If you want to go where your customers go these days, then you want to be on YouTube. Each month 800 million people visit YouTube to watch over four billion hours of video. And we’re not just talking about Gangnam style! What’s more, the number of mobile video viewers is climbing. In its US Digital Media Usage: A Snapshot of 2013, eMarketer forecasts that there will be 73.3 million mobile video viewers in 2013, an increase of almost 20 percent over 2012.
Also significant is that much of this mobile viewing is not taking place on the go but right in the home. Research from the IAB Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence indicates that most smartphone video usage – 63 percent – takes place in the home and in a room where a second screen – a TV, desktop computer or tablet – is also available for viewing purposes. 
As a small business owner, YouTube videos provide a significant opportunity to reach customers with information about your products and services. Considering that 100 million YouTube viewers take a social action on YouTube every week – like, share or comment – your video can help you reach new audiences.
Make sure your content gets results
Focus on a customer need: Your customers are looking for information that is relevant to their interests and needs. To capture their attention, your YouTube video must provide content that answers questions, solves a problem or provides tips that your customers might not otherwise have considered. Also talk about successes you have had with other customers.
Keep it short: Consider how short news clips are — generally 90 seconds to keep the viewer’s interest. The same rule applies to your YouTube video. They should be short – no more than three minutes – and focus on one concept. Ideally, you’ll have many videos in your YouTube channel, so a customer can continue exploring those for additional information.
Include a call to action: Your message will influence your call to action, which can be in the beginning, middle or the end of your video. Whatever it is, make it simple and clear. You can, for example, offer viewers a special promotion and include a link to a web address where they can get more information. You also can ask viewers to follow you on Twitter or like you on Facebook and to subscribe to you YouTube channel.
Ensure quality is professional: Pay attention to the quality of the lighting – natural lighting is best – and audio. There are many mid-range microphones that will work well for most YouTube productions.
Optimize video for mobile
To accommodate YouTube videos for mobile users, GetAudtofromvideo.com, also recommends in addition to the above: use large fonts for text to ensure mobile users can read them on the small screen and zoom in on the objects or products you want to highlight so they don’t appear minute.
If you already have a YouTube channel for your business, how are you integrating it with your other marketing outreach?