Why Your Business Needs a YouTube Channel

Your Business Needs a YouTube Channel

No one disputes the importance of content marketing these days. Your customers are still using a search to solve a problem, and Google does love long-form content and posts. You want your business to show up on search engine result pages (SERP)? Then you should be posting content to your site regularly.

And now, every business with a website has a blog. Content is king. And those SERPs are getting oh so crowded.

Now might be an excellent time to plan for the future to get ahead of your competition (which is really the present, because you should get started now, but I digress). I'm talking about video. I'm talking about YouTube.

Video is Now King

The fact is YouTube is the world's largest search engine — bigger than Bing, Yahoo! and Ask combined with more than 3 billion searches per month. It's second to only Google…who just happens to own YouTube (think about it). There are plenty of stats that show how ubiquitous YouTube has become.

Related content: YouTube Marketing - Stats

Is YouTube a Search Engine?

Yes and no. Believe it or not, YouTube is a lot more than just a place to watch cat videos. The best way to think of YouTube is that it's not only a search engine but also a social media platform (2nd to Facebook, coincidentally).

People turn to YouTube for two reasons mostly: to be entertained and to solve problems (that ding-ding is your brain brimming with ideas).

They go to YouTube to learn how to fix something in their house, research a purchase decision, and learn a new skill.

So no, it isn't just a place for kids to waste time watching a bunch of self-absorbed influencers (that's TikTok).

The fact is the two fastest demographics on YouTube are Baby Boomers (55+) and Gen Xers (35+), and 1 out of 3 baby boomers use YouTube to learn about a new product.

There's gold to be mined in dem hills.

No One Reads Anymore Anyway

I know I'm being cynical, and I say this as a writer. Think about it: What would you rather do – watch it or read about it?

And this gets to another of YouTube's unique abilities: the ability to develop your personal brand.

Social media/entrepreneurial guru, Gary Vaynerchuk, once famously said, "It's important to build a personal brand because it's the only thing you're going to have. Your reputation online, and in the new business world is pretty much the game, so you've got to be a good person. You can't hide anything, and more importantly, you've got to be out there at some level."

Is there any better to be "out there" than video? People get to see you. They get to know you. After a while, they will feel like they know you. Video is a great way to become a trusted source.

And what if you don't want to be on video? Then replace the "you" with another person in your organization. Or, the "you" can be the brand of your business. In the end, it's the same message and the same goal: develop trust and rapport.

But Isn't YouTube Too Crowded Now As Well?

Here are the facts: 50 million users have created at least one piece of content for YouTube, which translates to roughly 5% of YouTube's total user base.

So, I'll put this way – Yes, there are a lot of people with a YouTube channel, and a lot of them are doing it wrong.

But don't get hung up on the numbers. Your initial goal in developing a YouTube channel for your business shouldn't be an attempt to gain millions of views and subscribers. Yes, some do, and some even make a nice living from YouTube alone, but that shouldn't be your goal…not at first, anyway.

Your initial goal should be to develop your brand, establish trust and rapport. You do this by creating content that's genuine and useful to your audience. This is top of funnel stuff for now. And eventually, you will see your viewers drift down that funnel and become actual customers.

Related content: Video Marketing: Getting Started

1,000 True Fans

When you have a moment, I highly suggest reading Kevin Kelly's essay, 1,000 True Fans. In short, your goal should not be pursuing millions of fans (or customers, or clients). Your goal should be pursuing 1,000 true fans.

You want a fan who will buy anything you produce and will happily sing your praises. You want a fan who will provide you with $100 in profit a year on average. With 1,000 of them, you will earn a minimum of $100,000 in profit annually. I say minimum because, of course, you will also receive additional business on top of what you receive from your true fans.

As Kelly puts it, "1,000 customers is a whole lot more feasible to aim for than a million fans."

How Do I Get Started?

Creating a successful YouTube channel takes work and the right strategy. Like I said before: A lot of people do it wrong and don't succeed. Video is hard work. It takes skill, along with creativity. And YouTube, as a platform, has its own set of intricacies that require a skill base so your content can get in front of an audience.

But that's where we come in. We can create the right strategy and do all the heavy lifting for you no matter where you're located.

We'll provide a lot more content on YouTube (strategy, production, equipment, etc.) over the weeks to come. Be sure to leave us your email so that you'll be notified when we post new content.

In the meanwhile, we'd be happy to discuss a YouTube strategy that will grow your business.

We offer affordable YouTube Channel creation and video marketing.

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