Google and YouTube: Best content Practices
Google, the world’s largest search engine and curator of information used by the general public, aids in the finding of businesses around the world. If there is one platform to have your business on, it is Google. All the other social media platforms can be found on Google, including YouTube. This is great for your business because all the social media platforms that you have for your business can be searched and found by consumers when they are on Google. Google My Business is a function of Google itself. When you search for a business, you will see a listing with business information on the right-hand side. Below is an example of what a listing looks like from a Google Search perspective:
Posting to Google My Business is extremely easy to do. First things first, you need to have access to your Google My Business listing. For more information about getting your Google My Business profile ready for business, visit https://www.optimizesocialmedia.net/making-your-google-listing-business-ready.
This convenience is important, but it’s also important to focus on the content that is posted on these platforms, and the best content to post varies depending on the platform. But for the sake of this blog, we will be discussing Google My Business and YouTube, and the best content to post on both.
There are five different types of posts on Google if you count the “COVID-19 Update” post option. This post allows you to inform current and potential changes to a business’ COVID-19 protocols.
The second type is the “offer” post. You can post any product or service discounts. One thing to remember is that all these posts will appear on Google Maps and Search. You can add details to the offer, as well as a coupon code, a link to redeem the offer, and even an optional terms and conditions section. You could create a coupon code or a link to your website for an oil change or tire rotation.
The third type of post is the “What’s New” option. This type of post is a great way of informing your current and potential customers of new services that your team can perform or the products that you use to perform those services. You can also use this post type to inform consumers about changes to your business such as new employees, customer appreciation posts, and improvements to buildings or equipment.
The fourth post option is the “Event” option. This option allows a business to inform its consumers of an event that your business is hosting or a part of. The date, time, and location can be put in the post, as well as a call to action. A call to action is a statement that may persuade a consumer to do something. For example, if you make “call now” the call to action in your post and add your number to it, people can click on it, and it will make the call to your business.
The last Google post is the “product” post. You can use this post type to post your products if you produce your own. You can add the price or price range, a description, and a call to action like order online, buy, learn more, and get offer.
That is a list of the five different types of posts you can create to drive traffic to your business and make your business an attractive place for consumers to visit. YouTube on the other hand, is completely different. Being a video-oriented platform, you can post pretty much anything so long as it’s a video. If you are interested in learning how to create a YouTube channel for your business, click the link here.
When it comes to social media, there is only one platform as recognizable as YouTube, and that’s Facebook. According to Statista, 94% of people that use social media in the United States know what YouTube is and what it does. It is worth noting that YouTube was the second most popular website in the month of February, behind Google.
Although consumers will have to look for specific videos, this is good news for business owners because, with the sheer number of users, there’s always going to be the potential for growth on YouTube. Your target audience will dictate not only the content you create, but will also influence whether your content will be viewed.
As it pertains to the automotive industry, ideas for content are straightforward. You can make different types of videos using automotive-related ideas.
Here’s a list of options you could choose when creating a video for YouTube.
- Shop projects – Show some of the cool cars your team is working on.
- How to videos – Show your viewers
- Customer appreciation videos
- Shop updates
When posting videos, it is important to cross-promote your videos on your other platforms. You can share the link to your videos or channel. Consumers can click on the link, and it should take them there. There are a few things to keep in mind when creating and disseminating those videos. SEO (or search engine optimization) is important, but it is not the end-all-be-all. YouTube enjoys 10+ minute long videos and using keywords in the title and/or descriptions will assist in ranking higher on SERPs (or Search Engine Results Page).
YouTube Shorts are a direct competitor to TikTok in that both platforms offer short, 15-second or less videos for consumers to watch. When creating a Short, you can combine multiple videos, pieces of audio, music, special effects, and more. Shorts videos popularity has skyrocketed within the last couple of years because of the advent of TikTok. This is good news for businesses because there are over 2 billion users on YouTube, which is higher than TikTok, so the potential for higher viewership is substantial.
With all that being said, it cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have all of your social platforms work together to promote your business. That is why allowing us to manage your content and reputation may be the best solution for you and your business. Our team of professionals has the skill and knowledge to assist you and give you more time to run your business.