YouTube was launched in 2005 and acquired by Google a year later. Since then, the platform has grown into one of the biggest online video sharing platforms in the world. In fact, YouTube is the second-largest search engine, surpassed only by Google.
YouTube managed to achieve this status – and retain – it by introducing a range of innovative features designed to serve users and creators alike.
Check out these impressive YouTube usage statistics:
- 73% of U.S. adults use YouTube
- The platform has 2 billion monthly active users
- YouTube is the second most-downloaded iOS app
- Over a billion hours of YouTube videos are viewed each day
- 500 hours of video content is uploaded to YouTube per minute
No matter what type of business you have, you’re likely to find your target audience on YouTube, and in this article, we take a look at five different ways you can use the platform to grow your local business
1. Provide Helpful Tutorials
Searches for “how-to” video content have exploded in growth over the last few years as more and more people are using YouTube to discover new things.
This offers businesses an expanding opportunity to capture new audiences and push them further down the funnel by creating educational videos around their products and services.
You can use YouTube tutorials and training videos to show your audience how helpful your product or solution is, as well as how well supported it is.
Also, make sure you consider the idea of providing helpful tutorials for other software your customers may use as well that isn’t in direct competition with you. I’ve personally found that these videos generate a lot of revenue from YouTube ads and can lead to a whole new income stream for the business.
Here is an example of an effective YouTube tutorial from Photoshop.
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2. Build Trust With Expertise
In addition to creating high-quality videos demonstrating what your product can do for the people in your target market, you can also create videos around topics related to your business in order to show your authority and expertise on the subject.
This will help you build trust with your audience. An example of a brand that does this particularly well is Grammarly.
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3. Add Another Revenue Stream
No matter what type of local business you run, YouTube offers you an effective way to add an extra stream of revenue to your business.
For instance, you can monetize your videos in different ways, such as embedding ads or including affiliate links in your video descriptions. You can also collaborate with other YouTube publishers who may want to publish sponsored video content on your channels.
Here’s an article that goes into detail about how to monetize your videos so you can bring in more money to your small business.
While ads are nice, make sure you’re open to other ideas like creating online courses. I just did this for my own brand and though it took me a while to find the course platform that worked for me, so far it’s been a very big success in terms of revenue.
4. Foster Goodwill With Other Small Businesses
YouTube isn’t just a site for sharing videos, it’s also a social network. This means you can join groups, create your own groups, or add friends, and message them.
It allows you to interact with others in your community. You can comment, like, or subscribe to the channels of other small businesses in your area and, whenever appropriate, post your own videos as video responses. Just make sure that you don’t spam anyone.
You can also share their videos in order to foster goodwill with other business owners. Just make sure you choose businesses that are within your niche, and those that provide high-quality, helpful videos that your audience will find engaging.
5. Build Strong Customer Relationships
Yet another way you can use YouTube to grow your local business is by talking to customers in the comments section of your videos. This will not only make your customers feel heard, but it’ll also help you gain their trust so you can begin to develop strong relationships with them.
Furthermore, this is a great opportunity for you to invite your customers to subscribe to your YouTube channel for updates.
You can also use other calls to action to help you connect with your ideal audience, such as
“Find me on Facebook”, “Follow me on Twitter”, “Subscribe to my videos”, “Post a comment”, or “Visit my blog”.
Conclusion
YouTube offers vast opportunities to promote your business and get your products and services in front of your target market. However, the majority of small businesses don’t know how to use the platform effectively to drive growth in their local business.
One of the biggest issues keeping businesses from leveraging the full power of YouTube is that they’re not sure what types of videos to create to get the best results from their video marketing campaigns.
Use the five methods outlined in this article to help you start growing your business with YouTube. And remember, although you won’t experience instant results, consistency is the key to experiencing massive success in the long term.
What other ways do you know of using YouTube to grow your local business? Let us know in the comments section bel
Ron Stefanski is a professor and a successful web entrepreneur who has a passion for helping people create and grow online businesses. Visit his website to learn more: OneHourProfessor.com
You can also connect with him on YouTube or Linkedin.
YouTube stock photo by Alexey Boldin/Shutterstock
