How YouTube Can Benefit Your Business

This article is written by Rebecca Koch, a graduating advertising student at Ohio University.

Since its founding in 2005, YouTube has revolutionized how people view, share and comment on video while also positioning itself as an integral part of the online experience.  With nearly one million people taking social action via likes, comments and shares each day, YouTube has become an important asset to any business that can benefit from a YouTube channel.  With over 4 billion views per day, YouTube is a great way companies can target, reach and gain new customers.  If your company does not have a YouTube channel, chances are you can benefit greatly from creating one and continually updating content.  Here’s why.

Cost vs. Payoff
Companies have multiple options when taking their content online in video form.  It is free to create a YouTube account and to host your own channel.  This alone is a great way for businesses to build an online presence that is constantly updated and informative in a more interactive way than simply having a pretty company website.  There are also options to host a branded channel with a cost.  Either option is great for companies because YouTube offers an outlet where informative, fun, and new or old videos can all be stored and viewed at any time.

Unique vs. Usual
While Facebook, Twitter and company websites offer metrics to track the interaction, engagement and reach of the site and its message, YouTube channels offer a unique unifying element to all social media sites. With 500 years of YouTube videos watched every day on Facebook, and over 700 YouTube videos shared on Twitter each minute, companies can reach a larger audience while continuing to drive traffic to any of these social media sites.  As mentioned earlier, video is a large proponent of a consumers online experience, and offering more visual elements than just text and information increases the true reach of the marketing efforts. It also allows companies to separate themselves from competition with strategic branding considerations.

Views vs. Viral
There is a distinct difference between being viewed online and going viral.  Video plays a large role in the virility of content simply because it is so widely shared on the internet.  In order to go viral, content must be easy to share and interesting in some way, whether that be funny, informative, scary or simply amazingly produced.  This content also spreads like wildfire across the Internet, which dramatically improves traffic and awareness of any company.

*Source: http://www.youtube.com/t/press_statistics