Let’s start with something basic that goes against something you think you already know: When you post on social media, it isn’t all about you. Marketing your YouTube channel outside of YouTube means rethinking how you post content on social media.
OK, just to be clear. What you do with your personal social media accounts is up to you. Food pix, workout vids, vacay snaps … Knock yourself out. Show the world you let your dog kiss you on the lips. We don’t judge.
But when it comes to where your business lives on social media, it isn’t all about you.
It’s about them. Your readers. Your visitors. Your potential customers.
A lot of small-business owners use social media in only one way, whether it’s personal or professional. Maybe you do, too. But if you are, you’re missing a great opportunity for reaching those potential customers. For your business, social media shouldn’t be a place for you to check-in and let your connections know what’s going on in your world. Marketing your YouTube channel outside of YouTube on an alternate social media is different.
We’ll explain — Think about why people love social media:
- It lets them keep up with friends.
- It lets them tell friends (or maybe the world) what they’re doing, what they’re thinking, what’s happening.
- It creates a community they can feel part of and be safe in.
- It’s a space where they can relax, be themselves and spend some comfort time.
The secret to great social media for your business, then, is this: Your spaces on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter … all of those, should feel like a community. A conversation. It’s a patio where people can come together around a fire pit and talk and learn from each other. Yes, it’s your patio, but if you’re a good host, you’re seeing to your guests’ needs first. You’re filling glasses. Putting more chips in the bowl. Putting your dog inside so he doesn’t keep trying to kiss everybody on the lips.
That’s the difference between your business website and your social pages. Your website is all about your business and what you can do for people. Your social pages are about those people and what they need from your business.
It’s a subtle difference; particularly because, to you, the objective of your social pages and your website are the same: attracting customers. So maybe this distinction will help:
Marketing Your YouTube Channel Outside of YouTube: Your Website
Your site has nearly everything a customer needs to know about you in one place. Multiple pages of content they have to navigate. No matter how good your site is, that’s a lot. That’s not a conversation — that’s a lecture. And that’s not social.
Marketing Your YouTube Channel Outside of YouTube: Your Social Media
So pick a question you get asked often; one that brings a lot of visitors to your site when they search that particular question. Create a video around it, with a voice or even a face. Use the video to answer the question. It doesn’t have to be long, or fancy. Just … social. Then, instead of a text post on your social page that answers the question, post the video. Use an introduction like, “One of the questions we get asked most often ….”
Boom. Now it’s not a lecture. Because it’s on social, what people hear is “One of the questions I get asked most often by people just like you …”
You’re using the sense of community people get from social to draw them into a conversation. In fact, you’ll actually be starting a conversation. Because people will be able to comment on your post, telling you how useful it is, sharing their own experience.
Expert Tip For Marketing Your YouTube Channel Outside Of YouTube: Get some trusted customers to jump-start the convo by sharing their experiences with the solution you provided. Remember: The video isn’t about your business. It’s about your customer’s problem, and how you — and the community you’ve created — can help them solve it.
Then, while they’re all saying nice things about you, you can go refill the chips.
