In today's digital-first world, the power of video content, particularly on platforms like YouTube, is undeniable in influencing consumer behavior and decision making. For businesses, understanding and leveraging this influence is essential for reaching and persuading their target audience effectively. This article delves into how YouTube content significantly impacts consumer decisions and why businesses must harness this power to enhance their marketing strategies and drive sales.
Firstly, YouTube content plays a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and the overall brand image. Videos allow brands to narrate their stories, showcase their values, and connect with audiences on a personal level. This storytelling aspect is not just about promotion; it's about creating a narrative that resonates with viewers. The way a brand presents itself on YouTube can significantly influence how it is perceived by consumers, ultimately affecting their decision-making process.
The visual and emotional appeal of YouTube content also has a lasting impact on brand recall. Consumers are more likely to remember and relate to a brand that provides them with engaging and valuable content, thereby influencing their preferences and choices.
YouTube's influence extends beyond brand perception to actively driving consumer engagement and influencing purchasing decisions. How? Through informative product reviews, engaging tutorials, and compelling testimonials. These content formats provide consumers with the information and assurance they need to make informed purchasing decisions.
Moreover, YouTube's interactive platform allows consumers to engage directly with brands through comments, likes, and shares, fostering a sense of community and loyalty. This two-way interaction not only enhances customer engagement but also provides valuable feedback for businesses, enabling them to tailor their offerings and marketing strategies more effectively.
In a marketplace crowded with advertising, authenticity wins. Creating authentic and relatable YouTube content is
essential in building trust with consumers. This means being transparent, genuine, and true to your brand's values. Consumers tend to trust brands that present themselves honestly and authentically, which in turn influences their buying decisions.
Authentic content also means being consistent. Consistency in your message, tone, and style across your YouTube content helps in building a recognizable and trustworthy brand identity. It assures consumers of your reliability and can significantly sway their decision-making in your favor.
Lastly, understanding consumer behavior and trends through YouTube analytics is key to tailoring marketing strategies. These analytics provide insights into what content resonates with your audience, their viewing patterns, and preferences. By analyzing this data, businesses can create more targeted and effective content that not only appeals to their audience but also drives them towards making purchasing decisions.
YouTube analytics also aid in identifying market trends and consumer demands, enabling businesses to stay ahead of the curve and adapt their strategies accordingly.
The influence of YouTube content on consumer decision making is profound and multifaceted. From shaping brand perceptions to driving engagement and building trust, YouTube is a powerful tool in the modern marketer's arsenal. As a business, tapping into this influence by creating strategic, authentic, and engaging content is crucial for your success in the digital age.
For those looking to explore the potential of YouTube content for business, OCG Creative, LLC is here to help. We invite you to contact us for expert guidance, subscribe to our blog for more marketing insights, or download our comprehensive guide on developing effective YouTube strategies. Let's harness the power of YouTube together to influence consumer decisions and propel your business forward in this digital era.
Understanding the dynamic role of video content in consumer behavior is more critical now than ever. In an age where consumers are inundated with choices, making your brand stand out through compelling YouTube content could be the key differentiator in driving your business's success.
Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just beginning to explore the digital landscape, incorporating YouTube into your marketing mix can yield substantial benefits. It's not just about creating content; it's about creating the right content that speaks directly to your audience, engaging them, and guiding their purchase decisions.
So, if you're ready to make a significant impact on your target market and drive meaningful engagement, start with YouTube. It's more than a platform; it's a powerful medium to connect, engage, and influence your audience. Reach out to OCG Creative, LLC for tailored strategies that align with your business goals, and let's turn your YouTube presence into a driving force for your business growth.
Remember, in the world of digital marketing, content is king, but the right content reigns supreme. Let's make your brand's YouTube content not just seen, but felt and remembered, steering consumer decisions in your favor. Subscribe to our blog for ongoing updates, and never miss out on the latest trends and strategies in the ever- evolving digital marketing landscape. Your journey towards mastering YouTube for business success starts here.
In the ever-evolving digital landscape, businesses constantly seek innovative ways to stand out and connect with their audience. YouTube, with its expansive reach and versatile platform, has emerged as a game-changer in business marketing strategies. This article explores why integrating YouTube into your marketing plan is not just an option but a necessity for staying competitive.
