Greg Jarboe, president of SEO-PR, understands the importance of populating YouTube with a variety of content to fit all levels of the buying cycle. According to Jarboe, as digital video continues to be an important part of marketing, companies are discovering that the conventional rules don’t necessarily apply, and that video provides many avenues for experimentation.
“You don’t have to be funny for a video to go viral,” Jarboe told Switch. “You can also be informative or inspirational. Funny is just one tool in the toolbox,” he added.
On the other hand, YouTube, the original go-to source for online video, is still the biggest player in the space, which means it’s a tool that all marketers should be using.
“A billion unique visitors a month are coming to YouTube.com,” Jarboe said. “That’s 10 times the size of the Super Bowl audience. So if you don’t have a YouTube strategy yet, what planet are you on?”
Current and Upcoming Trends
The biggest trend, Jarboe noted, is that an increasing number of viewers are watching video on their smartphones.
YouTube even redesigned its approach to accommodate this wave of mobile-viewers. One Channel, which emphasizes subscriptions to channels, is the greatest evidence of this trend according to Search Engine Watch.
As a result, marketers need to make sure their videos look great on all devices, from mobile phones and tablets to smart televisions.
What About Explainer Videos?
For Jarboe, it all comes down to the marketer’s tool kit, and video provides plenty of options to work with. Explainer videos are an important part of that arsenal. Alongside videos that help customers decide between two different products or gain greater insight into how yours works, explainers are an invaluable introduction to a brand.
Explainer videos are another element in the tool kit, and one that’s often overlooked, according to Jarboe. Part of this is that companies have developed some preconceived notions about what works on YouTube, he said. In addition to funny videos, how-tos and product demos, explainer videos are also successful on the platform.
“If I can now add explainer videos to the tool kit, great! I now have a way to actually deal with the prospective customer, no matter where they are in the buying cycle.”
No matter what tone marketers choose to take with their explainer videos, having a resource to help buyers at different points in the sales cycle is a valuable asset.
Watch the video below to hear more on what Greg Jarboe had to say:
