YouTube is one of the most powerful tools for small businesses that want to expand their reach, connect with customers and showcase their expertise.
With literally billions of users searching for videos daily, it’s a platform where engaging content can turn views into loyal customers.
Whether you’re demonstrating your products, sharing industry insights or telling your brand story, YouTube offers a unique opportunity to build trust and grow your business.
At Business Blueprint’s November conference, Primal Video’s Justin Brown gave members a behind the scenes look at how he has built his YouTube following. Take a look at the highlights:
How to generate a ton of new leads using the power of YouTube
Justin has grown his own business to a seven-figure annual revenue, much of which is driven by organic YouTube traffic. According to this video expert, “The biggest opportunity that we all have on YouTube right now is that the platform rewards new, recent and relevant content”.
However, if you want your investment in video to be worth it, you need to approach your video posting strategically, rather than simply “posting and praying.” The key is to align with YouTube’s aim to get the right video in front of the right person, at the right time.
Other than showing up consistently and posting content on a regular basis, Justin’s recommendations for fine-tuning your success are as follows:
- Keep search in mind
The first step is to create content that addresses what people are actually searching for on YouTube.By using keyword research tools like Keywords Everywhere, your business can identify the phrases and topics that have the highest search volume and lowest competition, giving you the best chance of being discovered.
- Be clickable
Once you’ve identified the right topics, the next challenge is to create thumbnail images that grab attention and clearly communicate the video’s content. “People do judge a book by its cover,” Justin says. “Your thumbnail image is no different.”He encourages businesses to test different designs, noting that one of his own A/B tests resulted in a 55.7% increase in clicks. “It’s not what you think is the nicest, pretty looking thumbnail, it’s which one gets all the clicks,” he explained, “And it may surprise you.”
- Be watchable (and interactive)
Your videos need a strong hook and a clear call-to-action. “Give your viewers a reason to stick around,” says Justin.Your other ‘tools’ to widen your audience and generate new leads are your calls to action and the description box that lives under the video.
“Most people don’t watch to the end of a clip, so add multiple calls to action throughout the video,” he adds. This may be as simple as asking people to like your clip, leave a comment or subscribe to your channel, or you can add a link to a free downloadable PDF, which will help you turn your viewers into leads.
Meanwhile, “Your description box is like a little blog article. Fill it with additional resources. If people like your content, they’ll go to the description. If they’re getting bored or if they’re not sure about something, they’ll look at the description. This is a massive opportunity.”
The key is to guide viewers towards the next step, whether that’s downloading a resource, subscribing to the channel, or watching another relevant video. By strategically placing calls to action, you can maximise viewer engagement and increase conversions.
Justin’s final tip is to just keep going. “Most people give up too soon. However, you do need a strategy.” Stay focused on YouTube’s aim to share the right content with the right people at the right time, think smart by leveraging search and give people a good experience, and there is so much potential to grow your reach and your business.
Why YouTube?
Justin chooses YouTube over other social media platforms for these reasons:
- Longevity of content
“The lifetime of your content is measured in years, not days or weeks, like on some of the other platforms..”Justin explains that his business has videos over nine years old that are still generating views and revenue.
- YouTube’s dominance:
YouTube is the second largest search engine. 47% of all global internet users access YouTube on a monthly basis, and there are 2.49 billion monthly active users. - Organic traffic potential
Google surfaces YouTube videos above ads in its search results. If your videos answer questions and you optimise keywords, you have a huge chance of being discovered online by your target audience. - Passive revenue generation
Once you generate a big enough audience, YouTube will actually pay you. While it’s not the primary focus (that’s what your actual business is for), passive revenue is an additional benefit of your strategy.
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