Are Your Videos Reaching the Right Viewers?

5 Corporate YouTube Channels Effectively Targeting The Right Buyer Personas

Video is becoming an increasingly popular form of content. In fact, 74% of internet traffic in 2017 will be video, estimates Invodo. Easily digestible, easily sharable and easily brandable, video as a communication platform should not be overlooked.

As testament to that, YouTube attracts more than 1 billion unique visitors each month. More than 6 billion hours of video are watching on YouTube each month. According to YouTube, that’s almost an hour of video content consumed by every person on earth. Yeah, let that sink in for a minute.

“74% of internet traffic in 2017 will be video.”
Video Statistics: The Marketer’s Summary 2014, Invodo 

But it’s more than just cat videos and Justin Bieber wannabes. YouTube is becoming a prevalent platform for businesses to attract their target audiences, tell their stories and showcase their products.

5 Video Content Strategy Tips

If you are thinking about incorporating video into your content marketing strategy, you should consider creating an actual video strategy before diving right in to post every video you’ve recently shot on your iPhone using Hyperlapse.

Consider these five questions when developing your video content marketing strategy:

1. What is your story? Each video needs a well-crafted message. Decide what story you want to tell and then plan the best way to do so. Experts recommend telling only one story per video. Consider breaking a larger topic down into a series of shorter videos to generate more content and more viewers.
2. Who are your viewers? Video provides a great opportunity to craft different messages targeted to different buyer personas. Consider who your audience is and what information they will want to know. Then craft videos tailored to those needs. Later in this post, we’ll look at 5 examples of businesses doing a great job of targeting their unique buyer personas on YouTube.
3. Where is your audience? Although YouTube has billions of subscribers, not all of your potential clients will be on YouTube. Some companies block the site at work. Determine where your audience spends the majority of their time and post your video to that site. If it is YouTube, great! But you may find your audience spends more time on Instagram or SnapChat instead.
4. What are your customers searching for? Keyword research is just as vital to video strategies as it is to blog content and SEO strategies. Determine what phrases or topics your audience is searching for and include those keywords in the video description or metadata to increase the likelihood of being found.
5. How can others view your video? Don’t forget to make it easy for users to share your video with others. Everyone wants their video to go viral and end up featured on morning television news shows. While this isn’t possible for every video, you can make it easier for others to share by included social share buttons and creating an embed code for each video you produce.

Target Buyer Personas With Video

Among its billions of users, there are thousands of companies using YouTube as part of their social media and content marketing plans. These five companies are using YouTube well by sending the right message to the right audience on the right platform. These companies have identified their buyer personas and created video content to address the unique needs of those personas.

5 Must-View Corporate YouTube Channels

1. Google
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Google
Number of Subscribers: 2.8M

As the owner of YouTube, Google’s presence on the video platform makes sense. Google’s YouTube channel offers shorts on the new Google app (based on the “Ask Google” ad campaign running concurrently on television), product updates and recordings of popular Hangouts from the likes of President Obama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mo9CqE629ms

2. Target
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Target
Number of Subscribers: 34K

Retail giant Target is known for its catchy television commercials. It brings the same spirit to its YouTube channel videos. With bright and bouncy ads, DIY decorating ideas, styling tips and more, Target’s YouTube channel targets a variety of audiences (moms, homeowners, fashionistas) by breaking down their videos into categorized playlists.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDeHO7iHwmc

3. Nike
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/nike
Number of Subscribers: 240K

Nike targets its different buyer personas by segmenting its videos based on sport. By offering how-to videos, commercials, product launches and inspirational stories, Nike effectively reaches its varied audiences by providing content that caters to both the serious and casual athlete.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msuQfb8TAG4

The Nike+ FuelBand SE has one mysterious button. If only there was a way to know what it does.

4. UPS
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ups
Number of Subscribers: 4K

UPS’s YouTube channel is aimed at businesses of different sizes. Through a campaign called “Small Businesses, Big Ideas”, UPS uses video content to demonstrate how the company can support the goals of small businesses and help them be successful. For larger companies, UPS offers content on creating logistical efficiencies. Most videos are less than 2 minutes long, making it easy to digest the information.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iy34EzYxhiQ

5. IBM
YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/IBM
Number of Subscribers: 44K

One of the most robust examples of effective use of YouTube, IBM embedded its Twitter feed, case studies and links to other social media profiles into its “About” page to share a variety of content with visitors. On its YouTube channel, IBM targets business professionals who rely on data and technology in their day-to-day activities by offering content that addresses the social and technological issues driving our world today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwMTmWwPmgM

It’s time to get started creating your video. It doesn’t have to be long, but it does have to be valuable. What makes these company examples stand out is that the companies knew WHO they were trying to target, WHAT they wanted to offer and then figured out HOW to communicate that message effectively using video.

Now it’s your turn! Share your favorite video or YouTube channel on our Facebook page.