I don’t know about you, but I have spent more time than I care to admit on YouTube. There have been more than a few instances that I went on there searching for something specific only to get lost in the various entertaining and hilarious videos they have available. Seriously, I’ve spent hours on there at a time, just passing time--or, as some people call it, procrastinating. Gotta love college.
Anyway, there have been other times that I have used YouTube for more practical purposes. For instance, I recently sold my old car and needed to fix one of the mirrors on it before putting it up for sale. I am by no means a car expert (gas on the right, brake on the left) so I used a YouTube video for step-by-step instructions on how to dismantle my car’s door frame and replace the passenger side mirror.
Although the process was a complete pain in the ass, it made me think of something: just how many people are going on YouTube for a guide to do something, or for more information about a product?
I mean, YouTube IS the 2nd-largest search engine on the internet, processing over 3 billion searches every month.
So I took to Google to answer my question. Funny, right? I went to an alternative search engine to find statistics on another search engine. But what I found was quite interesting, and Search Engine Land actually did a study on YouTube and “how to” searches. Here’s what they found:
- Searches for “how to” videos on YouTube are growing...big time. Almost 70% per year.
- 100 million hours of “how to” videos were watched in the first four and a half months of 2015.
- 67% of Millennials feel they can find a YouTube video for anything they want to learn.
So how does this affect your business? Well, to put it simply, it is yet another avenue for you to connect to your customers, your potential customers, and even those people who don’t even know who you are (yet).
How YouTube Helps Businesses Online
If someone is interested in the product or service you have to offer, and they know that you are offering it, chances are they’re going to go online and do a search for your company. Considering YouTube is owned by Google, your YouTube channel (if established) is going to show up in their search.
This provides an excellent time to educate your customer/lead.
Maybe they’re looking for senior living options for their parent(s) and they want to see a quick video of your campus and what it’s like to live there before scheduling a tour. Your videos on YouTube can provide that. Maybe they want to know more about the product that you offer--how it works and how it will benefit them. Your videos on YouTube can provide that.
You Should Use YouTube As ME-Tube
Creating videos and putting them on YouTube has a variety of benefits. First, they make your company seem more human, and customers LOVE that. Videos also are excellent opportunities for you to be promotional and really let them know why they should choose you.
When it comes to sales, people who watched a product video online are 85% more likely to complete the purchase than those who did not. And here’s the kicker: consumers love video. It’s engaging and gets them the information they want without reading boring text.
Best of all…
You can embed your YouTube videos on your website, and from there just watch your numbers improve. Studies have found that websites with videos attract 3 times as many visitors. Also, they stay twice as long! Not to mention the search engine help: websites with videos average an increase of 157% in organic traffic. Don’t forget, Google owns YouTube, and Google owns the search engine world. It’s a match made in heaven.
So what’s stopping you from using video in your marketing? Whatever roadblock you can think of, Marketing Essentials can help knock it down. Contact a Digital Strategist today and learn how easy and effective video can be. Give us a call at 419.629.0080, and be sure to check out the infographic below, “The Importance of Diversified Content to Increase Your Traffic.”
