Who is Your Audience
I’ve always focused on a B2B audience. When I started sharing video content, I paid close attention to where it actually performed. Instagram? Total flop. LinkedIn? Massive win.
The takeaway is simple: know your audience and be intentional about who you’re marketing to. Create content that doesn’t just live on YouTube, but also drives engagement across the platforms where your audience already spends time.
Upload your video to YouTube first, then download it and repurpose it elsewhere. Pro tip: YouTube compresses the video for you for faster uploads. From there, share it across social channels with backlinks to your YouTube page and a clear ask for subscribers.
Keep the Videos as Short as Possible
Honestly, don’t be afraid to heavily edit your videos—just do it in a way that doesn’t feel heavily edited. Learn a few editing tricks that keep the pacing natural while tightening everything up.
If you film for an hour and a good chunk of it is thinking out loud or filling space with “uhhh” and “ummm,” cut it. Ruthlessly.
I’ve found that shorter content actually leads to longer watch time. Sounds backward, but it works. I trimmed just three minutes off one video and my LinkedIn watch hours jumped by 100%.
When You Find Your Audience… Make More of that Content
During COVID, I had a small business YouTube channel. I made some fun content looking at bad logos and Superbowl ads, and I had videos about Macbook Pros. The MacBook videos would get 15-20K in views and the bad logos would get 300.
Once I started generating more tech blog videos… the views and subs came flocking in. Find your audience and cater to them like crazy.
My new channel is specific to a very small niche of insurance claims professionals. My watch time and market penetration is incredible on LinkedIn and now I generate 1 video a month. I am getting sponsorship opportunities and more.
Video Settings
Take time to fill out the settings and add keywords. One thing to make sure of, do not click yes to “Is this video made for kids?” Even if your content is perfectly suitable for children, the rules around content for kids is so strong that it could block your videos all together. Unless you are a specific kid content channel… just say no.
Invest in Tech
Most vloggers start with a cell phone. And we all say… just start with your phone. Which is true… BUT here are three pieces of tech to consider right now:
- Camera – get a good DSLR for vlogging. Get extra batteries and sim cards.
- Final Cut Pro – mac book video editing software. Most of us use it.
- Good mics – SOUND IS SO IMPORTANT… get some lapel mics.
Create Shorts
I use Adobe’s free short-video maker. Short-form videos get significantly stronger engagement and do a great job driving traffic back to your site.
Pro tip: upload the compressed version of your YouTube video (see above), then drop it into Adobe’s free short-video generator and let it work its magic.
Channel Artwork
Get a canva account and create some good thumbnail and cover art for your channel and videos. The more your videos stand out the better.
All in all, the time is now to invest in video marketing. Don’t be the last one… find your voice and get started today. Want some help? Gallagher Business Development helps small businesses tell their story. Contact us today to learn more.