Are you planning to use more videos when marketing your business?

If so, then you’re not alone.

With high-quality video cameras in today’s smartphones, making videos for your business can be done quickly and easily. And video creation is growing 20% each year.

So, where will all these videos go? Well, on social media for sure. But also on websites, emails, and on YouTube, the world’s second most popular website.

Owned by Google, YouTube makes it very easy for businesses to upload and share videos. But there’s a lot of competition fighting for views. So if you’re looking to add more videos to YouTube and get more business from them, here are some simple tips to help your videos perform well:

Customer First

Think of your customer and not your industry. Use common customer questions and language in the videos you create. This tactic will make it easier for your customer to see you as a guide and help build trust and confidence in your business.

Audience Of One

In your videos, don’t try to be all things to all people. Pick single topics and focus on the information your customers and prospects need to hear and see. If you’re on camera, speak as if you’re talking to a single person. Sincerity is essential in building strong connections with customers.

The Video File Name

YouTube is a search engine, and ranking high for your keyword is important to get views. YouTube’s computer cannot watch your video, so it doesn’t know what’s in it. But it can read the file name. Before you upload, be sure to name the video using keywords important to your topic.

The Title Of The Video

The title is the name of your video on YouTube itself. A keyword-rich video title will help your search ranking efforts. Just like Google, YouTube likes consistency. Be sure to use keywords in your title, similar to what you used in the file name. You only have 60 characters, so be focused on using words that matter most. Remember to use a title that will make sense to your customer and YouTube’s ranking tool.

Video Description

First of all, use the description field as the executive summary of the video content.  There are two benefits to doing this:

• Users can quickly skim to see if there’s interest or value in the content being posted before diving in
• The words you use in the description field are searchable by both Google and YouTube and can help with SEO and more people finding the content.

Tell a story. Think about the intended audience. What do they need to see to understand the value in yoru video?  Be sure to use keywords in your description that matter to the content and the user’s needs.

Write for skimming and not reading. Use headlines and bullets. If your service area is the local community, be sure to include your address, phone number, and website address in the description, as these factors can help boost local search ranking efforts.

Video Tags & Categories

Tags help YouTube file and sort videos. Categories are another. Tag your video with popular and related keywords. Categories help your video be seen by the intended audience and help YouTube group your video with similar videos. Think like your customer and use terms they would use.

If you’re stuck on which tags or categories to use, try performing a search for the same topic your video is about to see which are most popular.

Video Thumbnail

If you have graphic design skills, upload an eye-catching custom thumbnail. Paired with a clear and valuable title, this will help to increase views. The more views your video receives, the better it ranks in YouTube and Google’s search results.

Video Playlist

If there are other videos in your YouTube account that are related to the one you’re posting, be sure to create a playlist and link them all together. If a viewer finds value in your video, this is an easy and powerful way to connect them to more videos that may be of interest and value.

Video Closed Captioning

Captions are not only helpful to folks who watch videos without sound, but they also boost search rankings by highlighting choice keywords. You can use YouTube’s automatically-generated subtitles, or you can upload an SRT format file.

Closing Thoughts

Studies show that consumers retain 95% of messages seen in a video compared to just 10% when read in text. The takeaway: Video marketing will not only help get your message out but help keep it top of mind when customers need what you have to offer.