Positive Influences: The 3 Types of Social Media Influencers

27Jan

In our previous blog, we explained the basics of influencer marketing. Now that you know what it is and why you should do it, let’s discuss the kinds of influencers available. We will mostly be referencing Instagram, as that is a very popular platform for influencer marketing.

One quick note before we dive in to this topic: these definitions are somewhat flexible. Some experts swear that macro-influencers and celebrity influencers are the same, while other experts roll their eyes and patiently explain that macro-influencers are internet celebrities and celebrity influencers are famous offline as well. Another marketer might try to persuade you to believe that macro and micro should be based on reach rather than reputation–which will probably be countered by a different marketing expert shouting that such a definition would mean Doug the Pug is more influential than Grumpy Cat. (If you want to watch marketers engage in heated debates about industry lingo, simply attend any marketing meet-up and loudly declare, “As far as online influence goes, Logan Paul is pretty much on the same level as Kylie Jenner.” We recommend that you view the ensuing chaos from a safe distance, however.)

The point we’re trying to make is this: definitions can fluctuate depending on who is defining the term. Our team goes by the following standards, but you might find slightly different iterations elsewhere.

Macro-influencers
Macro-influencers are social media influencers who have massive followings. Some marketing experts advise judging macro-influencers by different metrics for each social media platform. Influencers on Instagram could be considered macro if they have over 100,000 followers each. However, these same influencers would need at least 250,000 followers on Youtube to be considered macro-influencers because YouTube is more widely used than Instagram.

Additionally, sometimes macro-influencers are grouped together with celebrity influencers. In the above example, we mentioned Kylie Jenner and Logan Paul. The former is a model and member of a famous family, while the latter is a wildly popular vlogger. However, Kylie is famous outside of the internet (modeling, being related to the Kardashians/Jenners) while Logan is known almost exclusively for his online presence. We would classify Kylie (109 million followers on Instagram) as a celebrity influencer, and Logan (who has a not-unimpressive 16.3 million followers on Instagram) would be considered a macro-influencer.

The enormous reach of the macro-influencer also leads to drawbacks in using these influencers. The larger the audience, the higher the cost: macro-influencers are just more expensive than other options. On a related if counterintuitive note, as the influencer’s following grows, the followers tend to feel more distant. Studies have shown that followers engage less often with influencers who have large followings.

Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers are niche markets. A micro-influencer has an above-average following (generally anywhere between several thousand and a few hundred thousand followers), but appeals to a very specific market. For example, Instagram has several micro-influencers who focus on yoga. Summer Perez (@summerperez) is a yoga enthusiast and mom who encourages her 192,000 followers by posting polished pics of her own yoga poses–interspersed with candid shots of her adorable children. Carling Harps (@carlingnicole) is a yoga teacher with over 54,000 followers. In addition to yoga workouts and poses, she gives her followers glimpses of her life in Northern California (often featuring Yokai, her cute Italian greyhound).

Traditional social media networks are not micro-influencers only habitat, though. Bloggers can also be considered micro-influencers. Moms and dads who blog about the trials and triumphs of modern parenting are often sought out by marketers. These parents are not traditional social media influencers, but their impact cannot be denied.

Micro-influencers have two main benefits. First, followers in small audiences tend to engage much more often than followers in large audiences. Second, micro-influencers are cheaper than macro-influencers because of their limited audience. However, this means that you will get more engagement for less money!

Brand Ambassadors
Brand ambassadors are everyday people who enjoy a specific brand. These individuals do not necessarily need to have large followings, although their savvy use of social media dictates that they probably have a decent-sized audience. While some are given free products to review (especially true with beauty products), brand ambassadors might not be paid at all. Have you ever tagged a restaurant, store, or product in a post? Have you ever been so impressed by a product or service that you tweeted about it, tagging the company? You were acting as a sort of brand ambassador! Even brick-and-mortar brands can use brand ambassadors: for example, brands that encourage customers to take pictures of themselves wearing that brand’s merch or logos and post the pics to social media.

As we mentioned earlier, some experts have different criteria for each type of influencer. Our next blog will go over some basic dos and don’ts for influencer marketing.

