Youtube is the world’s second-most visited website, right after its parent company, Google.
Let’s get to know the analytics of Youtube so we can understand the basics of selling on this platform, thanks to Hootsuite statistics.
- People watch more than a billion hours of video on YouTube every day
- Viewers aged 18 and over spend 41.9 minutes on YouTube daily, on average
- View of videos with variations of “beginner” in the title increased more than 50% between March and July 2020
- In the same period there was a 458% increase in daily views of videos about making sourdough bread
- Approximately 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute!
With these stats, three Youtube trends become apparent. First, despite what some marketing gurus will tell you, Youtube is not going anywhere. The second is that trends are incredibly important in succeeding in this platform. Lastly, with the number of videos on the platform, competition is inevitable.
How to move forward with selling through Youtube?
A lot of it comes down to pre-production. This goes beyond uploading high quality, visually appealing content that gives your audience a real sense of value. You probably already know that high-quality videos are more engaging and so, more likely to build a positive brand connection with viewers.
The fact that there are so many videos online already – standing comes in your video marketing strategy.
Given that thousands of videos are uploaded to YouTube alone every single day, competition is fierce. Video production and video marketing now work hand in hand. 81% of businesses use video marketing, and videos have been shown as a way to increase sales and brand awareness.
Pre-production is possibly more important than actual video content to increase views, which helps to fill the sales funnel.
Top Tips for Selling on Youtube
Don’t try to please everyone
Refine your audience and get really clear that this is the group of people your videos will speak to.
You are not going to please, engage nor entice everyone to buy your products.
The other drawback to having a large target audience is that the message is never as clear as if your brand video was talking to a niche market. Once you settle on a target market, viewers feel more connected. The content also feels more personalised because the tone, the branding and the message resonate and don’t feel generic or bland.
Video’s purpose
How do you want your audience to feel while watching the video? Inspired? Engaged? Moved?
Having an answer to this question before you begin planning the video reminds your team to keep coming back to the central message of the video.
It can be easy to become distracted by the logistics of filming and forget the video’s theme. It’s great to outline the core and build out from there, using video and sound techniques to enhance the video’s purpose. And if your video’s purpose is to attain sales, then having this established goal will shape the storyline of the video.
Set a realistic budget
Setting a realistic budget involves clarifying what you want to accomplish and outlining what resources you have available to you.
To help set your budget, here are the ‘three t’s’ of video production:
- Time– consider the entire project from the outline all the way through planning, scripting, sourcing talent/location/props/equipment, recording, post-production. Also, the more people in the project, the more the overall time ramps up as well.
- Talent– as with everything, quality tends to cost more. However, using professionals and top of the game will often take less time to get the job done to a high standard.
- Tools– a video can be taken on a phone. You can even use an app to do basic edits, trims and add in music. On the other end, you can use high-end cameras, professional sound and lighting, and use the best editing software. Neither way is right or wrong, and not every project needs the same level of investment and quality.
Draft a script. Edit. Revise. Revise again.
Undrafted videos have the advantage of feeling very off the cuff. However, even with this style, an outline is handy. It ensures that the video touches on the central points throughout the recording.
Scriptwriting isn’t for everyone – it’s a talent and a craft and also very different from writing material designed to be read rather than spoken. So if you can, try to get someone on board that has experience writing for video.
Make a STRONG call to action (CTA)
This article is for selling through Youtube, so we’ll skip over the in-app CTA’s, such as enticing viewers to watch more of your channel’s videos.
YouTube has a conversion rate of 1.16% for channels that ask viewers to take action, which beats the likes of Instagram, Twitter and Linked In.
The biggest mistake is to assume that the viewers will head to your website simply out of curiosity after watching your content.Try make the action enticing, maybe offer a freebie or a discount. Be very clear and make it very easy to click through.
You can also create link cards. These are pop-up rectangles that you can insert at any time throughout the video and lead viewers through an external link.
Optimise your channel for conversion
All of the tips given up until now deal directly with the video. However, there’s a lot you can do within your channel to drive traffic to your site. First off is to link your website in the banner:
Image credit: Youtube; Spotify Channel
In the bottom right corner, people can head straight for Spotify’s site. Simple!
Next, make the link very visible and near the top of your description:
Image credit: Youtube; Spotify Channel
Keeping your channel trailer updated, as well as the banner and other marketing materials, refresh your brand and provides a professional finish. You’d be surprised how outdated graphics from five years ago will appear!
If you’re looking for high-quality content that brings your ideas to life on viewer’s screens – Videoworks is your answer. With 15 years of experience at the forefront of storytelling videography, we provide solutions for businesses and engaging content for their audience. Get in touch through our contact page– let’s get creating!
