YouTube marketing strategy is now one of the most actively used social platforms; this is proven by numerous studies and surveys. Almost a third of all Internet users worldwide use YouTube. To top this number: That is a total of one billion hours of playback time , which are created daily by the videos. This enormous reach alone is reason enough for a company to deal more closely with the topic of online marketing on the video platform. With the rapidly growing useful life, the requirements for a qualitative and attractive appearance for companies also increase. In order to prevail against the competition, the platform must be viewed strategically and become a natural part of the marketing mix.
Where many companies (B2C and B2B) have already succeeded in establishing a strong YouTube channel, there is still a lot of catching up to do for many other companies.
YouTube Marketing: Start with these four tips
In order to use the video search engine optimally, companies should be aware that it will hardly be possible without proper planning. The start of a remarkable YouTube presence should not start without a plan, but should be structured in a structured manner in intermediate steps. The following four tips should help:
1. Analyze competition and define your own goals
Before you start creating your own marketing content, you should get an overview of which companies are already (successfully) active on YouTube. Extensive research on existing videos from the competition help enormously. Marketers should ask themselves the following questions:
- What kind of videos are used (image film, product video, explanatory video, interview, webinar, reportage, entertaining viral video, recruiting video …)?
- Which videos have the most views ?
- Which videos have the most interactions (likes, comments)?
After an overview of what factors make the competition’s channels successful on YouTube, you should start thinking about what your own business goals are. Here it helps to use key figures and to define them with one goal (e.g. 100 subscribers or 5000 total video views within the next 6 months).
Tip: In order to generate sustainable content that also fits the overall marketing strategy, the video content should be split into categories (events, companies, products, stories). These can also be thematically assigned in the channel in playlists. In this way, you can structure your own YouTube channel and time can be devoted equally to each category.
2. YouTube SEO – optimize your own YouTube channel
In order for your YouTube presence to be round and authentic, the visual design is an important first step. The appearance of the canal must be complete and clean. It is imperative to maintain a profile and title (header) image that fits the company. The profile picture can confidently be the company logo here.
Since YouTube is a search engine, similar rules apply as for the well-known search engine optimization . The channel description should contain the most important keywords for the company. Links to other social media or your own website in the video descriptions and the use of tags are also important. Incidentally, the optimization starts with the file name of the video. Proper optimization boosts visibility, increases click-through rates, and improves overall performance across search platforms.
3. Provide qualitative and relevant videos
To ensure your video is discoverable for relevant search terms, it’s essential to include the most important keywords in the video title. This helps users immediately understand whether the content is relevant to their search. The title must accurately reflect what the video delivers—misleading titles create false expectations, increase the dropout rate, and eventually cause YouTube to downgrade the video in search results.
Another important factor for qualitative and relevant content are the so-called thumbnails . These are the preview images, which offer a brief insight into the video in the YouTube search results and, at best, should arouse direct interest. Here you should think about attractive thumbnails and create them individually before YouTube automatically uses a freely selected image section from the video as a thumbnail. Specially created thumbnails can also be enriched with a few keywords.
The most underrated feature on YouTube is probably the subtitles . Not long ago, YouTube has been offering this option (via the YouTube Creator Studio ). This feature seems inconspicuous, but it does lead to higher views. But that’s not the only advantage: Many users watch videos in public places where the sound of a video would disturb. However, if the YouTube video enables subtitles, users can watch the videos regardless of their location. There is also an offer for hearing impaired or deaf people.
4. Build community and be active
What would YouTube channels be without an active and interested community? Every company should be very aware of its target group (or buyer persona) and align the content of the videos with them. Regularity is the key to sustainable loyalty! Of course, the videos must always offer added value for the users (e.g. emotional or informative).
This enables companies to achieve brand recognition. The company, which until now has not been tangible, has a face, which is an important psychological aspect for viewers.
Finally, the videos should of course always be shared diligently on other social media (Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.). It has also proven useful to include videos on the company website.
YouTube marketing in B2B
A still controversial topic is YouTube marketing in B2B . Should B2B companies be active in YouTube marketing or not? Of course there is no general right or wrong answer here. According to Statista, 70% of 30 to 44 year olds use YouTube. Approximately half of the 45- to 55-year-olds even stated that they used the video search engine regularly. In general, this should be an important signal for companies in B2B. YouTube is no longer just the platform for young people.
Companies in B2B primarily have to ask themselves whether their product or service offers enough input for an active and creative YouTube channel. The effort to set up an entire channel would not be worth it if it is clear from the start that, for example, there will only be a video about the company presentation. If the goal is to be close to the customer and to let users participate in the company, the processes and products / services, there is nothing standing in the way of a YouTube channel. Precisely because it is not a matter of course to use the reach and impact of YouTube in B2B, these companies should be even more concerned about whether they should jump on the video marketing bandwagon.
Advertising on YouTube
If a company has already set up its YouTube channel correctly, filled it with high-quality content, and manages it consistently, YouTube advertising can significantly enhance overall online marketing efforts. Video marketing has a proven impact on audiences, and moving visuals are increasingly becoming central to brand communication.
YouTube offers numerous advertising formats, and through Google Ads, businesses can create video campaigns tailored specifically for the platform.
Depending on the allocated budget, the brand’s message can reach a vast number of YouTube users. A major advantage is that advertisers only pay when viewers watch the entire video or at least 30 seconds of it (whichever comes first). A higher view count also enhances the perceived quality and relevance of the content in the eyes of viewers.
Overall, YouTube video advertising is a powerful and timely strategy for spreading key marketing messages effectively and boosting brand presence.
Work before pleasure
We don’t want to withhold this prime example of a successful company presentation. This happens when informative creativity meets good humor. A must-see: