Part 2: Create content for your eCommerce YouTube Channel
It might surprise you to learn that the second most used search engine in the world is not Bing, or Yahoo, or even Alta Vista, it’s YouTube. And yet, fewer than 10% of small businesses are making themselves visible on this search tool by maintaining a YouTube channel. The same businesses that are pouring time and resources into aggressive SEO campaigns are completely ignoring an organic search giant. How could this be?
It might have something to do with the fact that a YouTube channel is easy to acquire (see part one of this series), but running a successful YouTube channel that drives traffic back to your website is difficult. This post will help you decide what kind of content is best for your business’s channel, and how to use YouTube’s algorithm to get your channel noticed.
*Syracuse University- https://communications.syr.edu/the-business-of-youtube-infographic/
Three Types of eCommerce Friendly Content
How To: If you have the right product for it, a how to channel is arguably the best choice for an eCommerce YouTube channel. Searches for how to related content are growing by around 70% every year. If your web store sells a technical product, a tool or a machine, a YouTube channel with videos that explain how to use your product, how to maintain it, and how to repair it has a ton of advantages. Not only does it put your business’s name out there in this under utilized search engine, but it also acts as an automated customer service representative. A video that makes your product easier to interact with can turn customer frustration into a positive review-worthy experience. These types of videos also don’t require much stylistic flair, so they can be made without much videography experience.
Take Silkhaar TV for example. Started by two twin brothers from Denmark, Silkhaar TV posts tutorials and tips for men’s hairstyling. They also sell their own line of hair care products. Each video features tips you can try and products you can use, and they always encourage you to visit their eCommerce store Silkhaar Shop.
Brand Storytelling: Less technical, more lifestyle-based products can use a brand storytelling approach. This means curating videos on your channel that show people using your product, and also reinforce the kind of life your customers want to be living. These videos are meant to associate your products with inspirational and aspirational feelings. Because this is a more abstract concept than a how to channel, it will take a more skilled filmmaker to make a brand storytelling channel come off correctly.
One of the best and most famous examples of a brand storytelling channel is GoPro. GoPro has a product that is tailor made for this approach. GoPro’s videos show people using their product to do fun and exciting things. They make heavy use of the word adventure, and employ rousing, beat driven music. GoPro’s video’s also have an acute sense of visual style, and are edited to be fast paced and exhilarating.
Comedy: A comedy-focused channel is not the most obvious fit for eCommerce, but some brands have made it work. Comedy channels are among the most popular on YouTube. If you have the right product, and some genuinely funny people on your team, you could build a real audience. This type of channel will require less technical videography skill than brand storytelling, but a lot more idea brainstorming and writing. A painfully unfunny comedy channel runs the risk of making your product the joke.
One of the most popular comedy eCommerce YouTube channels is Vat19. They create comedy sketches to show off the eclectic selection of gag gifts available on their web store. Vat19 videos blend a comedy sketch with an out and out commercial, and their channel has racked up an impressive number of subscribers.
Your YouTube channel can be a testing ground for what works with your brand. If you’re not sure which tact to take at the start, don’t worry. The look and feel of your channel can be changed without too much investment.
Building your Audience
YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine, and if you want to put your videos in front of potential customer’s eyes, you’re going to have to do some SEO planning. Just like on Google, you should focus on targeting keywords. Use a YouTube keyword tool to research popular search terms. You can also get ideas of topics for new content by looking at related keywords.
YouTube’s algorithm really favors engagement. That’s why a video will often ask you to like, subscribe and share at the end. Whenever you provide a link to your channel, add “?sub_confirmation=1” to the end of your channel’s URL and a pop-under will automatically appear on your channel prompting visitors to subscribe.
Here are a few more tips to boost your YouTube SEO:
- Put the target keyword in the name of the file you upload to YouTube
- YouTube considers longer videos to be of higher value
- Add tags to your video, make one your target keyword
- If possible, include the target keyword in the video’s title
- Promote new content on social media channels to boost view count
- Design the thumbnail images for your videos to be eye-catching and consistent
Also remember that YouTube is a social media community as much as it is a search engine and a content provider. You should participate in the wider conversation. Friend people, who are running channels similar to yours. Like and promote their stuff. If a product similar to yours appears in a trending video, favorite that video to try to capitalize on some of the spill over popularity.
Set your Goals
Writing and shooting your videos will be the most time consuming part of maintaining a YouTube channel. You should set your goals appropriately. A channel that posts erratically won’t build a returning audience. Decide on a posting schedule that’s realistic, and keep to it. If you want a YouTube channel, but simply don’t have the time, there are marketing professionals that you can farm this work out to.
Creating content, and running a successful YouTube channel isn’t easy. However, if you have the time, the talent and the right product it may be worth the investment. With so few small businesses making use of YouTube, there is still an opportunity to be a first mover in this arena. If you know of any other types of channels that work well with eCommerce, please leave a comment below. If you’d like to know more about how a YouTube channel can fit into a larger structure of digital marketing services don’t hesitate to give 1Digital Agency a call.