86% of businesses used video as a marketing tool which is an increase of 25% in just five years. That data implies that when it comes to creating web content, it's crucial to consider where you're spending your time. Additional research also found that over 80% of people would rather watch a video from a brand than read a blog from the same company. When it comes to engaging people, video is one of the most effective types of media because it engages and communicates on a range of levels. A well-made video may be visually appealing, entertaining, and informative; one of the biggest advantages of video is its capacity to effectively deliver a great quantity of information to the viewer in a considerably more engaging manner than reading an article.
Why You Need a YouTube Channel For Your B2B Business
As the world’s second largest search engine, YouTube has huge power to deliver your messaging and content to the people who are searching for it. That isn’t the only reason to develop and leverage a YouTube channel for your business though. Here are 6 reasons why you need a Youtube channel for your business:
Achieving ranking in Google SERPS via YouTube
Effective video marketing via YouTube can enhance your organic search traffic from Google. Google offers universal search which means when you search for something, the results will include videos, images, websites, shopping listings and more. The value of an effective video marketing strategy is only becoming more apparent as videos are increasingly appearing in Google’s search results.
The Popularity of YouTube
YouTube has gained and maintained enormous popularity among users of all demographics. It’s common knowledge that you can learn almost anything on YouTube now, and "how to" phrases account for a large portion of the site's searches. People are increasingly going to YouTube first for answers and engaging with videos there to find the information they need.
Flexibility
Though YouTube is best known for humorous cat videos and bloopers, it also has a professional side that is rapidly expanding and becoming more commonly utilised by businesses to meet their audiences via a medium that they feel comfortable with.
Targeting
As YouTube is evolving its service for business, its targeting and demographic filtering functionality is also evolving. Using YouTube as a paid advertising platform offers digital marketers an extremely cost-effective way to accurately deliver content to their audience at a time and place where they are most receptive to it.
Make Your Website More Engaging With Video
Embedding your YouTube videos on your website can increase your “view” counts, which can help you gain more visibility on YouTube. The option to integrate YouTube videos on your website is already convenient, and the increased visibility you’ll get as a result is a massive plus, not to mention the added bonus of not having to host videos or manage their impact on your website speed.
Free Functionality to Drive both Paid and Organic Search Traffic
There is no limit on the number of videos you can upload. Essentially, YouTube is one big, free storage place where businesses can upload unlimited video content aligned with their target audiences, keywords and objectives.
Leveraging the functionality of YouTube in a way that engages with your audience and drives the right traffic to your website seems like a no brainer. However, it does require strategic planning to understand how best to optimise video content for results.
Building Brand Awareness with Video
YouTube supports the development of brand awareness through the sheer volume of users it displays content to each day. Optimised video content performs better as this is a way of telling Youtube what the content is about and who it's for, increasing the likelihood of your videos showing to the right audience who will engage and watch it.
It’s worth noting that 70% of viewers bought from a brand after seeing their channel on YouTube in 2020. YouTube video ads can also increase brand awareness by 170% and increase purchase intent by 270% because the targeting functionality allows the videos to be served to the right people at the right time, even while they’re watching content from different brands.
Expand your Global Reach
As outlined above, YouTube can be used as a tool to expand reach. However, that will only happen if you are creating and optimising the right video content on a regular basis to attract a wider target audience who may never have found your company otherwise.
Optimise your Content with YouTube Analytics Data
YouTube has built-in analytics, offering content providers insight into the performance of their content. The data YouTube provides enables brands to understand their video audience and therefore create better, more effective content for them to drive high-quality visitors to their website.
Where to Start With your YouTube Channel
If you already have a YouTube channel and would like to leverage it to deliver better results for your business, we’d suggest starting with a YouTube channel audit. A YouTube audit is designed to provide you with an impartial, in-depth assessment of your YouTube channel and videos’ performance, with recommendations on how to improve performance and drive conversions.
Alternatively, If your business does not currently use YouTube but would like to consider it as a new channel, then let’s talk. Our in-house video marketing team would be delighted to discuss how best to do that with you.
Contact the Video Marketing Experts
If you would like to find out more about using YouTube & video to enhance the performance of your digital marketing, why not contact our Video Marketing team for a preliminary, exploratory conversation? We’re happy to help.
