Do you remember the old advertising saying that Avis used, “We’re number 2 – we try harder?” Well guess what the number 2 search engine is after Google – it’s not Yahoo, Bing or Ask.com. The answer may surprise you – it’s YouTube. YouTube ranks only behind Google in the number of searches on its site. And unlike google, they average user stays on the site for 20 minute or more. This is according to comScore, the Internet measurement and analysis firm. That means there are more searches on YouTube than on Yahoo! search, or Bing, or Ask.com. However, the searches are not general searches like you would find on those search engines. They are searches specifically for video.
From a marketing perspective, it makes sense for ecommerce merchants to take advantage of YouTube’s search traffic. That can be achieved in much the same way you would use traditional natural search optimization. Many of the same search marketing rules apply. But, you’ll need to market by way of relevant video content. In other words, if you want to capture some portion of YouTube’s vast search traffic, you need to create, upload and optimize video content relevant to your ecommerce offerings.
YouTube videos can be used as a marketing tool (to get people to visit your webstore), as a sales tool (to explain the features and benefits of your offerings), and as a customer service tool. It doesn’t cost anything to upload videos to YouTube, and you can use the embed function to include the videos on your individual product pages.
To maximize your YouTube marketing efforts, follow these guidelines:
Place Your Website Name on the Video. Remember your goal is to drive traffic to your ecommerce site. During production, place the name of your website in the video. A watermark throughout the video or at the beginning and end gives your site credit for the video whether it is viewed at YouTube or embedded in a third-party website.
Use Relevant Keywords, Tag Fields and Categories. Apply keyword research on the title, description, and tags during the video uploading process. Use keywords relevant and focused to your product or service just as you would with a new web page. YouTube search traffic is dependent upon focused keywords that surround the video. Use the same search optimization rules for YouTube that you would use for Google, Yahoo!, and Bing, and you will be on your way to increasing traffic from the world’s number two search engine.
Make The Videos Enjoyable. Remember to have some fun making the videos. If it’s fun for you, it’s more likely to be fun viewing for those you are trying to reach.
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