YouTube's colossal user base is a treasure trove for businesses aiming to enhance their brand visibility. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, the platform offers an unmatched opportunity to reach a diverse and extensive audience. This vast reach is crucial, especially in an era where digital presence equates to brand success.
But it's not just about numbers. YouTube's global platform allows businesses to transcend geographical boundaries, opening doors to international markets. This accessibility is pivotal for businesses looking to expand their footprint beyond local or national confines. By leveraging YouTube, companies can showcase their brand to a global audience, increasing their visibility exponentially.
Engagement is the heart of successful marketing, and YouTube excels in this aspect. The platform offers unique ways to engage with audiences through interactive and visually appealing content. This interactivity fosters a deeper connection with viewers, turning passive observers into active participants and loyal customers.
Furthermore, YouTube's community features, like comments, likes, and shares, create a two-way communication channel. Businesses can receive immediate feedback, understand customer preferences, and tailor their content accordingly. This interaction is invaluable in building a community around your brand, enhancing customer loyalty, and fostering long-term relationships.
YouTube's integration with Google's search algorithms offers significant SEO benefits. Videos often appear at the top of search results, increasing the chances of your content being noticed. A well-optimized YouTube channel can enhance your overall online presence, driving more traffic to your website and social media platforms.
Additionally, YouTube videos can be a source of quality backlinks to your website. These backlinks are a critical factor in search engine rankings, further amplifying your online visibility. By effectively using YouTube, businesses can climb the SEO ladder, ensuring that they remain visible and relevant in the digital space.
In comparison to traditional advertising methods, YouTube offers a more cost-effective and high-return marketing strategy. Creating and uploading content on YouTube is free, and the platform provides tools to produce professional-quality videos without a hefty price tag. This accessibility allows businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, to compete on an equal footing with larger corporations.
Moreover, YouTube's targeted advertising options ensure that your content reaches the right audience, maximizing the impact of your marketing spend. This targeted approach leads to higher conversion rates, making YouTube an efficient and effective marketing channel with a high return on investment.
YouTube's role in revolutionizing business marketing strategies is undeniable. Its expansive reach, engaging content format, SEO benefits, and cost-effectiveness make it an indispensable tool for businesses looking to thrive in the digital age.
As a reader, if you're considering integrating YouTube into your marketing strategy, OCG Creative, LLC can guide you through this journey. We invite you to contact us for a consultation, subscribe to our blog for more insights, and take the first step towards harnessing the power of YouTube in your marketing endeavors.
You can have the best product ever - even better than existing competition - but if no one knows about it because you didn’t market it correctly, it might as well not even exist.
Amy Landino is an award-winning YouTube creator, best-selling author, and international public speaker. Her enthusiastic and transformative content has changed the ways marketers are tackling vlogging and video. Landino has also been traveling as a professional keynote speaker to share her insights with new markets. She has an innovative approach to leverage digital attention to drive traffic.
Video + blogging = vlogging! Video marketing has become a very popular trend in the marketing field within the last few years. As a way to convert more leads to sales, companies are deciding to invest in video to increase their reach. Not only does she work with vlogs, but Landino is also a best selling author of the book, Vlog Like a Boss. However, she dives into the idea that vlogs can create so much more than just a video but a brand. With research and real-life examples, Landino confirms her insight. A company can be successful if they kill it online and invest in the right resources. Her book is perfect for go-getters and creators of internet marketing, whose goal is to communicate in an innovative way.
There are many key takeaways from Landino’s book that can transform your video marketing tactics from a fixer-upper to can’t-stop-watching content. One tactic she writes about is narrowing the market and finding a niche for your vlogs. Specialization is very important. It will help you reach more people in less time. In addition, planning your content out prior and creating a schedule can work wonders. Most importantly, Landino emphasizes that you can not let your fears of video stand in your way of creating amazing content in your industry. Check out how to start making and editing videos below!
#VlogLikeABoss with Amy Landino. Be sure to check out her website, Twitter, and Youtube. If you would like to learn other internet marketing tips, read up on other top internet marketers.
Veronica Romney is an experienced entrepreneur and incredible thought-leader in the IM industry, currently serving as the President of LoSoMo. In 2014, Veronica and her husband, Scott, founded LoSoMo, an online marketing agency that specializes in location-based marketing. This was not her first venture into building a business from the ground up, Veronica founded and managed 4 online businesses prior to opening her company.
With over 10 years experience in the IM industry, Veronica has become an expert in SEO, SEM, PPC, Web Design and Development, Email Marketing, and Reputation Management. Prior to co-founding her own company, Veronica worked for industry leaders such as Ancestry.com, Crexendo, 180Fusion, and Entrata. She held various marketing positions at these companies like SEO Account Manager, Director of Business Development, and Director of Marketing Suite Products.
One of Veronica’s greatest passions is connecting with fellow internet marketers and speaking at conferences. She has spoken at a wide range of conferences including Advanced Search Summit, Digital Growth Unleashed, and most recently Unbounce’s Call to Action Conference. At CTA 2018, Veronica spoke about marketing through Facebook ads and how to make them work for your business. She showed how to dive deeper into Facebook advertising with various targeting techniques and how to properly find data in Google Analytics. In addition, Veronica explained the benefits of layering Google Ads and Facebook Ads to create the greatest impact. Veronica’s presentation provided a fresh look into advertising through Facebook. Read more about other Internet Marketers of the Week similar to Veronica Romney!
Ah, that thorny space between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we all try to stick to a diet of salad for the next four weeks while we wait for our bank accounts to refill in time to get the last few gifts we forgot about on Black Friday. On tap this week: Best selling books of 2015, SnapChat for business, wrangling your 2016 email marketing plans into a calendar, a look into OpenTable’s dual-design process, and hot business trends. Hottest selling business books of 2015 NEW YORK TIMES
Evergreen business heavy-hitters Malcom Gladwell (Outliers, Tipping Point) and Tony Robbins (Money: Master the Game) are joined by mid-career authors Steven D. Leavitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Freakonomics, Think Like a Freak), relative newcomer Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit), and others on this list of the best-selling business books of 2015. What the heck is SnapChat, and how do I use it for business? SMALL BUSINESS TRENDS Just a few short years ago, SnapChat was making headlines as a controversial tool for frisky teenagers and adults who wanted a way to send private content to friends without the risks of exploitation—the content disappears as soon as it’s viewed—that come with other social media outlets. Today, businesses from BuzzFeed to Mashable to Comedy Central are using SnapChat to reach a younger audience, with content that lends itself to SnapChat’s ephemeral quality. Build a killer email marketing calendar for 2016 EMAIL EXPERIENCE COUNCIL Newsletters, promotions, launches, events. New customers, current customers, former customers, possible customers. If you’re a businesses with multi-layered email campaigns, things can get overwhelming when you’re planning for the coming year. The Email Experience Council lays it out for you in this handy guide. Too complicated? Let us build a comprehensive email marketing campaign calendar for you. See how restaurant reservations maestro OpenTable designs its mobile experience for both sides of their marketing coin INVISION We love a good behind-the-scenes look at how today’s most innovative companies are handling their web and app design, digital marketing, brand strategy, content creation, and other components of a successful product. Here, OpenTable opens the doors to its design department to give us a look at how they solve the problem of who to design for when two different market segments use the same app. Srirachi2Go Makes Hot Debut AMERICAN MARKETING ASSOCIATION Possibly the only instance of a tiny, empty bottle going viral you’ll ever see. Sriracha2Go pleases hardcore chili sauce fans by providing a portable vehicle for their addiction, and the Internet goes wild.
Short of Apple and American politics, I can’t think of an industry more consistently skilled at building and riling up a fierce, loyal fan base than sports. Games are exciting by nature, but great sports marketers are experts at capitalizing on that foundation. They know how to make full use of tools like brand strategy, social media, and email and internet marketing, even internal marketing, to make everything about their game, their players, their ticket sales. But those sales boosting strategies aren’t unique to sports, and any business willing to invest in the value of enthusiasm can steal them to power their own home field advantage.
