Connecting with Customers One Video at a Time

Funny cats, laughing babies, epic fails and “oopsie daisies” - this is how we know and love one of the most popular social networking platforms, YouTube! Since its creation in 2005 YouTube has had an amazing success story.

Although we love our hilarious videos, in recent years YouTube has taken on another role - that of a marketing tool. Personal brands, small businesses and corporations alike are using the power of YouTube in a number of different ways in order to satisfy, engage and empower customers.

There are three key ways to make a successful YouTube account for you or your business. The first and most crucial part of having a successful YouTube channel is selecting a username that correlates with the brand (if not the brand name itself). It may seem like a simple concept, but consumers are generally mistrustful. If you have already done the work to build trust with your consumers at a product level, choosing the right username should fluidly transfer that trust.

Secondly, brands must arrange a channel that resonates with the company’s strategy. Mirroring the brand’s colour scheme, core values and persona allows the business to appear tech-savvy and also helps to enhance the overall brand cohesiveness.

Content is third on the list, and arguably the most important. From a business perspective this is where most of the confusion takes place. What to post, when to post it and content value is often challenging for a new YouTube user. After looking at other successful YouTube accounts, there is a clear trend in the content. It is most important to compose imaginative and interesting content relating to your products. Videos could include anything from product advantages and functionality to happy customers giving rave reviews. Second is honestly and openly discussing common product or service problems. Similar to an FAQ, this will open a line of communication with your consumers and reinforce the trust they have already handed to you. Lastly I would suggest uploading videos of people in the company speaking in seminars, volunteer events or presentations. This will emphasize the pride you have in the people that work for you as well as demonstrate authority and community spirit. Any chance you have to pat yourselves on the back – Go for it!

Simply put, YouTube is a great way to develop a “voice” for a business. In my field I hear that word-of-mouth is the most powerful form of advertising and YouTube takes that saying to a whole new level. Now instead of telling my ten friends about how much I love a product, I can make a video and share it with 10,000 people. If those numbers aren’t convincing enough to convince you to use YouTube as a marketing tool, I don’t know what is!

Now after all that reading you deserve a reward! Here is one of my favourite YouTube Videos!