Do you need help with your social media marketing strategy? We have you covered! Visit our website today for a free consultation!

Want an easy reference to help you remember the different types of influencers? We’ve got you covered! (Right click to save to your computer)

Under the Influence: An Intro to Social Media Influencers

By Christopher Tompkins

19Aug

Social Media, YouTube

Social media influencers are social media users who reach a wide audience and have established credibility in a given industry or field. The influence of these individuals outweighs that of the average social media user. While social media influencers technically exist on any platform or network, they are predominantly on YouTube and Instagram.

A typical social media influencer displays the following characteristics.

• Authenticity. Influencers are perceived as genuine. The audience sees an influencer as an independent party rather than a brand spokesperson.

• Credibility. Stemming from the above, Influencers are trustworthy and impartial. Indeed, the trust has already been established: the audience members are following the influencers for reasons unrelated to any brands or sponsors.

• Expertise. Influencers are seen as having experience and knowledge about their industry or topic of choice. This expertise does not have to be professional: many beauty vloggers are not professional makeup artists or cosmetologists.

• Relatability. Influencers are approachable and accessible, albeit charismatic. Even celebrity influencers (Kylie Jenner, Cristiano Ronaldo, Chrissy Tiegen, e.g.) make efforts to humanize themselves and empathize with their audiences.

Why They Matter
Social media influencers are a major force in digital marketing. They have risen in prominence over the past decade, so this trend seems to have staying power. But why should you include these people in your marketing strategy? Here are just a few reasons to incorporate social media influencers into your marketing campaigns.

Influencers humanize your brand. As we touched on above, social media influencers are relatable. An influencer’s success (and often livelihood) depends on connecting with his or her audience. They want to be embraced by their viewers and/or followers, so most of them need to prove that they are just like their viewers and/or followers. True, there are social media influencers who seem more perfect than others, but even these models will put a face to your brand. Whether an influencer is relatable or aspirational, your brand will be humanized by the connection with a real person.

People trust peers more than companies. Who is more trustworthy: your neighbor or an ad? Your boss or a commercial? A friendly acquaintance or an anonymous stranger? Time and time again, studies have shown that people put more stock in the recommendations of their peers than in a corporate advertisement. Experience is the best teacher, so why wouldn’t you rely on an experienced source who you already trust? Even though followers might not have ever had any personal interactions (i.e., meeting the influencer in person or having an actual conversation with that person directly), they still see an influencer as their peer.

Influencers are better able to reach an audience. Influencers already have a following of their own. Likewise, they are already sharing content that relates to your brand or to your brand’s industry. In short, their audiences are already interested in content just like yours! Social media influencers will therefore be better equipped to reach your target audience than traditional advertisements. Additionally, their audiences seek out the influencers content. These followers are actively trying to engage and consume content that will help further your branding and your marketing goals!

Influencers and marketers have long-term relationships. Social media influencers should be part of your longterm strategy, not just one campaign. Influencers will likely stick to the same or similar content and audiences over the course of several years: your brand will be able to grow with them. You can actually build a relationship with an influencer, using that influencer as a resource repeatedly.

In our next blog, we’ll discuss the different types of social media influencers and help you determine which is best for your brand.

Would you like to unleash the power of social media marketing? We can help! Visit us today to arrange your free consultation!

Our friends at Mobile Monkey have some wonderful influencer tools and tactics that you should check out! You can learn more by visiting them by clicking here!

The Ultimate Monthly Checklist for Growing Your YouTube Channel

By Christopher Tompkins

26Jun

Social Media, YouTube

So, do you feel like an official YouTuber yet? You’ve been consistently filming new videos, are checking your analytics every now and then, and are even sharing your content on your other social media platforms—go you! But let’s not forget about one thing: The work doesn’t stop here. A YouTube channel doesn’t get successful overnight, and it won’t continue to be successful if it’s not given the TLC it needs. So, how can you ensure you’ll keep a steady trend of growth on your channel? By making sure you hit these checkpoints every month:

1. Formulate a new content strategy.
No one watches the same video over and over again forever, so why would you keep your content strategy the same every month? It’s always best to switch things up! But let’s get one thing clear—you shouldn’t switch up your content strategy “just because”. Don’t throw some adorable puppies into your video “just because” it’s popular on YouTube. Think back to your analytics; see what your audience is responding to and how you can get them to keep coming back.

