With over 2 billion monthly active users, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world today. Naturally, the huge user base and ability to sign up for free make the video-sharing platform a favorite for businesses looking to boost their visibility online.
Creating content and maintaining a YouTube channel takes a lot of work. If you’re a small business with limited resources, it’s important to establish whether the platform is a good fit for your company before diving in.
Here are four questions you need to ask yourself before deciding whether or not to create a YouTube channel.
Who is your target audience?
Before putting time and energy into building a YouTube channel, like this one, you need to establish your target audience. Metric analysis shows that the ‘average’ YouTube user in the US is male, aged between 18-29 and living in an urban center. However, the platform is reasonably popular with both genders and individuals ranging from 13 – 64.
From the above, we can determine that businesses who sell predominately to senior citizens in a rural area, for example, may not see increased engagement from incorporating YouTube into their social media strategy.
What is your brand’s personality?
Youtube is a platform that allows creators to really highlight the unique personalities of their brands. If your marketing strategy hinges on setting yourself apart from your competitors and establishing yourself as a fun and innovative new brand, YouTube can be instrumental in achieving that vision. Conversely, if your business model involves cultivating a more serious and refined persona, YouTube’s vibrant and casual vibe may not be appropriate.
Do you have any experience with video content creation?
Recent advances in technology have really opened up the world of video content creation. While it’s now possible to get started with just a basic tripod and an iPhone camera, don’t be fooled: creating quality content isn’t easy! If you’re a novice, film some practice videos before you launch on YouTube. You need to establish how well your microphone works, whether you’ve got a talent for editing and, most importantly, how long the whole production process actually takes.
What are your marketing goals?
Broadly speaking, every brand’s marketing goal is to increase exposure. YouTube’s huge audience offers a fantastic opportunity to do just that. YouTube is also useful for lead generation, as you can include links or CTAs in your video descriptions that prompt viewers to check out your website. If you’re just looking to make sales, however, YouTube does not include robust ecommerce features and thus may not be the best platform to generate more sales for your business.
Although the four questions above are a great starting point, the only way to concretely determine whether YouTube is right for your business is to make an account. Once you’ve put out a few videos, evaluate your return-on-investment (ROI). If your investment is producing higher engagement, more sales or increased followers on your social media platforms, YouTube is the right choice for your business.
