The old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words”. If this is true think of what a video must be worth. Integrating YouTube videos into your online marketing strategy can be very beneficial. Today we look at some methods to do this and why putting content on the site is a good idea in the first place.
Today people go on YouTube for everything. Some use it for creative ideas, some use it for entertainment, and some even use YouTube to host educational tools; so why aren’t you tapping into this free resource? For a lot of people out there the reason can be that they don’t think that they have anything worthy to post to YouTube. People think because they are talking about gardening or plant varieties that they wouldn’t be seen on YouTube.
This is where those people are wrong. Speaking for the Millennial generation, there are two predominant ways we get our information. The first way we get information is we “Google” it. This is usually performed to locate basic facts or research something we have recently heard about. However, when it comes to taking on in depth projects or learning how to do something, we use YouTube. If Google is the dictionary of the internet, YouTube is the encyclopedia.
“But how does that affect my business?” Think about it like this: If you were a garden center trying to cater to the younger generation and their interest in container gardening wouldn’t you want to show them that your business carries the perfect supplies to make it easy to garden in a limited space? That’s when you break out the camcorder and a tri-pod (both of which you can now get at a very reasonable price) and film you or one of your employees making a mixed container or demonstrating the growth habits of certain compact varieties of plants. Then you publish that video to your YouTube channel (which is similar to a profile on other Social Media sites) and add tag words like “container gardening” or “compact plants”, and then lastly throw a link onto your Twitter or post the link in the caption of a picture on Facebook.
By creating these sorts of how-to videos you can really engage your customer. The videos act as a security blanket for the consumer. Now they know that when they go home to plant they are not truly alone. If they get lost in the process or don’t feel confident in what they are doing, they can click open the YouTube video and check with the instructions there. Those five minute videos you make about products in your business add value to your products. Even if the value may be small and the video is only viewed by 40 or 50 people, you didn’t lose anything. You lost 10 minutes of time it took to film. The risk is definitely worth the reward.
However, YouTube isn’t just great for retailers; it can be great for growers and other members of the channel as well. For instance if you are a grower why not make a five to seven minute video displaying new variety offerings or highlighted plants that you carry. Give a video tour of your production facility. Then send these YouTube links to your customers. From there they can see what is new and gain a sense of trust in your company because they can see how plants are being grown, and that what you are selling to them is a quality product. You might even get new customers depending on who accidentally comes across your video.
These are just a couple quick examples of how YouTube can be incorporated into your horticultural business. There are plenty of other reasons that YouTube is valuable. For one it gives a face and a name to your business. It puts you on a personal level with your customers, and who doesn’t want that in this industry?
Well, that’s all for today on YouTube, but I’m sure we will discuss intricacies of the site in later posts as well. Today I just wanted to bring the topic up to get you thinking about it. It’s Monday so if you find yourself or your employees with a break in the action why not give this video thing a shot. Don’t worry if you don’t have the greatest camera in the world, it’s ok. A home video feel might even add the grassroots touch your consumer is looking for.
Any questions on today’s post? Please email me at mday55@gmail.com comment here or tweet at me on Twitter @mday55. I hope that the post today was helpful. Just like you I am always looking for suggestions. Thanks!
For lack of a joke today I recommend checking out #hortfilms on Twitter for some laughs.
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