For example, if my company, The Go! Agency, was going to upload a new video, I would consider what my audience is already responding to. If my “3 Steps for Successful Copywriting” video was a hit last month, I might consider breaking that down into an entire series. It all depends on what my audience is engaging with.

Furthermore, when it comes to creating a content strategy, it’s important to actually block out some time where you’ll be able to get creative. Add the exact date and time to your Google calendar, write it down in your notebook, or do whatever else you find will help you remember to come up with a strategy for the month.

2. Curate relevant content.
Remember how I mentioned that it’s a good idea to curate videos from other channels to add to your playlists (so long as they suit your overall brand)? Well, curating this content shouldn’t just be done on a whim—there should be a strategy for how you select videos for each playlist.

First, you’ll need to start by subscribing to other channels that create similar content to yours. From here, you might want to set aside an hour or two at the beginning of each week where you watch a few of these videos and then select the best ones to add to your playlists. Remember not to check this task off of your list too quickly—you’ll want to take your time curating only the best content.

3. Engage with your subscribers.
Your audience doesn’t just want you to talk TO them; they want you to talk WITH them. People want to feel like they are a part of an online community. So, help them experience this! Engage with your subscribers by asking them what video content they want to see next, liking and responding to their comments, and giving them shout-outs in your videos when necessary. The more they feel like they know your brand, the more they’ll want to stick around.

4. Engage with other YouTube channels.
Yes, the main group of people that you want to engage with are the ones watching your videos. However, it’s important to pay attention to what else your audience is watching. What other YouTube channels are they interested in? Whatever those are, make it a point to like their videos and comment with positive feedback. By doing this, their audience members will be more inclined to engage with your channel since it provides similar content.

5. Spy on your competition.
Keep an eye on perfect content! Look at what your competition is doing right, and get inspired to create similar content for your own channel. While you should NEVER copy anyone else’s idea to a T, you should always try to put your own spin on content that has received a lot of engagement.

Also, it’s crucial that you take a look at how your competition is engaging with their audience. How are they responding to comments? What are they doing that’s different from your current strategy?

6. Pre-film enough videos.
Feeling like you’ll soon need a break from content creation? While you never want to film videos to the point of burnout, you also can’t leave your audience hanging. Every month, make it a point to film 3 to 4 extra videos that you know can be uploaded in case you’re unable to create “new” content. Make sure that these videos are evergreen, as you’ll want to be able to post these at any time.

7. Stick to a regular upload schedule.
Do you ever see those YouTubers whose upload schedules are all over the place? If it annoys you, it definitely annoys the rest of their audience. That’s why you need to stick with a regular upload schedule! But don’t just pull days and times out of thin air; remember to look at your analytics and see when your audience responds to videos best.

Do you need more advice on how to continue growing your YouTube channel? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

No Time to Create a YouTube Video? Try This!

By Christopher Tompkins

24Jun

Social Media, YouTube

Are you hitting a wall when it comes to producing new video content? This is typical for many businesses. At the end of the day, producing quality videos takes time – and you need to focus on running your business! So what do you do when you don’t have enough time to create regular video content to keep your YouTube channel engaging for your subscribers?

Let me introduce you to YouTube playlists and the secret to curated video content!

What are YouTube playlists and why are they beneficial?
Playlists are a way of organizing videos on your channel around a specific topic, keyword, service, product, and much more – whichever works best for your brand. For example, if you are in charge of a restaurant’s YouTube channel, you might have your videos organized into the following playlists: How-To’s, Today’s Special, Chef’s Kitchen, and Quick Recipe Tips.

While it is optimal to add your own videos to your playlists, you can also curate videos from other YouTube channels.

