How to get the most out of YouTube for your small business

YouTube videos aren’t just about cats doing funny things or clips of people falling over. And in case you’re wondering, a kid’s song is the most-watched YouTube video with over a billion views.

But if you run a small business and you think that’s all YouTube is good for, then you’re missing out. YouTube for marketing is a well-established way of promoting businesses. It can generate new customers and establish the business owner’s credentials as an expert.

Why choose YouTube for your small trade business?

Here are some compelling stats about YouTube for small business:

• 72% of small business say it’s easy to get started
• 65% of small business owners use YouTube to promote their products and services
• 85% of viewers go to YouTube to look for fresh content

As you can see, it’s definitely worth the effort to create YouTube content.

The benefits of social marketing YouTube content include:

• People like watching online videos and will visit YouTube to look for answers to things tradespeople can help with
• You can promote your business with branding and contact details
• You can demonstrate your knowledge and professionalism
• You can provide useful information about your trade
•  In its basic format, it’s free. However, there are YouTube marketing costs to consider. You can also pay for more extensive services and to advertise on YouTube

Here’s a great example of how Checkatrade member Ben uses YouTube to win business. His Kent-based business Flawless Cleaning Services hits all the right notes to get noticed.

How can YouTube be used in your social media marketing?

Tradespeople can connect YouTube content with their social media marketing activity. This could include Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.

By linking YouTube to social media, you can spread your marketing messages even wider. YouTube videos can form part of your digital marketing strategy.

How can you use YouTube for marketing in general?

Perhaps the best way to look at using YouTube is to include it as part of your overall business marketing plan. If you haven’t yet got a plan then it would be a good idea to set one up.

This will help you spend money on marketing that is likely to create the biggest impact on your target customers.

You’ll also need to think about a marketing budget. One of the good things about YouTube videos is that they can be fairly quick to make and low-cost to produce.

Marketing expenses are usually tax deductible. This means you should be able to use the cost of generating YouTube content to reduce your taxable profits.

What content should you use for YouTube?

Impactful YouTube content isn’t just a question of plugging your product and services. That can turn people off. You need to offer something useful.

What you want to do is make your videos compelling so people are more likely to return to see more of the same content.

You can do this in many ways, including:

• Before/after demonstrations of your work
• Providing answers to FAQs (frequently asked questions) about your trade
• How-to videos that provide practical advice
• Tutorials that help people gain a greater understanding of topics you know a lot about
• Sharing your thoughts and knowledge about subjects you are expert in. This is often called ‘thought leadership’

In all these cases, an interesting YouTube video could encourage people to follow you across your social media. They’ll also know who to contact if they want to know about the subjects you cover on YouTube.

Top tips on using YouTube for your marketing

Launch your channel

You can sign up by creating a YouTube account. It should be an easy step-by-step process to get going by creating your own YouTube channel.

You might want to check out YouTube service providers like Zoho and HubSpot. They provide small business with loads of tools to improve their YouTube marketing.

Create quality content

Making YouTube videos that people want to watch is the tricky bit. But with a bit of practice, your new digital skills should take off.

Always remember that viewers have chosen to look at your YouTube. Give them a very good reason to stay. Things to think about include:

• Video equipment – a smartphone is fine for making basic videos
• Lighting – depends on the type of video you are shooting but is always useful to add clarity and quality to your output
• Sound – perhaps invest in a decent microphone
• A monopod or tripod – gives stability when shooting video clips
• Video editing software – this is where you might need to spend more to create amazing results

Much of the equipment needed to shoot YouTube videos will probably be considered as capital expenditures. You should be able to use some of this cost to reduce your taxable profits over the life of the equipment.

Keep content short

You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of viewers. You’ll want them to stay to the end, so keep videos short.

Sometimes, a 60-second clip does the job. A two-minute video is often said to be an ideal length. However, if you are giving useful information in your YouTube video then your audience should want to watch the whole thing.

For example, if you are explaining how something works or how to get the most out of a product.

Be concise with your script

Be clear, concise and friendly. It’s always worth preparing and practising your script. Ask family or friends to listen and give you feedback.

Release content regularly

A regular flow of new YouTube content is essential to get people returning for more. You could shoot a series of videos in one go and then schedule their release over a period.

Get noticed

Use captions in YouTube videos. These can help viewers follow what you’re saying. You can also add contact details to encourage responses.

Think about using search engine optimisation when you title your YouTube videos. A Google search of words linked to what you are thinking about including in your video will show which ones are searched the most.

This can help inspire your choice of video title. It can also provide you with ideas for content.

Link with other social media

As well as being on YouTube, you can cross-market your activity to the rest of your social media.

Analyse your YouTube performance

Monitor how people are interacting with your business. You can check feedback, how many people view your videos and whether they like it.

Google Analytics could be a good place to start with this.

YouTube Shorts

You may have heard of YouTube Shorts. These are 60-second videos that are used in a similar way to TikTok. You could use them to promote longer videos with a link to connect them.

If you’re really ambitious, you can earn money from YouTube Shorts. First, you’ll need over 1,000 subscribers and over 10 million valid public views in a 90-day period. It’s worth aiming high though!

YouTube adverts

As well as creating free content, there are also YouTube adverts to consider. These can raise your business profile with audiences who are most likely to use you.

Live streaming

Another option with YouTube is live streaming on your channel. This is where viewers watch you in real-time.

Key takeaways

• YouTube for marketing can be a highly effective way for small business to get noticed and for tradespeople to demonstrate their skills and knowledge
• Social marketing YouTube connects a tradesperson’s social media channels, like Facebook, Instagram and X, with their YouTube content
• A YouTube marketing strategy helps small business focus on the best and most cost-effective ways of online promotion
• YouTube marketing cost varies according to what you want to achieve and how much you want to spend on equipment