Ok, so in 2019 no one should be saying “video marketing is the next big thing in marketing”. It has been a HUGE deal for 2 years now. I’ve been producing videos for businesses for over 10 years. It has been so fascinating to see the rise of video marketing in a big way across multiple social media channels from 2017–2018.

The effect of video marketing in 2018 was that hundreds of millions of humans are watching and engaging videos EVERY. SINGLE.DAY. No, they aren’t watching just funny animal videos. People love tutorial (i.e. “how to”) videos — these educational videos generate millions of views every day.

Facebook ramped up their video marketing tools in a big way in 2018. But, YouTube (which launched waaay back in 2005) is not going away anytime soon. It’s still a viable way for business owners and entrepreneurs to spread their message. The fact is: YouTube has over 1.5 billion users, second only to Facebook (source: YouTube).

Are you intimidated by the idea of putting a video on YouTube? Just think about that statistic for a second: 1/3 of all internet users are watching videos every month on Youtube. More people watch YouTube every month vs. all the 3 major television networks combined. If you aren’t getting in front of at least a small fraction of these people then you’re missing a business opportunity to attract more clients.

Maybe you are afraid YouTube is too crowded and unsure of how to gain exposure. Here are my top 3 reasons why you need to be on YouTube:

1. YouTube is still the world’s largest search engine. You’ve heard of SEO, right? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most powerful ways to get exposure. YouTube is owned by Google — therefore your video will be given priority in Google’s search results. How cool is that? You shoot a video and Google gives your video more exposure vs. a static webpage.
2. Build trust with your audience. It’s a lot easier to build trust when people can see your body language and hear you speak to them directly. You can also create slideshows or explainer videos, but having a human face in your video creates an invaluable emotional bond with your audience. You can’t sell anything to your audience unless they trust you. By sharing valuable content, you will establish yourself as a trustworthy expert.
3. Grow your email list. Getting on camera can seem intimidating but it’s super helpful to remember the big picture. When you share valuable information or provide an entertaining video that tickles your audience, your audience will be eager to see more content from you. You can ask them to signup for your email list at the end of your video by offering a free e-book, checklist, or guide that provides additional related content tailored to further their learning. You can sell products and services to your email list subscribers.

YouTube is not the be all, end all of video marketing. But, you can still make great traction in generating leads just by focusing on building your YouTube channel.

The blessing of social media websites like YouTube is that you don’t need to reach everyone at once. Your videos should focus on a niche audience and eventually your audience will build.

Undoubtedly, there will be soon be another strategy for video marketing (possibly on a brand new popular website or app that launches in 2019).

Successful business owners know that they should not abandon tried and true strategies that work. YouTube video marketing has worked for almost 14 years now (fun fact: YouTube launched on Valentines Day in 2005).

The YouTube team keeps evolving and developing better tools for their creators. For instance, they recently launched ‘Premieres’ to build the hype and get people excited when you release a new video. Viewers will get a ‘tune-in’ notification and they can’t scrub forward in the video — so the experience is almost like watching a TV or movie premiere.