It is estimated that video will account for 79% of global traffic by 2020 and, with over a billion hours of video content watched on YouTube every day it is one of the most popular video hosting platforms in the world. It is also the third most visited site in the world after Google and Facebook. It has over 30 million visitors per day, 23,946,561 subscribers and performs more than 3 billion searches a month, making it an influential search platform. YouTube has diverse viewership, reaching 18-49-year-olds more than any broadcast or network station. It is localised to 91 countries, and accessible in 80 different languages. Additionally, Baby Boomers and Generation X are now the fastest-growing demographic on this platform. It's safe to say the platform is worth your attention

The service allows users to view, edit and upload videos, subscribe to and comment on different channels, watch free content, rent and purchase commercial videos, watch premium and original content through their subscription, charge for their content, and host live and private video. You can also embed YouTube videos on external sites, such as blogs and websites.

Can YouTube Benefit B2B Marketing?

B2B marketers should consider YouTube as a viable way to connect with and engage audiences. Content marketing on the platform can strengthen the brand by creating awareness, expanding current audiences, and boost search rankings.

With 43% of the online video-viewing audience taking the time to research a brand before purchasing, and 73% of B2B marketers understanding that webinars and video help generate high-quality leads, it would be a wise move to start integrating YouTube into the overall marketing strategy. When it comes to getting your videos in front of billions, there is no other platform that holds this power.

How can B2B content marketers effectively use YouTube to reach their target audiences?

Post regularly

72% of customers prefer watch videos to learn about a product or service, so content marketing is something you should do regularly. Posting videos to YouTube should be a consistent feature of your content calendar to ensure viewers know to expect new content. Combine video with your blogs to delve deeper into what you have to say and diversify your content. Videos can be an engaging introduction to the topic of your blog posts to drive readers to read more. Highlighting group discussions about your brand, doing executive interviews, how-tos and tutorials, and other brand-related content will add value for your audience.

Perform an audit

From time to time, review your content to make sure you are using a consistent brand voice and to assess what's working and what isn't. Plan more content around the material that performs the best to get the most traction.

Learn how to tell your story

Views on branded video content have increased by 99% on YouTube since June 2017. That indicates that brand storytelling is crossing the lines from B2C to B2B at a fast pace. Creating videos that tell a story about your brand allows the target audience to engage and helps humanise your business while establishing your position and connecting the dots from product to the audience. Whether you are discussing how you developed a service or product or focusing on your staff and company values, the key is letting the viewer see behind the scenes.

Marketing your YouTube channel

Utilising these best practices and suggestions to create a viable video marketing strategy can help reach and engage audiences to leverage your position in the industry.

Speak to the person

Always remember, business buyers are people too. Make your messages relatable, memorable and human so your brand stays with them even when they step away from the business. Appeal to their emotions, not just to their business brain.

Keep it tight

Busy people want to learn how to do something or find out more about your company without having their time wasted or being bored. Clear and concise messages work the best. Aim to engage with case studies, advice from experts, how-to videos and testimonials.

Be easy to find

Tag your videos, write descriptions and make your titles searchable. Make your videos shareable.

Create real estate

Create a branded YouTube channel so people can find you. Including your logo and a custom banner with help to build brand recognition. Link your website , encourage subscriptions and engage with your audience. You can include an "about" section describing what your viewers can expect and a call to action to let them know what to do next.  Having social icons in your banner will allow easier access to your other social platforms.  Whilst your calls to action can be declared in your video - such as subscribe or visit our site - the links won’t be on the video itself. Make it clear in the video script or visually in the video where viewers can find the link or button they need to press.

Create flow

One of the easiest ways to lose engagement and viewers is not to have a place for them to go once they've finished viewing your content. When you have enough content, you can create custom playlists to organise and link together different types of video. You can also create links in your description and within the video to point to related pieces.

Advertise your videos

There are different ways you can advertise your content. Promoted Videos allows users to showcase their videos against similar businesses. As a Google-owned property, keywords and searches can help reach the intended audience. Research the different YouTube ad formats to determine which one works best for your brand. Skippable ads are the most common and may keep your viewers from leaving.

Track the data

Track how your videos are doing to optimise your content. Use Google Analytics to see how well your channel performs.

Use and repurpose

Use your video everywhere you can to help attract bigger audiences and increase your reach. Embed and link to videos on social media, your website, in emails and more.

It also makes sense to find ways to repurpose articles and case studies. They may have started off as written pieces but some people much prefer to watch short videos online rather than read.

For example, we have a simple one-pager that explains why business should consider 1827 Marketing for their B2B content marketing and marketing automation. We had fun taking the content from our one-pager and making short video versions of it using the online video editor Biteable, which you can see below:

Biteable have also written a really good article about video marketing which you can read here.

Engage with others

Digital marketing is conversational marketing. Just like Facebook or any other social account, you want to engage with the audience. Make a plan to study and follow other industry influencers and engage with them. This will help in getting noticed by others within your industry.

Building a community around your brand using video content hosted on YouTube takes time but can be worth it if done correctly. Having a loyal and dedicated audience helps position you as a thought leader and provides an outlet for like-minded people to engage. Engaged communities can create social media engagement levels high enough to drive 2x more actions than most celebrities. The "lean in" experience is one of the driving factors of YouTube, where people are fully engaged in the content on the screen. 

Videos speaking directly to people work well to create lasting connections. One of the essential elements in building a YouTube community is having an engaging host. The better the sense of connection, the more influence the host will have. Gary Vee is a perfect example of someone utilising the YouTube platform effectively. With over 2.34M subscribers, he has found the sweet spot in his niche. He gives sound advice, asks questions, responds to his comments and most of all, tells his audience thank you.

As a brand, it's essential to define what the audience cares about and how that intersects with what you stand for. Viewers want to know about you, and they also want to know what's in it for them so tell them your 'why,' be responsive to their needs and always thank your audience for their attention. 

Sharing your story can create a sense of connection and help establish a common ground giving people a reason to watch your channel over the competition. Giving a quick origin story at the start of each video works well, especially for the people unfamiliar with your brand. An additional video that explains the story of why your channel exists and what you hope to achieve adds a level of authenticity viewers want and need. The key is to make people feel they are a part of your world. Businesses are human too.  

YouTube not only helps build an organic following but can display ads that hook viewers and keep them watching, puts your content in front of a broad audience and positions you ahead of the competition. With 75% of YouTube viewers using the platform to embrace nostalgia, 68% using it to stay in the know, and 73% accessing it for how-to content, YouTube video marketing is the wave of the future. Ready to get started?