Local business owners typically use Yellow Page ads to generate new leads for their stores however most customers now go online to find products and services they wish to purchase. One of the most effective methods for marketing local businesses is uploading videos to YouTube.
Let’s look at the traffic stats of YouTube:
- Receives over 800 million unique users each month
- 4 billion hours of video are watched each month
- 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
Wouldn’t you like to tap into some of YouTube’s traffic to generate a consistent stream of new leads to your local business?
Let’s look at the top 10 benefits of using YouTube videos to market your local businesses
1. Generate traffic
YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google who also owns YouTube. By going where the traffic is already flowing you can siphon off a small portion of that traffic by creating videos related to your business.
2. Gain top rankings in YouTube and/or Google
It’s easier and faster to achieve first page rankings on Google and/or YouTube with video than textual content. It may take months to get an article to rank whereas a video may only take 10 days depending on how competitive your keyword phrase is.
Google also ranks web pages based on how long a person stays on the page. Adding video to your web pages will increase the retention rate of your visitors resulting in higher rankings.
3. Keep visitors engaged
Most people reading web pages scan rather than read the content. This means they won’t receive the important points you want to make and be inspired to take action. Video engages the person’s visual and auditory senses thus keeping their attention and making a greater impression.
4. Personalization
When a person first visits your website and receives a personal video message from the owner it helps build likeability, and trust…2 things that are difficult to achieve with text. Often you have no idea who you are doing business with and therefore hesitate to make a buying decision. A personal video can change all that.
5. Stand out from competitors
Video is still relatively new to most website owners plus they don’t have the time or knowledge to create them on a regular basis. This opens up a great opportunity to create a series of videos for your local business that will help it stand out from your competitors.
6. Build your brand
When you’re just starting out no one knows who you are or what your selling. Video helps shorten the time to build your business brand. For instance you can add an attractive logo to each video combined with inspiring music similar to a video trailer.
7. Build a community
Creating a YouTube channel dedicated to promoting your business is an excellent way to build a community. Compare it to having your own television channel. For example you could invite people to tune in every Friday to watch a tutorial demonstrating one of your new products or services then encourage viewers to share it on Facebook, Twitter, Google+.
8. Access anywhere at anytime
Your customers are no longer chained to their desktops. They are accessing the Internet from their cell phones and tablets while shopping, watching television, working out, etc. To reach the widest audience possible make sure the web pages containing your videos are mobile friendly.
9. Higher conversion rates
Attracting lots of visitors to your website doesn’t guarantee they will convert into leads. Adding videos can boost conversion rates up to 9% on your website. This is because they automatically gain audience participation through watching and listening to your content rather than just reading it.
10. Build a list of customers
Only a very small percentage of website visitors actually purchase a product or service the first time they visit your website. This is because they wish to be better informed and build a relationship of trust. To achieve this you need to build a list of subscribers and relate to them on a regular basis. This can be achieved using a combination of videos and an autoresponder marketing system.
A great way to build your list is to redirect viewers from your video to an opt-in form. Offer a free report or e-course to motivate them to subscribe.
What are the ways you’re using video to market your local business?
Leave your comments in box below.
