YouTube is often thought of as just a platform for online video. That may have been true a few years ago, but a number of features have fundamentally changed the nature of the platform. While platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X remain popular, YouTube has become an indispensable part of many a successful social media strategy.
In this blog post, we'll explore why it's worthwhile for businesses to integrate YouTube into their social media strategy.
Social media or search engine?
YouTube, because of its affiliation with Google, can be considered a hybrid of both a search engine and a social media platform, but it is primarily a video platform and therefore technically classified as social media.
Here are the reasons for this classification:
- Social Interaction & Communication: On YouTube, users can upload, comment, like, share, and subscribe to videos. These social interactions are similar to those on platforms like Facebook or Instagram, which is why YouTube is often referred to as social media. Registered YouTube users can communicate directly with each other through comments, messages, and live chats.
- Community building: Many YouTubers have developed a loyal fan base that actively participates in discussions, asks questions, and provides feedback. This encourages the formation of online communities, a key feature of social media.
- Algorithms: YouTube uses complex algorithms to suggest content to users that matches their interests and preferences. It is debatable whether this is typical of search engines or social media, as it occurs in both "worlds".
However, it should be noted that YouTube also shares similarities with search engines. Similar to Google, the platform processes large volumes of search queries on a daily basis and provides users with search results based on keywords and relevance. Overall, it can be said that YouTube is a hybrid platform that has characteristics of both social media and search engines. This combination makes YouTube a versatile tool for businesses to share content, interact with their target audience, and be visible in search results.
10 reasons for businesses to be on YouTube
- Enormous reach: With over 2 billion monthly logged-in users, YouTube is the world's largest social media platform after Facebook. It offers businesses the opportunity to reach a massive global audience.
- Visual storytelling: In the world of digital marketing, video is the king of content. Video is a powerful storytelling medium. People prefer to absorb information visually, and video is a great way to get your message across in a creative and compelling way. YouTube is the world's leading video destination. YouTube is the world's leading video streaming platform, offering businesses the opportunity to create high-quality videos and share them with a global audience.
- Industry Independence: YouTube is not limited to any one industry. Whether it's fashion, technology, education or cooking recipes, YouTube has an audience for almost any topic. This allows businesses to effectively target their own audience and promote their products or services.
- YouTube SEO: YouTube is owned by Google, still the world's leading search engine. Well-optimized videos can appear in Google's search results and increase a company's visibility. Those who incorporate relevant keywords and SEO strategies into their videos can significantly increase their reach.
- Interaction and engagement: YouTube allows you to interact directly with your viewers. Registered viewers can leave comments, ask questions, and provide feedback. This creates an opportunity to communicate and build a loyal community around your brand. Need tips for effective community management? Follow the link.
- Advertising options: With advertising options such as In-stream Ads and Bumper Ads, businesses can run targeted advertising campaigns to reach their audience and increase brand awareness. Sophisticated targeting options allow companies to run targeted advertising campaigns and effectively reach their audience.
- Analytics and Insights: YouTube offers comprehensive analytics tools that allow businesses to track the success of their videos and channels. Businesses can see how many times videos are watched, how long viewers stay, and more. This data helps them adjust their strategy for better results. For an overview of KPIs, check out this separate blog post.
- Mobile Usage: In the age of smartphones and tablets, YouTube is widely used on mobile devices. This allows businesses to effectively reach mobile audiences.
- Monetization: With sufficient engagement and quality content, YouTube is not just a marketing investment. The ability to generate revenue from advertising and sponsorships can be an additional revenue stream for businesses.
- Versatility: Companies can share their messages, products, and stories in compelling and emotional ways, including tutorials, product launches, interviews, webinars, and more. YouTube gives businesses the opportunity to be creative and tell stories. With engaging content, you can emotionalize your brand and connect with your customers.
Best YouTube features for businesses
YouTube offers a variety of features that businesses can use to maximize their presence on the platform and achieve their goals. Here are some of the best features businesses should take advantage of on YouTube:
- YouTube Live: Similar to Facebook Live or Twitch, YouTube recently introduced a live streaming feature to its platform that allows you to live stream and discuss with your community. This feature can be used to great effect, especially when partnering with influencers.
- YouTube Shorts: YouTube Shorts, similar to TikToks or Reels, are a tool for distributing videos up to 60 seconds in length. A form of snackable content, they are designed to be short, creative videos that are easy to consume. You can read our full article on this topic here.
- Paid Advertising: There are two types of video ads for businesses. The first appears in search results, on the homepage, and sometimes in the "related videos" section. When a user clicks on one of these ads, they are taken to the highlighted video. Instream ads are the second type of ad that plays within a video. This customizable ad appears before the user can watch the selected video. However, if the user has a paid YouTube Premium account, they can access the videos of their choice without ads. Looking for video ad tips? Check out the linked blog post.
- Partnerships: As mentioned in another article, YouTube was the first social network to have a community of influencers (in today's sense) a few years ago. Initially, it was YouTubers who became influencers as their credibility and community grew. Today, when you see the disclaimer "This video contains commercial communication/product placement," it means that the YouTuber in question is communicating for another brand in their role as an influencer. This type of video is widely used because it is the first opportunity for YouTubers to earn money.
Facelift Tips for YouTube Success 🧡
Finally, here are some tips from us to help you really take off on YouTube.
- Be regular: YouTube's algorithm takes into account how regularly a business posts when ranking. It's also more likely that someone will subscribe to your channel if you post content regularly rather than sporadically.
- YouTube SEO: The title and thumbnail you choose are the first things a user sees before clicking on a video. Use third-party tools like Google Trends, Google Ads, or YouTube Analytics to find out what keywords are driving your community to your channel.
- Create cross-channel content: Other social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Facebook can be perfect platforms to tease your YouTube videos. Often, shorter vertical versions can be found there in the form of trailers for longer videos that can be viewed in full on YouTube. In general, it's also important to maintain some consistency when publishing content across multiple social networks.
- YouTube ads: As mentioned above, advertising is critical to increasing your reach and reaching more people. YouTube ads are used to reach new audiences, but also to promote a brand or product. The platform offers companies a variety of options. In the interview with Michael Groß from YouTube, we evaluate these.
Summary of YouTube marketing for companies
The fact that YouTube is the world's most popular platform for online videos does not necessarily mean that all brands have to position themselves there. Nevertheless, video is a trendy format that is becoming increasingly popular on almost all (!) social networks. And since the potential reach is huge, you can only benefit. However, make sure you take your community seriously and are regularly active on YouTube. Especially the synergy between YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels or TikTok is a great starting point.
With Facelift, you can publish all your videos to YouTube in just a few clicks. Upload your videos from your media library, customize them and publish them to YouTube and other networks of your choice. If you want to manage your YouTube channel more efficiently, get a free personal demo! 👇
