Maximising YouTube: what corporate digital communicators need to know
YouTube is one of the “big five” social media channels: not only do most companies have a presence on the platform, it’s the most popular social media platform for US adults and US teens. A staggering 85% of adults and 90% of teens in the US use YouTube, according to data from Pew.
Historically, YouTube has been used by companies as a video archive, or worse – a vast dumping ground where old footage, B-roll and content from other social platforms or the corporate website languishes for eternity.
But YouTube can be so much more than a storage space. When used properly, it is a powerful platform for shaping corporate reputation in numerous ways.
Why YouTube matters more than ever:
- It’s a search engine: YouTube is increasingly popular as an alternative search tool: YouTube makes up 6.79% of the share of search (with ChatGPT making up 4.33% and Google making up 83.54%) – meaning that audiences turn to the platform to learn more about your company and industry.
- It’s feeding generative AI algorithms: YouTube video content is also being gobbled up by AI algorithms – another reason to have robust, accurate company information on the channel. Transcripts and auto-generated captions are “feeding the AI beast”.
- It’s a less-risky home for engaging short form video content: YouTube Shorts are gaining popularity among corporate communicators who do not want to turn to TikTok.
- It’s a place to connect with key audiences: The comments section of a YouTube video is a source of community and an opportunity for engagement. Turning off the comments is a mistake.
What does “good” look like on YouTube?
Landscape-oriented, information-rich videos in well-organised and regularly updated playlists are a gold standard for corporate YouTube channels.
Long-form videos that are genuinely informative work well, but so do short-form, TikTok-style videos on YouTube Shorts.
Ensure video titles and captions are clear and descriptive. As YouTube is increasingly used as a search engine, it is important to have the basics of good SEO in place, and to avoid corporate clichés and jargon.
It's also good practice to provide human-edited subtitles, rather than auto generated ones, for accessibility and visibility. The same applies to automatically generated transcripts.
As with other social media platforms, stilted and stale video content will never be as effective as videos that are genuinely interesting, lean into your areas of expertise, showcase employees and are focussed on authentic storytelling.
Best practice examples of who is doing YouTube well:
- Bosch is experimenting with YouTube Shorts: the company has a strong mixture of product as well as corporate content, including videos about company history. This is an interesting and innovative format in which to tell those stories.
- HSBC launched a podcast on its main global YouTube channel, called “Power Up”. It's a series of interviews focused on how people “perform at their best”. There’s a dedicated podcast tab on the YouTube channel and HSBC also publishes YouTube Shorts. Notably, the podcast gained significant traction on HSBC's YouTube channel just a month after it launched, and some of the YouTube Shorts are getting hundreds of thousands of views – a testament to the power of effective editorial content on the platform.
- Aurecon, a design, engineering and advisory company, are also experimenting with YouTube Shorts – providing office tours of the company’s global locations. This is an excellent provision for jobseekers looking to learn more about the company, and is linked from the corporate website. Using YouTube Shorts for office tours is relatively unique, and the quick-fire format gives an authentic insight into life behind the scenes.
- Rio Tinto is an example of a company that has a well-stocked, carefully categorised and actively maintained set of playlists on YouTube. The wide range of information-oriented videos provide visitors with a well-rounded view of the company, whether they browse the channel itself or use YouTube search to find out more about their topic of interest.