Ten Things NOT to do While Using YouTube

So your business has taken the plunge and opened up a YouTube account. YouTube can be an amazing marketing tool, allowing you to not only showcase your product or service, but to attract and retain new customers.

YouTube can have great results for your company as long as you avoid the following pitfalls:

1. Don’t forget to brand your page. A well branded page can increase recognition and retention. Consider a custom background, and always be sure to include your website to link customers back to your business.

2. Don’t leave them hanging. If someone takes the time to leave a comment or question, be sure to get back to them in a timely manner. Even negative feedback can provide a great opportunity for discussion, and for letting people know more about your brand. But be sure to carefully monitor for offensive/abusive comments and remove them immediately to keep your pages family friendly.

3. Pay attention to quality. Don’t hastily shoot a poor quality video just for the sake of being on YouTube. Make sure that your segments have good viewing quality and sound, or your viewers won’t watch.

4. Don’t be ego-centric. You know that your product or service is amazing, and you want to tell people. But to be successful on YouTube, you really need to consider what your viewers want to know. Think about what information your (potential) customers are looking for and start there.

5. Don’t skimp on keywords. Keywords and tags are the best way to attract people to your video. Using appropriate keywords can mean the difference between being seen or being passed over. Need help with your keywords and tags? Visit YouTube’s keyword tool: https://ads.youtube.com/keyword_tool

6. Don’t overlook the power of a good how-to video. This related back to #4, but is really so important. Companies sometimes shy away from how-to videos in favour of snappier content, but for product demonstration they really are second-to-none.

7. Don’t expect it to go viral. I hate to break it to you, but chances of your video going viral are very (very) slim. Instead of trying to make a video that you think will go viral, make one that will be useful and engaging for your viewers.

8. Don’t forget to say thank you. We all have customer appreciation days, or donor appreciation letters. Why not transform that love into a video?

9. Don’t forget about the law. Using music in your video? Don’t forget to buy the rights to use it. You don’t want to make an amazing video only to have it taken down due to copyright infringement, do you?

10. Don’t give up! Don’t be discouraged if your news get off to a slow start. It’s better to have a solid viewing base than one viral hit, and the best way to build that base is by consistently making and uploading videos. Keep trying.