When YouTube first exploded anyone who wasn’t classed within the viewing demographic of “millennials”, must have seem mystified by a platform that was engaging audiences with self-filmed content, recordings of games and music videos.

Today this platform engages audiences for longer than traditional TV shows, and is the perfect way to engage with audiences in ways that didn’t seem possible before...

The way people watch, consume and share online video is constantly evolving. People watching YouTube are more likely to be engrossed for longer periods of time, and more likely to be paying attention than anywhere else online.

Why?

Think about how you use your phone. YouTube's user behaviour is key for the platform, and unlike other social outlets, people are going to YouTube for a reason. They want to know ‘How to’, they want to catch-up with their favourite vlogger, and unlike other platforms that display video content, they’ve come purely to watch a video. This may sound obvious, but this is why the platform is perfect for storytelling and engagement; and a fond favourite with advertisers. Why is it a fond favourite? It's a platform that can spark emotion unlike any other because it relies on igniting lots of different senses, and feelings - perfect for brand recall!

YouTube viewers are driven by intention, and these viewers give attention like no other user group on social channels. Put simply, if your brand isn’t on YouTube it should be seriously considered. YouTube is an increasingly effective platform because it has the potential to influence viewers throughout the whole purchase journey.

The key with your YouTube strategy is to think about what your story is. YouTube viewers value authenticity and reliability. As a result brands and businesses really need to really think about their brand proposition on the platform. What is something unique that you can offer the viewer? What content can push users down the buying funnel? What content has the potential to be shared?

Let’s take a company that sells blenders for example. Sounds boring right? Well actually, you’re wrong! In the early days, Blendtec hired a Marketing Manager called George Wright, and one day he watched Blendtec founder Tom Dickson testing the blender... This led to a lightbulb moment. George went out and brought some old style marbles, and filmed Tom blending them... ‘Will it blend?’ was born. This went on to be a viral sensation and increased sales of the blender by over 700%.

With over 10,000 subscribers, Halifax are also making waves by creating engaging video content. They've specifically targeted a younger demographic through producing a series of advice videos.

The Jargon Buster series, and the Halifax team money series, both give key financial advice, while also being authentic and useful for viewer search queries.

Once you have your video content down it’s all about constantly posting and creating a community. However, many people forget the step that comes before this. You’ve spent loads of time creating content, getting the message right, and making sure it fits with your strategy, to then put it out without the right kind of optimisation.

This is where we come in to help! Optimisation is so important. With so much video content uploaded every single day, you need to give your content the best possible chance of being seen. It only takes a few easy steps to help you come up higher in search results and appear for suggested videos...

Here's Abi talking about the secret to YouTube success at a recent event!