The first YouTube video was titled “Me at the zoo” and was uploaded on April 23, 2005. Nearly 15 years later, and there are now billions of videos on the platform. But the question that I get asked a lot from clients is, “is YouTube for small businesses worth it?” What may seem like a website filled with funny animal videos, gaming guides, memes, comedy sketches, food recipes, and movie reviews, business across the globe are starting to realize how big of a player YouTube is in the digital space.
Think about these facts for a minute:
- Over 1.3 billion people use YouTube.
- Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day.
- YouTube gets over 30 million visitors per day.
- 6 out of 10 people prefer online video platforms to live TV.
- The average mobile viewing session lasts more than 40 minutes.
Advertising through radio, TV, and search engines has been popular for years now, but what do they all have in common with the above stats that I just listed? Why do businesses continue to throw their dollars into these platforms? Businesses invest into these platforms because they are being used by millions of people, and businesses have seen success in converting your average consumer into customers. That’s the common denominate between all the above, there are millions of people to convert into customers. YouTube for small businesses should thus be no different.
A more pressing question you should be asking yourself is whether it’s worth to advertise on radio or TV even anymore. With 6 out of 10 people preferring online video over TV, it’d be hard to not use YouTube as part of your marketing plan. 9% of U.S small businesses use YouTube already, and their jumping on-ship to grab those eyeballs that are watching YouTube for more than 40 minutes. 40 minutes is a long time, and you can watch a good number of videos depending on length. Who’s to say that yours can’t be among the mix? Using YouTube for small businesses is just another avenue to capture leads and potential customers.
The statistics should speak for themselves but view YouTube as just another platform that your average user visits to spend their time. The same way we go to the mall to spend our time and maybe purchase some new clothes, is the same way someone might be looking for some new yoga classes or help on fixing their car through Google search. YouTube is a search engine, and in fact, it’s the second largest search engine in the world. People are constantly searching for different topics, and users receive their information through video. So if YouTube is just another way to deliver information to the user, just as a website is, or just as the mall delivers products to the consumer, why would it not be worth to invest some efforts into YouTube?
YouTube allows creators and small businesses to share information, spread their message, change lives, and deliver their services through video. If you can particularly create good video, then you’ll have users coming back to your channel for more videos. This can turn them into a loyal subscriber, in which case from that moment on, they’ll see every one of your videos and posts that you upload to the platform. It’s essentially free advertising in a way after you’ve converted the user to a subscriber. In my book, that’s invaluable, and it should be in yours too. If you’re not using video or YouTube already as part of your business, you’re missing out. It’s easy to start a channel on YouTube, and you can even upload some of those older videos you have already on Facebook or your website to get your channel started with some content.
If you’re looking for additional help, coming up with a winning video strategy, or integrating YouTube into your social media outlets or website, feel free to contact us. We specialize in YouTube strategy and channel growth and have helped dozens of clients expand their reach on the platform. But if it’s one thing that you take from this article, it’s that YouTube for small business is so worth it!
