YouTube reached an average of more than 2.5 billion viewers every month, over the last year. Where other social media sites and ad networks seem to struggle. the video-sharing giant continues to power ahead. Before you decide to market your business or brand on YouTube, there is a lot to consider.

To help you decide, here are 4 factors you should consider.

1. Channel vs advertising 

There are 2 ways to market on YouTube.

- As a channel: You run and own a channel on YouTube and can create and share the content you want others to see. As a channel owner, you’ll need to produce consistent content and promote your channel in other ways (including YouTube ads and sponsorships). With this approach, you’re aiming for the long haul.

- As an advertiser: YouTube ads will show during someone else's video, interrupting their content. You also have the option to show ads directly through YouTube or sponsor popular channels. As an advertiser, you pay more, but you can generate a large amount of interest in a small amount of time.  

Think about which approach works for you. Running a channel is quite elaborate – here is a handy guide to help you. If you prefer buying ads, study this guide. 

2. Keywords matter 

YouTube is also the Internet’s second-largest search engine. This means you should look closely at your keywords and captions because they’ll help your content stand out.  

YouTube keywords are a tricky business. You can use a keyword generator, which shows how popular any given keyword is, and recommends keywords based on your requirements. This will not be enough, though. YouTube also ranks and recommends videos based on what else someone has watched, and it can even use a person's Google search history to highlight specific videos. 

The best keywords require a bit of research. Look at similar content videos as yours, paying close attention to how popular they are and what words and phrases they use in their headlines and descriptions. Also, look at your competitors’ videos and see what keywords they use. Keywords are essential – read this handy guide for an in-depth look at how to use them. 

3. Be consistent 

Most YouTube business channels fail; there’s an initial rush of enthusiasm, which then wanes when results don't appear fast enough. Yet success requires attention to detail and won’t happen overnight. You must be prepared to wait several months before seeing traction. 

There are ways to boost the popularity of your videos and channel quickly. But as a rule, you need to be consistent, cross-promote your content in other places, such as social media sites, and pay close attention to keywords. You should even consider when you post content (it can vary quite a bit). 

Even ad buyers should look at consistency. Know what you’re targeting. Are you looking to build brand awareness? Want to drive more subscribers to your channel? Trying to boost numbers to a larger campaign? Decide on those benchmarks and then put in the time and resources. Buying a few ads on a whim will not help you much in the highly competitive YouTube marketplace.  

4. Take a course 

As you’ll have noticed in the previous points, online marketing is complicated. Assigning a budget, putting in some keywords, and launching your video into the world is easy. But that’s most often a waste of your money and effort. 

If you’re unsure what to do, consider taking an online course to help improve your knowledge. These courses are cheap and quick but will give you a baseline. Many free videos on YouTube also explain these concepts. 

5. Use an agency 

Consider whether you should hire an agency to do the work for you. This route is more expensive but can yield the best results, especially if you don’t have time to run your YouTube presence. Ask for examples of their work and quiz them on their approach. Start with a limited contract to minimise your risk. 

If the right choices are made and executed correctly, you're content will flourish on YouTube and your business will benefit from this. To benefit fully from this you'll need other business resources. why not partner with Vodacom Business to provide you with tech solutions that will take your business to its next level.