Just think about it. You share content on your various social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and many times you are sharing articles or content that you found online which is from another source. The reason you share it is that not only will your audience enjoy the content and engage with it, but it also helps you keep up with consistently posting to your social media channels.

My top tip is that when looking for videos to curate and add to your playlists, you make sure that these videos already have a high level of engagement and views. This illustrates there is already a proven audience for the video and it may bring a bit more shine to your own channel. The more regularly that you execute this process, the more alive your channel will look. It is the perfect go-to when you don’t have the time to produce your own original content.

The only catch? While you can easily find videos that look like they are suitable for your playlists at first blush, make sure that you watch them from start to finish. They need to be on brand and have a message that dovetails nicely to your own branded voice. Sometimes even the most seemingly perfect video could have some negatives lurking somewhere in the middle or end.

Ok – let’s get you started!

How do you create a YouTube playlist?
Now that you’re aware of all of the benefits of YouTube playlists, it’s time to learn how to put one together. Here’s the breakdown in 3 easy steps:

1. Plan the perfect playlist and name it!
For example, if I was going to do one for our company, The Go! Agency, as we are a digital marketing agency I may focus on the following playlists: Social Media Tips, Website Design Hacks, Organization Tips, Copywriting Handbook, etc. Naming your YouTube playlist “How-to’s” is a fine start, but it’s just not strong enough. Think of how users would find your videos. What topics would they search for? You need to make sure that your playlist name is keyword-rich. Therefore “How-to’s: Cake Decorating” could be a stronger choice.

2. Seek and find suitable, and proven, content.
It’s time to start filling those playlists. Search YouTube for videos that are suitable for the playlists (new or old). For example, if I am going to add a video to the Copywriting Handbook playlist, I would use the search term “copywriting secrets” or “copywriting tips”. Then I would look through the results and choose the videos with the most engagement/views and watch them. If they fit my brand, I would then click the “add to” button underneath the video, and either add it to an existing playlist, or choose “Create new playlist.” Name your playlist accordingly – and you are ready to go and find your next video!

3. Keep it up kid!
So you have logged into YouTube, curated some videos, added them to playlists (or created new playlists), and you are….eh….done? Nope! You need to do this on a regular basis! I would suggest adding this curation process to your regular marketing schedule and add a specific number of videos to your playlists every week. Only do what you can handle. Be realistic as always. Biting off more than you can chew will definitely cause early burnout!

Curating video content is a great shortcut when it comes to brightening up your YouTube channel. While this does not excuse you from creating your own original content 100%, it gives you a little bit of a buffer to create a more cohesive content mix as well as share content that your audience will be eager to watch and engage with!

Do you still need some extra help when it comes to organizing your YouTube channel? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

How to Track Your YouTube Channel’s Performance

By Christopher Tompkins

19Jun

Social Media, YouTube

YouTube success doesn’t just happen over night. It takes hard work, patience, and you guessed it—keeping track of your analytics! As we discussed in last week’s blog, it’s vital to formulate your SMART goals in order to establish what you want your YouTube marketing strategy to do for you.

Now that you’ve filmed a few videos, uploaded them to YouTube, and are promoting those videos on other social media platforms, it’s time to see if you’re on track to meet these goals. Of course, your business’s SMART goals will be different from other’s; however, it’s important to keep records of all of the data so that you’re able to see what changes you need to make next. In this blog, I’ll teach you the core metrics you need to be aware of when it comes to tracking your channel’s performance.

Understanding the Creator Studio
From earnings reports to watch time reports, YouTube analytics has every single piece of data imaginable to help you see if your channel is steadily growing or if it needs some work. To access this data, make sure you’re logged into your YouTube account, then go to YouTube.com/analytics. From here, you’re able to view a variety of important analytics such as these:

1. Interaction Reports
Interaction reports contain information regarding subscriber count, likes and dislikes, favorites, comments, shares, and more. Although many of these metrics seem like fluff, they are extremely important when it comes to understanding how your audience is interacting with you, and how you can better interact with your audience. With metrics like these, you want to make sure you’re being a good social listener; this means that you’re hearing what your audience is saying, and then responding appropriately.

