How to Use YouTube Videos to Drive Traffic to Your Website
We all want more traffic on our blog or website.
Traffic is what gets us seen, draws clients to us, and helps us build our businesses.
If you’re already using a blog to promote your design or web development business, you’re off to a great start.
Today, however, we’re going to discuss a tool that will help you drive even more traffic to that blog (or your website in general).
That tool is none other than the video-sharing platform YouTube.
More and more online entrepreneurs and businesses are using YouTube as a place to connect with their audience, share information, and draw in potential clients. Today, we’re going to see why YouTube is such a powerhouse for digital marketing, and how you can use this tool to your advantage.
Why you Should Use YouTube to Promote Your Blog or Website
It Receives Tons of Daily Views
YouTube is currently the third most visited site in the world. That means global reach to the majority of people who are online.
On average, there are over 30 million people using YouTube per day! More than that, it’s been named the second largest search engine, getting more hits than Bing, AOL, Ask, and Yahoo combined.
It Gets Your Content Seen in Multiple Search Methods
Have you ever done a Google search and seen a YouTube video come up as a result?
As an example, I just searched “how to change car oil.” From the fifth result down, I’m seeing videos from YouTube.
This means that the video content you post is not just going to be found on YouTube. It can actually show up in Google searches as well!
It Builds Rapport with Your Audience
Creating videos allows viewers to see you as you. Seeing your face and hearing your voice builds their confidence in you as a person more than written words could ever do.
You’re also building trust in what you do.
Let’s use an example. Say you’re a web designer, and you create YouTube videos that share some of your design secrets or show why web design is important for your target audience. You’re showcasing the fact that you are an expert in the subject. You’re also proving that the service you provide (web design) is valuable to the viewer.
This means that, when it’s time for a call to action, people are already excited about it!
Can you guess what secondary benefit this brings?
It Increases Conversion Rates
Since your audience likes you as a person, as well as your product, they’re already primed when they click to your website.
This means that you’re not just driving more traffic to your website. You’re driving quality traffic that is more likely to convert.
Expert Tips on Using YouTube to Drive Traffic
Keep it Short
YouTube videos don’t have to be too long. By keeping your videos concise and to the point, you’ll keep your viewers interested in what you’re saying. Considering most calls to action are at the end of your post, it’s extremely important that viewers keep watching until the end.
How short, you ask? Well, research has shown that the average length of popular videos is about 4 minutes. That being said, videos under 4 minutes keep 60% of their viewers until the very end, while videos under 2 minutes keep 75%.
In today’s age of short attention spans, the quicker you can make your point, the better! [article id=”23001″ align=”right”]
Create a Clear Call to Action
If you want people to take some sort of action after watching your video, you need to tell them three very important things:
- What to do
- How to do it
- Why they should do it
Without these three points, your call to action is practically useless.
The two best places to put this call to action? Within your video, and in the description.
When adding a call to action in the video, try starting with the benefit for viewers. For example, let’s say you just explained how to design header images for blog posts. You might say:
“Now that you know how to create great header images, you need to find the right tools to complete your work, right? I’d love to send you my free ebook, detailing five different tools that I use to create header images that really pop. Just click the link below in the description box, type in your email, and I’ll send you that ebook.”
When adding a call to action in the description, just take what you have in the video and make it shorter. [article id=”21129″ align=”right”]
“Find out what five tools I use to create header images: (link)”
Whatever your end goal is, always remember to include the what, the how, and the why.
Use Videos as a Supplement to, not a Replacement of, Your Blog Post
While reading your blog post out loud to viewers may sound tempting (hardly any extra work, right?), this will actually backfire on your plans to increase traffic.
Because if people have already listened to your blog post, why do they need to go to your website?
Instead, think of your YouTube videos either as short summaries, or as supplemental information.
Summaries
Write a script that includes the main points of your post, as well as some unique ideas that you included. While you’ll want to avoid reciting the entire post, you also don’t want to just give viewers a table of contents.
Find a good balance. Include main ideas and refer to how your blog post explains certain points in more detail. Include one or two anecdotes or practical examples. Whet the appetite without drowning them in information.
Supplemental Information
Let’s say you’re producing a blog post about choosing the right colors for your WordPress website background. You could supplement that post with a video about how colors work in web design. Or vice versa!
Connecting two pieces of content that include unique information but are still relevant to each other allows you to add more depth and value to both the post and the video.
Conclusion
YouTube has given all marketers access to a platform with millions of users from all around the world. Somewhere in that massive following are your potential clients.
All you have to do is reach out to them in video format, and you’ll be driving new, quality traffic to your website in no time!