This is something that sports marketers do really well, and it’s an easy play for any business to add to their repertoire. There are many great ways in which the sports industry markets that any business can put towards their list of sales boosting strategies. We all know that social media is about engagement, and that engagement usually means broadcasting and interacting. But how carefully are you listening on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, and other social media outlets for positive mentions by existing and potential customers? What do you do when you find them? You amplify them. Like them, but don’t just like them. Respond, but don’t only respond. Retweet, reblog, link to those mentions in your marketing emails, share them through all relevant channels. Enthusiasm is most infectious when it’s observed in an un-coerced third party (just like endorsements—and enthusiasm is a form of endorsement). Sports teams amp up fan excitement by compounding the energy of excited, individual fans, and you can do the same thing for your product or service by letting your potential customers be voyeurs to the happiness of your existing customers. Be sure to listen for other customer and market segment conversations about things relevant to your business, too, and be a conduit for those. Sharing excitement about upcoming events, new technology, and other things your customers are interested in can align you with the shared philosophies and positive feelings that are precursor to buying.
We know what happens in the football huddle: The quarterback pulls the team together mid-game to strategize the next play, congratulate or motivate players, commiserate on a sagging score, or in general to get player buy-in back at peak levels. In other words, it’s a kind of internal marketing. Whatever it is that happens here during any given game, you can be sure the quarterback feels it’s critical to winning that particular game. Not the game they planned for, hoped for, or even expected statistically—the game that’s currently in progress, with all of its unexpected turns. Keep your sales boosting strategies and marketing plans bold and robust but flexible. This way they can be quickly adapted to unexpected changes like economic downturns, new technologies or outlets, poor product reception, social media backlash, or any of the number of fumbles, blocks, and interceptions that can plague a campaign. Internet and email marketing are especially good channels for marketing flexibility. Social media, too. Campaign messages can be quickly adapted to reflect changing information, corrected for mistakes or oversights, take advantage of new developments, or work around a mea culpa situation gracefully.
Have you ever been invited to a luxury box seat for a high-profile sporting event? If so, you know how much that changes the experience of watching a game. That game is, technically speaking, the same game for everyone in the stadium. The lineup is the same, the announcers are the same, the plays are the same, no matter where you’re watching from. But I assure you the game doesn’t feel the same from up there behind those big windows, wine and cheese in hand, as it does in the crowded, sometimes too-hot or too-cold and almost always stiff-seated stands below. The VIP treatment changes—and almost always enhances—the customer experience. Sales boosting strategies that add to a customer's value and experience will increase sales simply due their satisfaction. Levels of purchase have become more commonplace since the advent of web apps and services, and this can work for just about anything—but keep it simple, and make it meaningful. You can shift up or down with this. If your service is basic, what expansions, add-ons, or concierge-like perks can you offer at a higher price point to add value, and boost the customer’s experience (and opinion of your brand)? Even something as simple as extended support hours can boost your customers’ sense of their value to you. If your product is already complex and/or high-dollar, can you provide a pared-down version to offset the image and value of the original? This can also make your brand more accessible to a larger market, but be careful and talk to a brand strategist on this—some brands can be damaged by offering more basic and affordable options (think of a $22,000 MSRP on a Rolls Royce).
Team marketing is a big component of sports marketing, but I’d argue that player marketing is the key to the emotional resonance that gives sports its true power. Players are storied, and as humans we’re helplessly attracted to stories—particularly ancient story archetypes like the hero’s journey, rags-to-riches stories, David and Goliath. Embedded deep down in our DNA is the universal need for something to root for, and it’s why sports and games elicit the responses they do. It’s why a single sports team can affect everything from a fan’s wardrobe (black and orange, anyone?) to their emotional behavior (shouting red-faced at the screen, or the field), to their willingness in some cases to paint themselves and go out into public with large foam appendages attached to their bodies. Burt Shavitz, the now legendary figurehead of Burt’s Bees personal care products, is a favorite go-to example of the power of storytelling in a brand. The quality of his products is top-notch, but it’s his unlikely story—north country recluse living off the land and raising bees stumbles on myriad uses for beeswax—that populates the brand with its infectious personality and wins it fans (and hundreds of millions in revenue) worldwide. If you can capture the fertile seeds of story that served as the seeds for your company’s products and services, or that underlie the company itself or the people in it, marketing magic can happen. Just be sure the story is congruous with the company’s brand image, and is told consistently across all messaging.
Read our other articles pertaining to e-commerce.
It’s the king of social media and the jack-of-all-trades. Facebook is the social network of choice, and not by mistake with over a billion users currently liking the latest cat video. However, the social networking giant is also becoming a big part of business branding and influencing new and returning customers.
There is always an audience on Facebook. With over 900 million users checking their feed daily, Facebook is a juggernaut.