For example, if you see that your subscriber count increased after posting a certain video, try to post more on a similar topic. If you’ve been reading through your comments and see that many people want you to make a video on a topic you’ve never discussed before, don’t be afraid to give it a go! On the flip side, if you see that your subscriber count dropped during a certain period of time, this might be due to the content you posted, or the lack thereof.

2. Watch Time Reports
Analyzing your watch time reports is vital when it comes to understanding the average amount of time your viewers watch your videos. While it’s said that the average human attention span only lasts for about 8 seconds, this doesn’t mean that you need to be making 8 second YouTube videos. Take a quick look at your absolute audience retention and your relative audience retention to see the most-watched moments of your videos and compare how well a certain video is doing in relation to similar videos on YouTube.

If the majority of your audience is skipping through the first few minutes of your video to get to the middle, or they’re leaving within those first few minutes, you might want to consider skipping your introduction all together. Furthermore, if a certain video of yours isn’t doing well in relation to similar content on YouTube, you might want to brainstorm how you can switch things up.

3. Revenue Reports
Who doesn’t want to see how much money they’re making, right? YouTube analytics provides a helpful estimated revenue report as well as a finalized earnings report for Adsense payments. With these reports, you can view your total estimated earnings from all Google-sold advertising and non-advertising sources.

YouTube analytics also provides you with an ad rates report that shows how multiple ad types are performing over time. This is definitely helpful when it comes to choosing the right ads for your audience!

Keep An Eye on Your Data
While you may be overwhelmed looking at all of this data, it’s important to analyze it so that you can continue to build your business on YouTube. And don’t go into panic mode if you see that you didn’t reach a majority of your goals; remember that social media marketing is all about trial and error. If you find that something didn’t work this time, don’t be afraid to try something new!

Do you need more guidance on how to track your YouTube channel’s performance? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

So You’ve Created Your First YouTube Video…Now What?

By Christopher Tompkins

17Jun

Social Media, YouTube

Congrats! You’ve completed filming your first YouTube video, uploaded it, and it’s now out for others to view. However, this isn’t the end of the road. Now that you’ve created content, it’s time to promote it. If you’re not sure where to start, don’t worry—I’ve got a few strategies to share with you!

Where to Promote Your YouTube Videos
With over 300 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, it’s easy for viewers to get lost in a sea of content. In order to make sure your videos are visible, it’s crucial to inform your audience when you upload a new video to your channel. So, how exactly do you go about doing this? Here are a few key suggestions:

Share Videos on Other Social Media Platforms
Cross-promotion will be essential when it comes to getting the word out about your videos. This means promoting your videos on different social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. One way to do this is by sharing videos on these platforms.

When getting ready to share a video, make sure that you’re logged into your YouTube account as well as the social media site you’d like to promote your video on. After that, select your video on YouTube, click the SHARE button that’s right underneath the video title, and choose the platform you’d like to share on. From here, you should be directed to another window that will allow you to write a small description and then post your video on the social media platform.

While this is the easy route, there are a few exceptions when it comes to sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Both platforms favor native video, or video that auto-plays within the newsfeed. Because of this, it’s essential to directly post videos to these platforms instead of sharing them via YouTube.

Send Out An Email Blast
Do you already send out a weekly newsletter to your audience? Then it’s only common sense to promote your YouTube videos within these emails! The best way to do this is through an email blast that’s sent to subscribers whenever a new video has been uploaded.

While it’s possible to simply share the link to your video within the email, it’s best to spice things up a bit. With the exception of gmail, you can’t embed YouTube videos into an email. This means that your fancy thumbnail won’t pop up when you paste your link in the body of the email. If this is the case for you, make sure to create a thumbnail image of the video by taking a screenshot of it in full-screen mode, placing that screenshot in the email, and then creating a link for it.

Note: To make life a little easier, be sure that your email provider supports HTML elements. This will allow you to add in those clickable links or thumbnails.

