Ask anyone today what search engine they know or use and I bet you they would say “Google”. They won’t be wrong either. But did you know that next to Google, the second largest search engine is “YouTube”? Well, it is and not only is it the second largest search engine, it is also the most popular social media platform for video sharing on the net.
So why then, is this awesome media platform often ignored by Independent schools when planning their social media strategy?
YouTube is amazing for reaching out to millions of people and your school have a great opportunity to present itself through motion pictures to a broader audience for free too!
So what is your school waiting for? Read below to find out how your school can use YouTube to maximise its popularity.
1. Create and brand your YouTube account (Channel).
Just as your website is the hub for your school’s marketing strategy, so can YouTube become the hub for all your school’s online videos.
YouTube accounts are called channels and if you use dynamic video content on your channel, you can be sure that your school will attract more audience. However, to achieve this, your channel needs to be very well branded so that anyone interested in your school will be able to recognize it very easily. Also, whatever branding you do, remember to make sure it matches with all the rest of your other media channels to avoid confusion to searchers.
2. Link your video to your website.
YouTube is, like we said earlier, huge in terms of its extremely broad audience and ability to reach millions at a time, so use it as an extension of your school’s website by including links in the descriptions and video that will help drive relevant traffic to your website. Remember that interest can wane very quickly for viewers, so wherever you mention an interesting point, link it to a source and if possible, funnel the flow of traffic through to your schools website every time.
3. Use videos to showcase events at your school.
Record and upload special events at your school, like – school plays, sports day, Christmas carols or even your school visits to other places – on your YouTube Channel. Your video do not have to be professionally filmed either. Amateur videos can be just as sweet and compelling as professional ones can be informative and dynamic. The most important thing for the video to achieve is engaging the viewers’ attention through good quality and interesting moments. So get capturing!
4. Video optimisation for Google.
Google owns YouTube, and so videos are now, more than ever, appearing in Google search engines result pages. For that reason, you should make certain that you include specific keywords in the title and description of your school video, to make it easy for viewers to find when searching on either Google search engine or YouTube.
Remember that video is one of the most effective ways to communicate and engage with your audience. Use it to maximum benefit by integrating it into your schools website. Include videos from your YouTube channels into specific pages and where possible, widgets. Thus helping your school gain more subscribers.
Written by Gayle Thompson @SwoopStudios
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