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How YouTube Can Work in Tandem With Your Blog

How YouTube Can Work in Tandem With Your Blog

When you’re a blogger, it’s vital to continually seek ways to expand your reach and engage your audience. The problem is that many of the methods people suggest are tangential to your main area of focus, at best.

In other words, they risk actually drawing users away from your blog, as opposed to pulling them in. One investment you can make actually works without entailing that risk … and that’s an investment in YouTube.

Benefits of Using YouTube

There’s no doubt that video is the single most powerful content medium on the Internet. Time and time again, research studies, surveys, and statistical reports have supported the effectiveness of video and its anticipated growth in the coming years.

According to one report, video will account for approximately 69 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2017. When you look at YouTube in particular, the growth is already apparent.

The total number of YouTube subscribers is up 40 percent this year, while video shares have increased by 30 percent. But why would YouTube be a valuable supplement to your core blog? What additional value does it provide?

Here are three specific benefits of using YouTube.

  • Content convergence. As the Internet grows, the boundaries between different content mediums are dissolving. Infographics, blogs, images, and videos are all converging. This means you can no longer focus on a single medium and expect to be successful. If you want to be a productive blogger, video is now a key component.
  • Better SEO. Did you know that YouTube is the second largest search engine on the Internet. By ignoring YouTube, you’re essentially shunning a massive potential traffic source to your blog. If for nothing else, utilize YouTube to increase your visibility.
  • Shareability. Next time you log on to your Facebook account or Twitter feed, take notice of what’s being shared. Videos are much more popular than long-form blog content. Thus, YouTube is a great tool for enhancing your blog’s social shareability.

Lessons from Successful YouTube Channels

Now that you have a better sense of the value of YouTube, let’s highlight some brief takeaways from successful YouTube channels so you can see what it looks like in practice.

Park West Gallery. The first thing to notice about Park West Gallery’s YouTube channel is that it offers a diverse collection of content. From interviews with various artists to ongoing series about a given topic, the videos can reach a wide array of people. When you create your YouTube channel, remember that content diversity is a vital goal.

Blendtec. More videos don’t necessarily mean a better YouTube channel. Blendtec understands this. Though its channel has been around for eight years, you’ll notice the company doesn’t feature thousands of videos of varying quality. Instead, Blendtec offers a few dozen really good-quality videos. The takeaway is that it’s better to invest in a few excellent videos than lots of mediocre ones.

Her Campus Media. The Her Campus Media YouTube channel does a lot of things well, but attention to detail stands out the most. When posting videos, it’s essential not to neglect video descriptions. Not only do descriptions help with SEO, but they also encourage people to click on your videos. Her Campus Media does a fantastic job of writing strong descriptions.

See Also
PPC Mastery

Don’t Ignore YouTube

There are dozens of ways to use YouTube. If you blog, it’s time to turn your attention to it. You may be surprised to learn how much it can enhance your core business model.

From driving traffic to your blog to opportunities to monetize, YouTube is the blogger’s newest best friend. Don’t ignore it any longer!

 

Creating Killer Videos with Amy Schmittauer

Creating Killer Videos with Amy Schmittauer

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