YouTube isn’t just a social media site. It’s not like Twitter. It’s not like Instagram. It’s not like Snapchat. It’s far more powerful than all of these.
Did you know…
–> YouTube is actually considered a search engine, and it’s owned by Google?
–> More people all over the world watch YouTube more than they watch TV?
–> Video is the content that performs best on social media?
Hmm…
So it’s safe to say YouTube is far more than just “that site where you watch videos,” right? It’s become a booming industry where people are forming careers by just uploading videos to YouTube. Except they don’t “just” upload videos.
This is what these “YouTubers” really do and how they spend their time:
- Planning out content
- Brainstorming the types of video they’re going to post
- Investing in the right equipment to get the job done
- Filming the video
- Editing and adding cool design and audio elements
- Writing an engaging description and title that makes people want to click
- Selecting the appropriate tags to help YouTube define what their video is about and share it to the right viewers
So out of all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating YouTube videos, what’s the most important aspect that will set you apart from the competition (because there’s a lot) and establish yourself and brand as a thought leader on the world’s 2nd largest form of media distribution?
Hint: It starts with a “C” and ends with an “ONTENT”
You guessed it! CONTENT.
With almost 5 billion videos watched on YouTube every single day, your content has to be good. It has to be relevant. And you have to treat the content as an extension of your brand… because it is. It’s a great place to grow and improve your brand image. So what are types of content you should be posting on YouTube? There are so many options, and it really depends on your company/industry, but I’ll give you some ideas to get the ball rolling:
- Employee Interview Videos
“People and personalities” is one of the most popular categories on YouTube. People love to watch other people. So, if you’re trying to establish your brand/company, create videos of your employees telling their stories of why they love working at your company. Why is your culture so great? Why should people want to work for you? Recruitment marketing is kind of a big deal nowadays. - “How-to” Informational Videos
Still in the “People and personalities” category, create videos of you and/or people at your company speaking on products and services you offer, how viewers could benefit from your offerings (without being overly sales-y). tips + tricks of the trade. “How to” videos are extremely popular—people want to learn! Take advantage of the consumption thirst YouTube viewers have. If I go to your YouTube channel, and let’s say you’re a… recruiting company! I’m probably a recruiter searching for information on how I can do my job better, tricks that will set me apart from my colleagues, tips on how to source candidates efficiently, or maybe even a recommended “script” for when I’m doing a phone-screen if I’m a newbie recruiter. See what I mean? Quench that thirst. They’ll view you as a thought leader and keep coming back for more. - Commentary Videos
This is another popular one. Maybe you’re an HR pro with a lot of experience and opinions about what’s going on in your industry. Or maybe you’re in marketing, nutrition and fitness, or formula 1 racing (seriously, there’s a place for everyone on YouTube.) No matter your niche, you could create videos of you giving your commentary and thoughts on a relevant event or headline that made industry news. Example if you’re in HR: Randstad purchased Monster.com… what’s your take on that? I want to hear it. Example if you’re in nutrition: There’s been a new take on how to count calories, but you think it’s a fad diet. As an expert, I’m curious and want to hear your thoughts about that before I make a decision on if I want to try it or not. Feel me? Think of what opinions/thoughts/reasoning you can bring to your channel so viewers will connect your brand as an engaging source of industry information and opinion.
When brainstorming your content, choose your medium and stick to it.
If you want to keep your channel purely focused on what it’s like working at your company and maintain that employer branding perspective, make sure to consistently post that type of material.
On the flip-side, if you want your channel to be an information source of “how to” videos and tutorials, make that your “thing.” Viewers like consistency. They want to know what to expect.
The good news is, you can have multiple playlists and “sub-channels” on your channel, so if you want to play around with a couple content mediums, you can do that. Just make sure whatever you decide to do, it’s something that can be executed and maintained consistently, because ultimately that’s how your brand will become established on the ‘tube.