Five Tips To Get More Mileage Out of YouTube

These days, advertising on social media is necessary if you want to keep your business competitive, and YouTube is no exception. There are many simple and fun ways to make this versatile platform work for your business. Read on to find out how.

When it comes to engaging sales content, video is king. According to a study done by Google, 75% of auto shoppers say that online video has influenced their shopping habits, and another 40% said that online video helped them discover a vehicle they weren’t previously considering. Those are big numbers. Producing a steady stream of engaging video content for your YouTube channel can significantly increase both your digital and showroom sales. The key is making your marketing stand out from the crowd, and understanding how search engines find the videos you produce.

Using YouTube to promote your business requires some basic knowledge about search-engine optimization (SEO) and how to make it work for you. YouTube videos are categorized and indexed by Google’s web crawlers using information including relevance, engagement numbers, quality, and the user’s personal preferences. Knowing what data these crawlers look at is key to making your videos show up higher on a search results page. Here are some pro tips and tricks to keep in mind when uploading your content:

1. Google Keyword Search: Doing some research on what keywords your audience is looking for can pay big dividends. Before you choose a topic for a video, do some searches on YouTube for possible topics and see what keywords are being used in competitors’ videos. You want to avoid topics that have already been covered extensively, but you also want to use keywords that users are searching for regularly. Finding that sweet spot topic narrow enough to target your audience and broad enough to attract new views can have a direct impact on your search rankings.
2. Title and thumbnail image: Give your video a title that’s less than sixty characters and contains keywords relevant to the subject matter. A good way to figure out where to start is to look up similar videos through YouTube’s search bar and see what types of images and titles competitors are using. Don’t try to pack your title with too many keywords as Google’s crawlers will flag it; only use keywords that apply to this particular video. A custom thumbnail image can also greatly increase your views and click-through rate. Choose an image that conveys emotion, contains a human face, and is optimized for viewing on desktops or mobile devices. Again, have a look at your competitors’ top performing videos for inspiration.
3. Description and metatags: The video description text and thumbnail are the first things people see when they search for your video, so it’s important to make the description accurate. Write a one to two hundred word description that includes keywords, tags, and relevant information about your video. Including one or two relevant links in the description, like a link to your main business website, can also help add authority. Metatags are snippets of text that describe the content of your video. They are not part of the video or description, but are used to tell the search crawlers what they’re looking at. Make sure your metatags also have relevant keywords and avoid adding tags to try and fool the YouTube algorithm as this can harm your search engine ranking.
4. Video playlists and categories: Once you have several videos uploaded, consider creating separate categories and playlists for each type. You can have one playlist for each brand, or one for new vehicles and one for used vehicles. Playlists show viewers what to expect and give additional information to the web crawlers when indexing your video. YouTube also automatically plays each video in a playlist to keep up engagement, helping your overall relevance and search authority.
5. Tips for content: Knowing how to use YouTube to your advantage doesn’t do much good if your content is low quality. It’s important to note that these videos shouldn’t be commercials, they should be used to show the personal side of your business and engage with your audience and customers. Ask for comments on a particular car, talk about an event at the dealership, or profile a star employee. You should always include a clear CTA in every video, but don’t make sales the driving force. Keep your videos on the shorter side, ideally three to five minutes, as shorter videos have higher retention rates.

If you want to learn more about making YouTube work for you, consider speaking to one of the Social Media specialists at The Automotive Advertising Agency. Give us a call today at 512.610.7300 or contact us at info@theautoadagency.com.