4 Ways to Boost Your E-Commerce Sales Using YouTube

Have you added video to your e-commerce site’s marketing mix? If not, the time may be right to start. Video adds a new dimension to your store, providing a unique and personal view of product information, store background and your personal insights. With tools like your smartphone and YouTube at your fingertips, video can be a great addition to the social media presence you’ve been creating for your store.

Before your start shooting, editing and uploading, pay attention to these four strategies, which can help make your YouTube presence an asset to your e-commerce site.

#1.  Keep it brief. You’re competing with the short attention span of the average online shopper and YouTube viewer, so don’t lose them with lengthy videos. Two minutes or less is considered the sweet spot; remember, you can refer viewers to your e-commerce site for detailed information in your video after you pique their interest in a product or your shop. Keep in mind that YouTube’s ranking algorithm favors videos watched from start to finish, so the more you keep your viewers engaged, the more visibility your video will get.

#2. Make your brand into a channel. Set up a dedicated YouTube account just for your store; don’t use your personal channel. In addition to appearing more professional, you’ll be more easily searchable if your channel name is consistent with your e-commerce site and other social media profiles. With your own channel, you can create playlists about products, your selling philosophy and even product tutorials. Tap into your creativity to devise a creative way to word your titles, and strategically place your company logo to help viewers remember you and your store.

#3. Understand analytics and annotations. Monitor your video views and use that information to help you create future videos. What worked? What didn’t? How many people watched your video to the very end? How can you improve your videos next time around? Similarly, annotations – the boxes on YouTube that promote comments or subscriptions, such as “Check out my recent video about vintage toys!” – are a great way to engage viewers as well. They’re easy to add via YouTube’s Video Manager function; you can even add active links to further increase viewer engagement.

#4. It pays to advertise. Promote your videos with AdWords, Google’s paid advertising service, which you may already be using for online ads. Choose from options like pre-roll and banner ads, or bump your video’s visibility to appear during searches for other videos. Because YouTube’s value as a marketing tool is visibility, investing in ways to get your videos seen can really pay off.

The Bottom Line
YouTube is more than just TV clips and cat videos – it’s evolved into a powerful marketing tool that e-commerce sites of all sizes are using to their advantage. If you choose to leverage your online image, pay attention to content and production, and be sure to promote your videos via your other social media channels like Facebook, Twitter and your blog. A video doesn’t have to go viral to be effective – it simply needs to reach shoppers and potential customers in a way that keeps them interested in you, your store and your products.