Promote Your YouTube Channel on Your Blog
A blog is one of the best places to show off your YouTube channel and notify your audience when a new upload is live. To do this successfully, start by adding a YouTube subscribe button to the sidebar of your blog. This can easily be done through an embed code generator. It’s also a great idea to hyperlink or embed your videos within blog posts whenever it’s relevant. Make it a priority to create a separate page on your blog site where all of these videos will live, or post these in your about section.

It’s Time to Get Started
Now that you’re aware of how to promote your YouTube videos, it’s time to put that knowledge into action! But don’t get too overwhelmed; start with one platform at a time and work your way through the rest. The important thing is that more and more people will become aware of your content as time goes on.

Do you need more guidance on how to promote your YouTube videos and make your channel a success? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

What to Know Before Filming Your First YouTube Video

By Christopher Tompkins

12Jun

Social Media, YouTube

Contrary to popular belief, most of the work behind YouTube marketing happens when the camera’s turned off. With that in mind, it’s important to have a plan of attack before you decide to start recording.

Once you’ve got a plan, you can look at the more technical aspects of what goes into making a YouTube video. Here are some factors that you’ll need to be aware of!

Length
The number one mistake that I see first-time YouTube marketers make is producing painfully long videos. When you first sign up for YouTube, your videos will be limited by a 15-minute cap. That is NOT an invitation to send out a 15-minute long video, though!

Generally, you want to err on the shorter side for your video length. Statistically, you want to produce videos that are two minutes long, at most. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but remember that a lot of YouTube’s (and video marketing in general) appeal is that it’s saving your user time. If it’s going to take your user 8 minutes to read a blog post, what’s the incentive to watch a 9 minute video on the same topic?

If that doesn’t sound like enough time to delve into your chosen topic, then you need to find a way to get to the meat of the issue faster. Viewers aren’t going to wait for you to get to the point, so it’s your duty to keep videos short and sweet.

As an aside: This doesn’t mean that producing a video should only take twenty minutes! Take as much time to film as you need, then edit it down from there. “My video is only two minutes” isn’t a reason to rush production!

Video Styles
Next, you’ll want to consider the type of video you want to make. YouTube has become famous as a comedy hub, but that probably isn’t the best route for your brand. Selling your business in a comedy video is no small ask, and I’ve very rarely seen it done effectively.

Instead, you should consider formats that will let you be informative. That doesn’t mean that they should be tiny rants (you still need to be engaging), but it’s perfectly fine to make a YouTube video that aims to educate more than entertain. With this style, there are a few that I’ve established as easy go-tos:

Insider Secrets
Overviews/Breakdowns
How-Tos
Q&As

These formats naturally lend themselves to being concise and packed with information, so these are where you’ll want to get started. Feel free to expand the format of your videos as you grow, but I’d strongly recommend keeping it simple as you start. YouTube marketing is hard enough when you’re just doing the basics!

Technical Formats
The work isn’t done once you’ve finished recording and editing, though. It’s important to remember that YouTube won’t accept just any file formats, either. Before you go to upload your first YouTube video, make sure it’s in one of the following file formats:

.MOV
.MPEG4
.MP4
.AVI
.WMV
.MPEGPS
.FLV
3GPP
WebM
DNxHR
ProRes
CineForm
HEVC (h265)

Hit Record
Now that you’ve done the above, you’re finally ready for the “easy” part: filming the YouTube video. I know this is a lot of time and effort before you’ve even picked up a camera, but this is just what it takes to have a successful YouTube marketing campaign. So take this information and get started!

Do you need more guidance on starting your YouTube marketing campaign? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

How to Get Started With YouTube Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

10Jun

Social Media, YouTube

I’ve already talked a lot about why YouTube marketing is worth the investment, so now I want to explain how you can get started on the platform.

I know it can be intimidating to transition to video marketing, but remember that this is a step your local business NEEDS to take! With that said, let’s talk about the first steps in setting up YouTube marketing for your business.

