It’s hard to believe YouTube has been around for less than 10 years, but in this short time, they have become a household and business world name. According to their site stats, YouTube has a billion unique visitors each month, 6 billion hours of views each month and they reach more viewers than any of the cable channels. With this sort of reach, it’s futile to ignore the power it can have with potential customers. Here are three suggestions to get started:
- Start a YouTube Channel
One way to take advantage of these viewers is by creating original content and uploading it to your YouTube channel. The content could be an imaginative advertisement, an interesting interview, a relevant how-to video – there are countless possibilities. YouTube gives this simple advice:
The secret to a successful YouTube channel is a sustainable community that keeps coming back to your channel for more content.
These videos should reinforce your brand and have multiple applications, such as on your website.
- Join the Partner Program
A second method to utilize YouTube is through their Partner Program, a multi-faceted platform for making money. The original program required a cumbersome application and acceptance process, but now it’s just an opt-in click, assuming your account is in good standing and a couple other checks. Now, your original videos will be played with ads and you will earn money from them when certain criteria is reached. You will also have access to advanced analytics about your video viewers. There are other features and benefits and you can click here see a YouTube video about how to activate your channel.
Another approach to reach a targeted audience is with straight advertising. Thanks to Google’s Big Data and research tools, you can pick the demographics of who you want to reach and also have ads directed to viewers who search for similar products and services.
And if you’ve been fascinated by marketing’s newest phenomenon, Big Data, you’ll want to tune in to The Marketing Mojo Show on Wednesday, September 17 at 1 p.m. for a Small Business Big Data Intervention with special guest Nancy Hohns, author of In the Thick of It: Big Data vs. Gut Instinct.
Just for fun, here is one of the most-viewed videos on YouTube (music videos not included):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfxB5ut-KTs
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