5 Simple Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Company’s YouTube Videos

Brands are increasingly using video as a vital engagement tool to connect with their target audiences. In fact, according to YouTube, 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. So how can you make sure that your videos stand out? The good news is, there are a number of strategies to drive traffic to your YouTube videos and help them move up in the search results. Not only will this help get your brand messaging out, but will also help support your organization’s marketing efforts across the board.

Here are five easy ways to optimize your YouTube experience:

• Use keywords: The use of keywords in your video’s title, description and tags is important information for search engines. These keywords and the title of your video should reflect the topic of the video, and your company’s overall product or service offerings. When considering what keywords to use, ask yourself what your target audience would search for, and then use that as an indicator. Remember, keep them broad—if they’re too niche, they’ll be too hard to find.

• Add a video description: The video description is another key factor in making your video more searchable. The text in the description should align with the keywords in your title, as well as the message you wish to convey to your target audience. Include a compelling reason to watch and a call to action, which might include a link back to your site or your other social media channels.

• Upload a transcript file: When available, upload a transcript file of your video for video captioning. While it might seem cumbersome, with the transcript file uploaded, YouTube will use this information to determine your video’s keyword relevancy. This act improves the search ranking for your video.

• Don’t forget to engage your audience: There are several ways to create engaging videos. First, consider what will get your audience to view your video longer. Use a story line. YouTube gives relevancy credits for the duration videos are watched (it’s considered a measure of video quality). Next, don’t forget to both respond to comments on your own video as well as leave comments on others. YouTube also allows users to add video responses to existing videos, instantly exposing your video to completely new audiences. Both of these tactics will create link backs to your channel or website, both driving traffic and boosting rankings.

• Build an authoritative channel: In order to increase the SEO power of your channel, follow these simple tips. Avoid posting irrelevant videos that dilute the channel’s search relevance. Use playlists to prioritize and arrange your videos, improving discoverability. Limit marketing speak and jargon. Use HD, which outranks standard definition. Upload relevant videos regularly. Include links to drive engagement and cross promotion with your other social media channels including your Twitter page, LinkedIn profile, Facebook page or blog.

Lastly, got extra budget?

Consider YouTube advertising and running video ads. With the opportunity for double exposure, you can not only deliver your message more effectively, but also drive viewers to your site and your other social media channels. While advertising options vary, Goolge’s purchase of YouTube has ensured that businesses can build the right strategy based on their budget and audience.

More and more companies are realizing the value of social media when it comes to search. Everything, from hosting a company blog to having a strong social media presence, can help your organization get served up with a strong ranking in search engine result pages. Of course, there’s a lot that goes into this, including the recency, frequency and relevancy of your content as well as countless SEO tactics, so hopefully with these tips, and the right resources and strategy in place, you can begin to drive traffic to your company’s YouTube channel!

Ola Lasman is senior account executive of Affect, a public relations and social media firm located in New York. She can be reached at email: [email protected].