YouTube is a great way to attract customers to your brick and mortar store. More and more local business owners are joining in the process. Because of the way Google is handling search, search is becoming more local centric every single day. Posting just YouTube videos may not be enough to get the kind of traffic to your business that you want. It’s also important to follow some basic optimization of your YouTube channel and each separate video. The only way anyone will find your channel or videos is if you consider all aspects of the process.
Use Descriptive Keyword-Rich Titles
Don’t try to be too ironic in your YouTube video titles. Include important keywords in your title that give the viewer an idea of what they will see if they watch it. You have a few seconds to attract someone and make them want to click on the video, therefore, the title is very important. Give it some serious thought and consideration.
Maximize the YouTube Descriptions
First things first, add your URL before the descriptive text, as well as your business location if your local business is a brick and mortar business. If it’s a local business, but you service people at a distance, and you specifically want to attract local customers, include your city and state. Next, include a keyword rich description of what the video covers. Don’t just write a list of keywords in the description. You need to write complete sentences.
Ask Viewers for Interaction
One way to get more traffic is to ask for some kind of interaction and response from your viewers. Ask them a question at the end of your video. The question can be something having to do with the content in your video or it can be something else, such as asking them what they’d like you to do a video on. A great way to get more viewers is to ask them to make a response video which they tag with a specific keyword.
Embed the YouTube Video Inside an Email Newsletter
If you don’t have an email newsletter, get one. You can include new videos, new blog posts, and new content in the newsletter, as well as information about sales and events going on with your local business. You’ll email this directly to people who have signed up to receive the information. This is permission marketing at its best.
Create Lots of Video Content
One video uploaded to your YouTube channel isn’t going to garner much in the way of new traffic or motivate people to get in their car and come to your business. It takes a lot of content, whether it’s in a blog, a website, or a YouTube channel, to motivate people to spend money with you. Update the content regularly, at least weekly. Adding content two to three times a week is better.
Don’t Turn Off YouTube Comments
Ensure that you allow comments. Turning off comments will not endear you with your viewers. They want to talk directly to you. In fact, even people who do not normally comment on videos don’t like it when comments are turned off. Even bad comments can be very productive if you handle them correctly.
Brand Your YouTube Content
Watermark all your content with your URL and / or business name. If the content gets shared on social media channels that allow embedding, you’ll want them to be able to find you even if they choose not to click through to watch on YouTube.
