When building out a social media strategy for your B2B company, the first platforms that come to mind might be Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram. While these platforms should play a large role in your strategy, it’s important not to forget about YouTube. If YouTube conjures up images of beauty tutorials or comedy sketches that might not be relevant to your business model, think again! Content on YouTube covers a huge range of topics and can be an excellent platform for your organization to share your unique expertise with a captive audience.
Now that YouTube is on your radar, here are a few reasons why it can be an incredibly powerful platform for B2B companies.
Large, Captive Audience
There’s no doubt that YouTube has a massive user base, just waiting to be tapped into. The website is the world’s second-largest search engine and second most visited website after Google (source). Currently, YouTube is rated as the fourth most effective B2B marketing channel behind email marketing, LinkedIn and print (source).
The channel’s ROI for B2B marketers will only continue to grow as user preference for video continues to increase. By actively posting on YouTube you can reach your target market and increase brand awareness and reach. With such a large audience consuming content on the platform, YouTube should be included in every B2B marketer’s social media strategy.
Thought Leadership Opportunity
Think about the last time you found yourself watching a YouTube video. Did it start with a Google search? Many consumers land on YouTube after searching for ‘how-to’ content. Developing this type of content can be a great way to initially drive viewers to your YouTube channel and capture their interest. As you plan out your video topics, think of the common questions you receive from your clients.
If your company develops healthcare software, you might select a common pain point that your software solves and develop a ‘how to’ video showcasing your software as one of the potential solutions to the problem. When planning your YouTube strategy, be sure to include plenty of content that showcases your organization’s expertise and positions your team as thought leaders.
Be Featured Alongside Relevant Content
Have you ever hopped on to YouTube to watch a quick video and thirty minutes later found yourself still watching videos related to the original topic? Enter YouTube’s ‘Up Next’ feature. Using tags placed by content creators, YouTube will automatically start playing related videos after your initial video concludes.
Just like your SEO strategy, your YouTube tags should focus on a mix of specific, targeted keywords to help you get in front of your target audience and broad tags that help YouTube’s algorithm understand the larger context of your video. By using relevant tags when you upload your video, you can increase the likelihood that your video will be seen by new audiences, increasing brand awareness and driving users to your page.
Drive Clicks to your Website
At the end of the day, the goal for many B2B companies is often to drive potential clients to their website to either make a purchase or be captured as a lead. YouTube can be an excellent resource in achieving both of these goals.
Be sure that the conclusion of your video includes a compelling call to action to drive your viewer to your desired landing page. This action could include driving the audience to your website to download a free e-book with additional tips not covered in the video, filling out a contact form to get in touch with a company representative or signing up for your newsletter.
YouTube Strategy for B2B Marketers
While YouTube isn’t often top of mind for B2B marketers, the platform’s massive audience, the opportunity for building thought leadership and potential to increase brand awareness make it an excellent, untapped opportunity for many B2B companies. If you need help incorporating YouTube into your social media strategy or building a social media strategy from the ground up, contact us.