22 Apr Why Your YouTube Marketing Isn’t Working
We recently wrote about Jennifer Aniston’s success with YouTube marketing. Since then, the popularity of her viral video has grown to over 9 million views. In comparison, Rebecca Black’s “Friday” video has grown to over 100 million views. With so many videos on YouTube, many of which are designed to promote a product or service, what sets Jennifer and Rebecca’s videos apart? More importantly, what can set your videos apart?
If your YouTube marketing efforts aren’t working as well as you would like them to, there are two main concepts to consider. They are both common mistakes that social media marketers make with the platform. As you continue reading, think back to your past campaigns and consider whether or not you have made these YouTube marketing mistakes. Then, decide how you are going to make changes and improve the impact of your future videos!
Entertainment vs. Selling
One of the most important things to remember with YouTube is that the audience is looking for entertainment value. The facts are in and YouTube users are more likely to share a video they find amusing than any other type of video. Social media can be extremely effective, but only if you recognize the fundamental differences between the LinkedIn environment and the YouTube environment, for example.
Possibly one of the biggest mistakes YouTube marketers are making is overselling. Remember, your video shouldn’t feel like an advertisement. Just like great copy doesn’t read like an ad and your Twitter feed doesn’t include overt promotion, your YouTube video shouldn’t oversell your product.
The key to bypassing being another annoying ad is to bring entertainment value. YouTube users are viewing your video to be amused. If you don’t commit to the entertainment side of your video, don’t expect your audience to commit to the promotional side. Focusing too much on the lead capture or sale will yield the opposite result.
Separate Landing Page
Designing the perfect landing page can be difficult. Just when you think you have it right, you realize there is something else you can split test. You realize that if you change the button in the top right-hand corner from red to green, you can increase sales by a significant amount. Even the smallest change can have a huge impact when it comes to landing pages, which is why Internet marketers tend to manage as few as possible at once. Unfortunately, this route is typically less successful.
If you are sending your YouTube leads to the same landing page as your AdWords leads, for example, you are making a mistake. Just as YouTube users are interested in entertaining videos, they are interested in entertaining landing pages as well. Let’s be honest, the typical AdWords landing page has very little to do with entertainment value. Instead, the average AdWords landing page puts an emphasis on informational value.
Sending a YouTube lead to a common landing page is almost never a good idea. First of all, there is very little continuity between the look and feel of the video and the look and feel of the landing page. Secondly, different traffic sources mean different audiences and different preferences. Recognize that AdWords and YouTube are very different platforms, which means the two audiences require two very different messages.
Of course, all of your YouTube campaigns should be engaging and somewhat interactive. This is social media marketing, after all. Have you made these YouTube marketing mistakes in the past? What is your experience with viral videos?
No Comments