Facebook’s mission is “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. People use Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover what’s going on in the world, and to share and express what matters to them.”
Their goal is to make sure users are engaged by showing them with the content they want to see, thus it is crucial for businesses to post like a friend to stay relevant. The biggest value for businesses on Facebook is that they have an opportunity to have a conversation with their community and become a resource for those who need and want to engage with your product or service. In other words, Facebook is the new age customer service tool.
Every business has its audience otherwise you wouldn’t be in business. If you love what you do there will be an audience ready to listen. Take a look at General Electric’s Facebook page. With 1.3 million likes, they’ve figured out a way to make global infrastructure fun and exciting.
You spend a third of your life at work, and like General Electric, your company should celebrate what makes your industry meaningful. General Electric’s Approach:
Don’t be salesy. It’s always tempting to flood your page with links to your product or service in the hopes of a spike in web traffic. In reality this is a short term tactic that will lead to people unliking your page, losing audience members and lowering your overall reach. As a general rule PostPlanner recommends following the 70/20/10 model.
No matter how you approach your Facebook branding strategy it should always be seen as authentic and passionate. After you find your angle, the next step is to understand optimal timing and frequency of posts.
On average Facebook users get about 1500 posts in their feed per day according to Facebook Engineering Manager Lars Backstrom. There is no way a user will see every post, so Facebook uses an algorithm to show you the most important, relevant and interesting events of the day. It may be the gut reaction for a business is to post a lot, but in this case more is not always. For most businesses the recommended amount of posts to maximize engagement is one per day, though this number fluctuates depending on the industry. However, if your company reaches over 10,000 likes HubSpot, says posting 30-60 times in a month actually leads to higher influence and engagement. Though, the only way to be certain is to test, analyze and repeat.
The digital age has demanded instant results from all of us, but the truth is successful Facebook Branding takes time, hence the irony with internet marketing and social media. You’re cultivating an online presence for a specific community, but the payoff is huge. Not only do you gain the attention of an audience who wants to listen, but you’re also more likely to convert a sale. According to convinceandconvert.com, “Last year, 68% of Americans using social networks said that none of those networks had an influence on their buying decisions. … Now, 47% say Facebook has the greatest impact on purchase behavior.” This means it’s time to start building your brand on Facebook. If you would like to know more, contact OCG Creative to find out how we can help build your digital presence.
Whether your business is new to the social media world or you’re unsure if your accounts are properly established, sometimes it’s important to go over the basics of social media for a business. Often there are small elements missing that can make a difference for your business. Setting a good foundation for your accounts is all in the details.
It’s never good enough to just have social media accounts and it may seem obvious, but the first question you should ask yourself is, “Do I have access to all of my accounts?” It’s not uncommon for businesses to have had a previous employee or twice removed cousin create an account and then leave without providing access to it.
It may seem easier to simply start over rather than deal with tracking down these inaccessible accounts, but it is important to try re-gaining access or have them deleted. Don’t give up! Duplicate accounts can cause headaches down the road and continue to pop up in search engines, causing inconveniences for customers seeking the real account. In some cases duplicate accounts or pages may have been created automatically without your knowledge. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact OCG Creative for help.
Woo! Now that you have access to all of your social media accounts it’s time make sure they’re properly set up.
It’s the king of social media, but the jack-of-all-trades as far as influence is concerned. Facebook has made more strides to assist business pages than any other platform, with LinkedIn as a close second. The social network is consistently evolving and optimizing to influence businesses to be more social and people to be more engaged.
Some businesses don’t realize you can and should make a business page separate from your LinkedIn profile. The difference between a personal and business page is that you have to verify with an employee email address to be able to create the business page. Once it’s approved, you can begin filling out all of the information.
Speaking of Facebook and LinkedIn, be sure to follow OCG Creative to stay updated.
Google Plus is like the secret juggernaut of the social media world and Google Plus business pages hold a lot more value in a google search compared to other social media networks. This is especially important for all local businesses.
Again, many of these steps may seem like no-brainers, but it’s not uncommon for businesses to be missing these easy, but important, elements. By following this easy checklist, you can make sure your social media accounts are properly created to maximize your business branding presence. OCG Creative is a full service web design and Internet marketing powerhouse; contact us today to find out how we can take your business to the next level.