Set SMART Goals
Before you create your channel, you need to figure out what you want YouTube marketing to do for you. In my experience, the best way to plan your marketing strategy is to align it with SMART goals. Here’s a breakdown of what that will look like:

Specific: Saying “I want to make more money” is not a goal, it’s a wish. If you don’t specify exactly what you want to happen, then there will be no way to determine whether or not your plan succeeded. When setting this goal, instead of saying, “I want to make more money,” you might say, “I want to drive traffic to my website from my YouTube videos.”
Measurable: Of course, just saying that you want to drive traffic to your website isn’t quite enough, either. If you get 1 click to your website from YouTube, does that mean your plan was successful? Probably not. That’s why you need to specify an exact number that you’re aiming for. To improve the current goal, you could edit it to be, “I want to drive 10,000 new visitors to my website from YouTube.”
Attainable: There’s no sense in setting yourself up for failure. If you’ve got 0 followers and no prior videos, then expecting 10,000 clicks to your website probably isn’t realistic. To make this goal more realistic, you could change it to, “I want to drive 200 new visitors to my website from YouTube.”
Relevant: Is your current goal going to help you reach your overall marketing goals? If you’re looking to drive engagement and positive sentiment with your brand, then it doesn’t really make sense to focus on clicks to the website. But if you’re looking to generate sales and conversions, then so far you’ve got a good YouTube marketing goal.
Timely: How quickly do you need to reach that number to consider your goal a success? Because earning 200 clicks in a week and earning 200 clicks in a year are very different results. For the final edit to this goal, you could say, “I want to drive 200 new visitors to my website from YouTube within the first month of YouTube marketing.”

That’s how you set a real goal that will prove valuable to your marketing strategy. Even if you fail to reach it, you’ll have a much easier time determining what went wrong. Nobody starts out perfect, so set these goals to test yourself and find ways to improve!

Commit to a Schedule
Posting content isn’t something that you can just do whenever it’s convenient. You need to establish and maintain a regular posting schedule if you want to grow your YouTube following. At the beginning, this will mean a lot of testing to see on which days your videos perform best, but there should be a regular schedule once you’ve figured that out.

When you have a regular posting schedule, it’s much easier for followers to engage with your content because they know when to expect it. When you drop the ball, they lose faith in your brand, so be sure to set a schedule that you can reasonably handle!

Take the First Steps
These are the basics that need to be established before you can really delve into YouTube marketing. Stay tuned for Wednesday’s blog where I’ll go into the nitty gritty of making your first YouTube video!

Need some help setting up YouTube marketing? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

The Power of YouTube Advertising

By Christopher Tompkins

5Jun

Advertising, Social Media, YouTube

Does your advertising routine feel a little stale?

I find that clients who are only advertising on one platform tend to get pretty sub-par results. Sure, advertising anywhere is much better than no advertising, but it’s definitely worth the investment to expand your efforts every now and then.

I’ve written a lot on the benefits of Facebook ads, but I realized that I haven’t really delved into the power of YouTube advertising. Let’s fix that!

Reaching Your Audience
With over 1 billion users, YouTube is sure to have viewers from your target audience. Obviously you don’t want your local business to market to tweens in Taiwan, which is why YouTube’s targeting options make it easy to get your ad in front of the right audience.

YouTube lets you place your ads based on demographics, location, interests, and viewing device, which gives you a lot of room to get creative. One noteworthy filter is that you can set the times that your ad runs. That means that if my first video ad is getting a lot of traction at 10:00pm and nothing at 6:00am, I know that my next ad needs to run in the evening and not early in the morning. These are the kind of campaign alterations that make YouTube’s targeting so valuable!

And this isn’t even to talk about YouTube’s advanced targeting options. YouTube allows you to create custom affinity audiences, which are audiences made of people who have already shown an interest in your kind of product/service. For example, if you were selling clothes for young women, you’d normally only be able to get as specific as “18-25 year old women making $X per year, etc.” Custom affinity audiences let you zero into the specifics that really make a sale, and you could target that same audience, but this time you could show your ad only to young women who like floral dresses. Yes, it gets that specific, and yes, you should be using it!

Saving Adspend Budget
YouTube is also a great platform for stretching your adspend dollar. While other platforms generally have you pay per click, YouTube only charges you when someone clicks on your ad or watches the entire thing (i.e. doesn’t hit the “skip” button). That means that you’re only paying to put your money in front of people who are engaged with your content and want to see more!

