Social Media 101: YouTube Guide

YouTube was launched in 2005, and now there are more than 1 billion users, 6 billion hours of video watched a month, and subscriptions to YouTube channels quadrupled since last year. Due to its popularity, reach and user-friendly platform, your dealership should actively participate in this medium.

YouTube’s main purpose is uploading and sharing video content. There are two ways to add video marketing to your channel. One way is creating and uploading videos of your design. Another avenue is subscribing to other relevant channels and displaying these on your playlists. Even though you did not create the content, you are supporting and advertising it by allowing it to appear on your channel. As as a dealership, I recommend subscribing to videos created by manufacturers, aftermarket distributors, racing organizations, charities, chapters and celebrities. When you build a channel, you are building your brand, so your original videos and channel subscriptions will reflect the tone and interests of the channel. Load and subscribe to videos that apply to your channel’s mission, which should be promoting the dealership’s brand.

Building a brand channel has a major influence on the SEO of your channel. YouTube is owned by Google so Google crawls YouTube channels just like websites. Google is interested in abundant, organized and relevant content.

A couple tips to improve SEO for your YouTube channel are:

• Closed Captions — Under video manager, you can upload the script of the video and captions will appear on your video. This is a fast and simple way for Google to understand the information.
• Name the video file and title with keywords — For example BikeRide_StPattys2015.AVI for the video name and a video title like, “2014 St. Patty’s Bike Ride Event: Green Hats and Leather Boots.”
• In the description, add a URL to your dealership’s website and create a descriptive paragraph or two about the content of the video.
• Add keywords in tags — For example if you are creating a video of a bike ride event, add keywords that include the dealership’s name, name of the bike ride, location, models riding and resting stops.

Along with content, do not forget to add graphics that brand your YouTube channel. Create a custom background that embodies the logo, brand colors and tone that your dealership has cultivated. Your appearance of the channel reflects how credible and professional you appear on YouTube.

I know this point has been stated previously, but it is so important that I wanted to expand on it more. When creating a video, keep in mind that this video should reflect the brand channel you created. You should not being striving for “going viral,” but instead, creating a video that connects with your target audience. Focus less on viewer numbers because this type of quantity does not reflect a healthy channel. The comments, likes and increase in subscribers are more valuable because you are building a viewership that will regularly watch your channel.

Furthermore, YouTube is a great way to advertise your videos on other social platforms and your website. Add your YouTube video links to your Facebook page, Twitter account, blogs and embed on your website. Social media is intertwined, so work with these multiple platforms and do not limit viewership to the YouTube channel.

Tools:

• YouTube’s Video Manager is ideal for adding SEO content, editing your videos and tracking metrics.
• YouTube Captions
• YouTube Slideshows
• YouTube Analytics

Amanda White is an account manager for PowerSports Network.

Website: psnsales.com