YouTube is a video sharing site that works similar to a video search engine. YouTube differs from a video search engine because it does not utilize crawlers to search the internet for videos. Instead, YouTube relies on users to upload their own video files. Like most social media sites YouTube is a great resource for free marketing. Anyone with an account can upload a YouTube video, the real goal is to increase your presence and offer value or entertainment to the other users. The following tips focus on the various aspects of YouTube video optimization and are designed to increase your YouTube marketing efforts.
from http://www.youtube.com/ July 2011
Increasing Search Success:
Similar to Search Engine Optimization, one of your objectives is to use terms that your customers are searching for. Using the same words or phrases that are being searched for will make your video much easier to locate. Although they are not specifically designed for YouTube, some of the same tools used for SEO keyword research can also help generate some popular video search terms. With any marketing the step of selecting the right trigger words is vital either with or without the help of a keyword tool.
When it comes to keyword research and competitive analysis users can also gather information in a number of other ways. For example when performing a search on YouTube you can begin your research by paying attention to the auto suggestions that appear when typing. The auto suggestions identify the terms that other users have recently searched for that relate to your video’s topic. Gathering search patterns surrounding your topic enables you to target your audience more appropriately and will guide more traffic to your content. In addition to the search suggestions, YouTube also provides a list of related terms. Along with the related videos and search suggestion a marketer can also take cues from their competition. Performing competitive analysis by viewing the most popular videos on your subject is a sure fire way to generate new ideas and guide you in the right direction.
Optimizing Context:
Optimizing the context of your video refers to establishing the framework or environment of your content. Again this focuses on optimizing the headline of your video but also takes into account the video’s description and tags as well. The context is the background of your video and incorporating the same keywords or focus terms will increase the video’s visibility and usefulness. The best way to gain exposure and to help users discover your content is to incorporate accurate titles, descriptions, and tags.
Optimizing Content:
With content optimization the focus shifts from helping users locate your content to retaining those viewers. Once a user finds your video it should contain compelling content in order to keep gaining attention or repeat visits. With YouTube you can set up a YouTube Channel, provide users a video subscription, and build a following. Having a Channel will let you create a profile where you can interact with your audience and showcase all the videos in one place. When people visit your channel they are able to get an immediate impression of you, your business, and the content you provide.
Optimizing Production:
In order to optimize the actual video YouTube provides the following specifications.
- Video Format: H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 preferred
- Aspect Ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
- Resolution: 640×360 (16:9) or 480×360 (4:3) recommended
- Audio Format: MP3 or AAC preferred
- Frames per second: 30
- Maximum length: 10 minutes (we recommend 2-3 minutes)
- Maximum file size: 1 GB
Attracting Attention:
When creating a video remember that your content needs to be engaging, entertaining, useful, or informative. Like in most situations, YouTube has users who are followers and users that are influencers. The best results occur when you are able to appeal your content to an influencer. An influencer or opinion leader is often someone who is very vocal in the community, has a large following, and is someone whose opinions are valued. You can often identify opinion leaders by viewing the initial comments and profiles on related videos. You can even seek them out by subscribing to their video channel or sending them a direct message. Once you gain the attention of an opinion leader they will then transfer your content to their own followers and continue to spread your message.
Advertising Your Business:
Along with creating your own YouTube Channel you can also link your business’s website to the account. A successful YouTube video or channel will be able to convert viewers into website visitors and hopefully website visitors into customers. In addition to the video a user can also attach an in-video advertisement to entice users to visit their site. For example, this in context approach of advertising would advertise a CD for a song that is playing in the video. The advertisement for the CD would display at the bottom of the video screen and would let users close the ad or access the merchant’s website from the link.
Analyzing Results:
YouTube also offers a free Analytics tool called Insight to anyone with an account. Insight is a great way to track and monitor your performance on YouTube and within the YouTube community. The application tells you how many users have viewed your video, where they are viewing it from, how they got to your video, the popularity of your video compared to others, the hotspots of your video, and many other statistics. YouTube analytics allows users to see where they are doing well and what they need to improve. Keep in mind that it isn’t all about analytics for YouTube and that you should also monitor your business and company website for any improvements as well. The whole point of any form of marketing is to attract customers and increase business, so if your videos aren’t driving in the necessary traffic to your website then it might be time change your approach.
Benefiting From YouTube:
In addition to showcasing your business and providing customers with an inlet to your company website, YouTube also prevents your own website’s bandwidth from being consumed. YouTube will generate more visibility for your website and will help it rank in better in Google. In general the YouTube media outlet is a tremendous resource to reach your current and future customers.
Every minute over 13 hours of video are uploaded onto YouTube which is why YouTube video optimization is so important. Remember, in order to get noticed and make a difference your videos should always present viewers with accessibility, relevance, and quality. To learn more visit About YouTube.
Thanks for reading!
Dustin
Tags: Internet Marketing, marketing, Video, video optimization, YouTube, YouTube advertising, YouTube video
