The Staff of Entrepreneur Media - Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Business

WHO WATCHES ON-DEMAND STREAMING VIDEOS VIA YOUTUBE?

A s of mid-2017, YouTube had more than 1.3 billion active users (which is equivalent to about one-third of all internet users). With the media habits of consumers changing so rapidly, when it comes to reaching the core 18- to 34- and 18- to 49-year-old consumer groups, YouTube reaches more of these important demographics than any cable television network in the United States.

However, as a YouTube channel operator and content creator, you can also reach a global audience. YouTube operates local versions of its service in 88 countries, and users can navigate the service in more than 76 different languages in order to watch the video content they want, when and where they want to watch it.

YouTube is owned and operated by Google, which is the worlds most popular internet search engine. When it comes to consumers finding information they want online, YouTube has become the worlds second most popular search engine. When you publish a video on YouTube, not only can you attract viewers who are looking for content like what youre offering, but a search result for each of your videos will also be added to Google (often within minutes of the video being published online), which can improve your companys overall search engine optimization (SEO) and help you drive traffic and highly targeted customers to your companys website and/or YouTube channel.

In fact, to be competitive, your business must have an online presence. This means having a company website, as well as a Facebook page and Twitter account, for example. However, theres yet another resource you can inexpensively use. Its called YouTube, and its the worlds leading on-demand, streaming video service.

Virtually anyone with a high-definition video camera, webcam, smartphone, or tablet, for example, can easily record, edit, and publish videos onlineabout any topic whatsoeverthen share them with the world, or in this case, with the target or niche audience for your companys products or services.

Millions of small businesses, entrepreneurs, and organizations have discovered innovative ways to create original YouTube video-based content as a low-cost tool for building their brand, reputation, and image. Its a way to attract new customers, share information, showcase products and services, compare your products with your competitions, offer video-based tutorials about how to assemble or use your products, and share testimonials.

YouTube can also be used as a highly targeted but low-cost advertising vehicle that allows you to reach potential customers at the exact time theyre looking for information about what your company offers. Plus, if you dont want to invest the time and expense to produce your own videos, you can pay for product placements in the videos produced by high-profile YouTubers (online personalities), some of whom have millions of dedicated subscribers to their YouTube channels. You can also arrange to have your product(s) reviewed by influential YouTubers who target the same niche audience as your business.

The Ultimate Guide to YouTube for Business, Second Edition, will introduce you to just some of the ways small businesses are using YouTube as a business tool. Youll soon discover proven strategies that can help you promote your company, brand, products, or services, using high-definition video, without spending a fortune. Youll learn the best approaches to planning, creating, editing, promoting, and sharing your videos with the public, as well as how to leverage YouTubes tools to help achieve your objectives.

This book also explores ways to identify your target audience and keep them top-of-mind as you create your video content, then populate what will become your companys branded YouTube channel. Youll learn how to incorporate YouTube with your overall virtual and real-world marketing efforts so your YouTube content can complement and enhance what you may already be doing with a website, blog, electronically distributed newsletter, Facebook page, or other business-related social media presence, for example.

As youll discover, there are a handful of steps related to creating and producing the best possible video content thats targeted to your audience. From this book, youll learn about the most important pre-production, production, post-production, and promotional tasks required to create successful YouTube videos, then learn how to use free online-based tools to help you measure and track the reach and traction your videos have when it comes to people viewing your content. For example, youll discover easy ways to enhance each viewers quality of engagement as they watch your YouTube content.