Amplify YouTube Content Through Marketing
by Mary Jackson, Marketing Manager at Cook & James
This blog is a forum to curate expert commentary, opinion and thought leadership resources. In the past we’ve profiled topics like cybercrime in real estate, RESPA compliance best practices and tech trends including virtual reality. Today, Mary Jackson, our marketing manager and guru here at Cook & James, continues her series about marketing tools with insight and tips for realtors to market and amplify their YouTube channel. This is part 2 of her mini-series on YouTube after her previous post focused on creating YouTube content. (Other previous blogs by Mary have covered landing pages, YouTube in general, Facebook photo tips, and overall marketing strategies.)
So, your YouTube channel is complete. You planned it out, filmed, edited and set up all the keywords. The hardest part is behind you. Now it’s time to tell the world and get the views you deserve. Here are a few tips and tricks to harness various email and CRM platforms, drip campaigns and other advertising and marketing vehicles to boost your analytics and get new business leads.
Marketing YouTube videos
The easiest way to market a YouTube video is to simply share it on your social media business page. This is a free way to get some eyeballs on your content. The more eyeballs, the more Google will decide that your video is helpful and push your content higher in searches.
Once shared on your business page, you can easily and cost-effectively boost that post to reach people outside of your page and network. I always recommend starting with a small budget and extremely narrow targeting to test your audience. Don’t be afraid to test and retest with different copy, images, and areas until you find the perfect mix for your videos -- you will know it’s a success when you start seeing your impression and click rate go up. But be sure to have a deliberate testing schedule, carefully tracking which changes resonate so you can replicate what worked.
Once you know the audience, copy, and calls to action that bring results for you, create a real advertisement in the Facebook or Instagram advertising portal where you can pause and edit ads and gain more analytics on the performance of the advertisement.
Amplify content – drip campaigns and more
Another way you can market your videos and channel is to use them in an email campaign. Depending on your video content, many options for email campaigns exist. Drip campaigns are multiple automated emails sent out at specific intervals and times. They’re very popular and informative and, for agents, a drip campaign can be as simple as a series of informative videos, but make sure to end with a call to action (CTA) or sales message.
Not comfortable with email and CRM systems yet? No worries. You can work off your phone and simply text out your video links. If you have a new client video that introduces you, your team and your services to prospective buyers or sellers, texting that video link out is a fast and easy way to connect with people using the technology they’re already using on a daily basis.
Another tip that seems basic, but many people overlook is to reply to comments people leave on your various platforms. You may not feel like this is marketing, but it is. Replying to comments tells your audience that you are connected and engaged. In return, they will stay connected and engaged with you. This is crucial for building a following that will tune in, pay attention and subscribe to your page.
Advertising: TrueView, pre-roll, in-stream options
YouTube ads are a great method of getting in front of your target audience. With any advertising campaign you have to pay for it, of course, but the results can be worth it. Simply create a short video, go to YouTube Advertising to set up the campaign by selecting the format, narrow your audience, decide your budget, and let it run.
There are three types of YouTube advertising options. TrueView ads, pre-roll ads, and in-stream ads (or “bumpers,” according to Hubspot article). The kind that you choose will depend on your goals, video, budget, and target audience. TrueView ads are skippable, and you only have to pay if your viewer watches the duration of the ad. Pre-roll ads appear before content begins, like the name implies. Pre-roll ads can be longer and are not skippable. In-stream ads play before a video but they can be skippable or non-skippable, depending on the length and a few other factors. Hubspot has an excellent article that covers the details of these advertising options. If you’re interested in delving further into email marketing, Hubspot also offers some free CRM options you can test out as well.
Overall, YouTube can be an excellent marketing tool, but just like anything else it will take time and effort to master it. Like I always recommend in my social media classes, you should start with the basics, never pay a ton of money for advertising until you feel you’re advanced enough to really get guidance from your analytics, and focus on quality content to build your subscriber base. Then you’ll be on your way to YouTube success, grow followers and build business.
Mary Jackson’s vast marketing experience and leadership skills made her the perfect fit to lead the Cook & James marketing team. She was drawn to the firm because of the culture, where she can work with other passionate, innovative and gregarious people like herself. She’s also drawn to the outdoors -- her ultimate goal is to hike through every national park which she’s working on with her husband and two dogs.
Mary leads ongoing educational opportunities for Cook & James professionals, colleagues and collaborators and has offered classes in YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, advertising, and a variety of traditional marketing strategies and techniques. Contact info@cookandjames.com for an updated schedule or to learn about bringing these classes to your office.
Thanks https://unsplash.com/@vmxhu for the photo!