If you are convinced you need to bring back YouTube into your marketing mix, then read on for the five types of videos you should create.
According to Google, the top four content categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture and "how to." In addition to hosting these videos on owned digital properties (i.e., their website), brands must consider creating how-to videos for YouTube as even executives prefer to watch a video versus reading text.
Whether's it's how to put together furniture (from the stores themselves), how to order the right size apparel online (from a retailer) or how to get your first 100 Twitter followers (from a consulting firm or software company), every enterprise has a how-to video waiting to be made to serve potential customers in micro-moments (I want-to-know moments, I want-to-go moments, I want-to-do moments and I want-to-buy moments) - and to the benefit of website traffic, brand recall and conversions.
With written content, Q&As allow readers to take deeper dives into product releases, services offered, a person's experience and other insights that can be helpful or interesting. When this content is presented in video, viewers are able to get all of that and more, as they are able to hear participants' tone and see their expressions. Brands can put on a figurative reporter's hat and consider who would make a good interview within their company or their contacts.
Forbes, for instance, published a tour of a $57.5 million mansion, but even a walk around an office or establishment can help potential customers understand more about the company, establish a connection with the brand and feel confident doing business with them.
There's nothing a brand can say that a real-life customer can't say better. People trust their peers for their advice and opinion, which is of course why product reviews are so imperative for online conversions. Product reviews on YouTube are no different. In fact, Google reports that 61 percent of recent purchasers say, "YouTube helped me learn about brands and products through how-to videos, product reviews, or even ads, better than any other websites."
While a brand can't review its products or services themselves, of course, they can encourage their consumers to do so on their behalf. In reality, however, if people hesitate to leave a text or photo review, they are likely very hesitant to create a video on a brand's behalf. Enterprises need to make it easy for them to do so by getting customer testimonials on the spot like at a store, event, or even a recorded Skype video or Google Hangout that the brand compiles and publishes.
Brands can also work with influencers who will "unbox" a product or review a product for compensation, whether it's free product, a commission or a flat fee. All relationships should be disclosed within the video. According to the FTC, the disclosure must be made clearly and prominently in the video itself (preferably at the beginning and throughout the video), as that has the most chance of being effective versus the video description alone and at the end of the video.
It's also important to "listen" for brand mentions as some customers and/or influencers may be reviewing your products for their audiences without any brand interference.
From quickly looking for how to crop an image in Photoshop or handing a screaming toddler a Mickey Mouse video, YouTube is ingrained in Internet users' everyday lives - so much so that marketers may not be making most of the channel. When creating these YouTube videos or others, consider their long-term appeal as they will likely be surfaced for years to come, which is usually to an enterprise's benefit.