The Dos and Don'ts of YouTube

Do you use YouTube? Of course you do! Like me, you have probably viewed hundreds of “laughing baby”, “cute kitten” and “invisible rope trick” videos... 

You say you haven’t seen the “invisible rope trick” videos? Make sure to check some of those out right after this blog post.

It may be time to consider a more productive way to utilize YouTube. Like other social media, YouTube can be a great way to promote your business. We’ve put together some DOs and DON’Ts to get you started.

DO

• Establish yourself as an Expert – Who are you and why should the viewer stay tuned? Make sure to clearly communicate your brand and your business’s success. Customer testimonials are a powerful way to accomplish this.
• Provide “Infotainment” – Provide the viewer with practical and valuable information. Tutorials are a great example.
• Keep it Brief – Viewers are not likely to sit through lengthy videos. If possible, keep it under three minutes.
• Be Persistent – The key to YouTube success is consistency. Post quality videos frequently to ensure viewers are getting the most up-to-date information possible about your business. Be persistent in the posting and promotion of your videos. Remember that the more videos you have, the more likely they are to appear in searches. Your videos will appear higher in searches the more they are viewed, and a higher search listings result in even more views. You can promote videos by embedding links in your website and sharing them via social media networks like Facebook and Twitter.

DON’T

• Don’t create videos with the sole intention of “going viral.” It rarely happens, and viral videos, while great for generating buzz, are not a long term means to promote your business.
• Don’t post any and everything. It is important that everything associated with your business is an appropriate reflection of your brand.
• Don’t let your social media pages lapse. Unattended social media is a poor representation of your brand.

Here at Rooted ID we are constantly researching ways in which small businesses can effectively utilize social media. We are expanding our strategic partnerships to include media services and look forward to putting YouTube to work for our clients!