By Courtney Gibb, Content Marketing Coordinator
@CourtneyGibb
Let's face it- we're deep in the throes of a defining digital moment. Remember when CDs would get scratched and there was nothing on the radio? Or worse, when you would have to rewind a tape? Well folks, today kids just skip all of that heartache and listen to YouTube on their smartphones- 64% of teens cite YouTube as their primary source for music.
Only 7% of adults report turning to YouTube for music, but that still means they go to the site for commercials, comedy, educational videos, TV and movie clips, etc. Not to mention viral videos: pets and babies galore!
So how does this factor into marketing for your business? At approximately 4 billion views a day being reported on YouTube, this presents an enormous opportunity for visibility. YouTube has become another social media platform in which users can interact with each other and comment along with view others videos and post their own.
The continuing advancement of technology enables people to view videos from any device, which means all businesses should take advantage of having their own video channel on YouTube. It's another great way to increase awareness and audience base. It builds links in that you can include your other sites and share videos from YouTube on all other social media platforms. Plus, it's incredibly entertaining and gives your company the ability to spread messages in a new way. Content will always be beneficial in giving you credibility and depth, and new methods of doing are ever-evolving.
It's important to set goals when creating and sharing videos, whether that is to educate in an industry-specific way or just to get laughs and intrigue viewers. Considering the average attention span is only around one minute, videos should be kept fairly short, unless part of a larger strategy or long series.
Promoting the video on your main site and other social media outlets is crucial as well. The video won't help your business if no one knows about it. In the Forbes article "How To Go Viral on YouTube," they refer to this as the "snowball effect."
For more specific examples, Mashable has a list of successful brand channels here.