This is especially helpful when it comes to targeting. Yes, YouTube has great targeting options, but getting it 100% right is tricky, especially if you’re not a professional marketer. With these ads, though, even if you accidentally reach a few people who aren’t in your target audience, you won’t end up paying for that view since they’ll just skip your ad and save you the money!

Influencing Buyers
YouTube is one of the most effective platforms for convincing users to make purchases. One YouTube Insights report showed that 66% of beauty product purchasers, 72% of auto-vehicle purchasers, and 62% of smartphone purchasers were influenced by what they saw on YouTube. Why? It helped them “visualize how products fit into their lives.” That’s not something that you can easily replicate on another platform, people!

Compelling copy and engaging visuals are great—nobody is doubting that. But there’s something about seeing a product or service in action for yourself that makes it much more appealing. And sure, other platforms let you advertise with video, but why wouldn’t you skip the middle man and just advertise on the world’s second most popular website?

Add YouTube Ads
I know that nobody is excited by the idea of spending more money, but remember that when YouTube ads are done well, they earn you much more than you spend. So stop waiting! Make a move and use this untapped resource!

Do you need some help planning your YouTube ads? Schedule your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

The Hidden Value of YouTube Marketing

By Christopher Tompkins

3Jun

Social Media, YouTube

I get a lot of questions about Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc., but everyone seems strangely quiet on YouTube marketing and I can’t figure out why. It’s the second largest search engine, so why wouldn’t you want to put your brand on there for some easy reach and engagement?

My best guess is that people just don’t realize what a massive impact YouTube can have on their social media marketing, so I’m going to fix that! For all of you who need convincing, here’s why YouTube can add a ton of marketing value to your campaigns!

Building Brand Awareness
Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t just funny content that succeeds on YouTube. Your content has to be engaging, but you can see real results with videos that are informational rather than comedic. That means that how-to videos and other informational content are great ways to build your online following!

Going Viral
YouTube first became famous as the home of viral videos. When a video gets millions of views, it’s a safe bet that YouTube is the platform earning it all of that attention. YouTube also integrates well with sites like Facebook and Instagram, so you can post branded videos then easily promote them across platforms. Directing people to your YouTube video is one of the most effective ways to take advantage of YouTube’s massive audience while utilizing your existing social channels!

Tracking Metrics
While you can track video metrics on Facebook and Instagram, YouTube certainly gives you many more options. Where you can normally only view metrics such as likes, comments, etc., YouTube tracks when people stopped watching your videos, which can be invaluable when looking to improve your online content. That isn’t even to mention the specific demographic information, traffic sources, and a lot more!

Boosting SEO
Since Google bought YouTube in 2006, YouTube has enjoyed a high ranking with Google’s SEO that makes video content on the platform more likely to land on Google’s front page. But this isn’t just about coasting ahead of your competitors—it’s about staying relevant. Projections show that by 2021, 80% of all internet traffic will be video. If you’re not starting now and working out the kinks, you’re going to fall behind!

Saving Marketing Budget
YouTube doesn’t charge a dime to post as many videos as you want—that’s an opportunity worth taking advantage of! Traditional ad campaigns can be costly, but this is a way to get your video content in front of millions without wasting money on boosting your videos. Don’t misunderstand me though. This is not an excuse to treat YouTube like a cheap side project, and the money you save should be going back into increasing your video production quality!

Earning ROI
Don’t think that these just sound good in theory, either. Like any marketing venture, YouTube is only worth it if you can see a positive ROI. Good news: 78% of marketers get good ROI from video marketing. And as a marketer, I can confidently say that the other 22% aren’t doing it right!

Give YouTube the Attention It Deserves
I know it’s a popular opinion that YouTube marketing is optional, but the data just doesn’t support that conclusion. It’s time to take a serious look at what your business stands to gain with YouTube marketing. Make a move now, before your competitors beat you to the punch!

You know why YouTube marketing is valuable, but how do you act on that? We’ll discuss it during your free consultation with The Go! Agency!

Tag : youtube