51ÊÓƵ

One billion hours.

That’s theÌý people spend watching videos onÌýYouTube every day. ItÌýisÌýalso theÌýsecond most popular social network inÌýtheÌýworld, andÌýaÌýcommon search destination forÌýalmost anyÌýtopic.

For businesses, this means big opportunities. YouTube isÌýaÌýpowerful medium forÌýboth branding andÌýgenerating traffic. Countless entrepreneurs have leveraged theÌýplatform toÌýgrow ²õ²¹±ô±ð²õ—a²Ô»å you can too!

Want toÌýlearn how toÌýsell onÌýYouTube? InÌýthis post, we’ll dive deep into promoting aÌýfledgling YouTube business channel. You’ll learn what you need toÌýmake videos, andÌýhow toÌýsell products through YouTube itself.

What You Need toÌýSell onÌýYouTube

IfÌýyou’re wondering: “Can IÌýsell onÌýYouTube?”, we’re here toÌýanswer your questions andÌýbeÌýyour personal YouTube cheerleader! ´¡ÌýYouTube channel can beÌýanÌýexcellent way toÌýdrive traffic toÌýyour online store. However, you doÌýneed some budgeting (both time andÌýmoney) toÌýget started.

ToÌýstart selling onÌýYouTube, you need three things:

´¡ÌýVideo Recording Setup

YouTube isÌýaÌývideo platform, soÌýyou’ll need aÌývideo recording setup toÌýget started. ItÌýdoesn’t have toÌýbeÌýexpensive orÌýelaborate, you can create professional quality videos onÌýaÌýbudget. However, your video recording kit should definitely include:

• ´¡Ìýcamera: Pick something that can shoot atÌýleast 720p, though 1080p isÌýrecommended.
• ´¡Ìýmicrophone: ´¡Ìýgood microphone will have aÌýhuge impact onÌýyour video quality. Choose aÌýUSB microphone forÌýdoing voice overs. IfÌýyou have aÌýcamcorder, buy aÌýshotgun mic from Takstar orÌýRode forÌýenhanced sound quality.
• ´¡Ìýtripod: Unless you’re using theÌýwebcam, you’ll need aÌýtripod toÌýstabilize your video.
• Lighting: Conventional overhead light casts shadows andÌýaren’t really theÌýbest forÌýYouTube videos. Invest inÌýaÌýsimple lighting setup toÌýmake your videos look more professional (check out aÌý“ring light” setup ifÌýyou don’t know where toÌýstart).
• Video editing software: You likely won’t need anyÌýextensive editing tools forÌýsimple videos. IfÌýyou’ve never worked with video before, check out simple software platforms like Movie Maker 10Ìý(Windows) orÌýiMovie (Mac). When you want toÌýupgrade your video editing skills, you can swap them out forÌýMovavi Video Suite orÌýAdobe Premiere Pro CC.
• Backdrop: This one isÌýoptional. Add some character toÌýyour videos byÌýcurating andÌýchanging upÌýtheÌýbackground. ´¡Ìýseamless sheet ofÌýcolored paper works well, but ifÌýyou want toÌýtake itÌýaÌýstep further, you can get aÌýphotography background support stand andÌýcolored fabric toÌýmatch your channel’s overall branding.

´¡ÌýWebsite orÌýLanding Page

This one might beÌý´Ç²ú±¹¾±´Ç³Ü²õâ€Ð¯´Ç³Ü need aÌýwebsite toÌýlink inÌýyour videos. This can beÌýaÌýlanding page, aÌýblog, orÌýideally, aÌýproduct page inÌýyour 51ÊÓƵ store.

Depending onÌýyour marketing strategy, you can also link out toÌýyour profiles onÌýother social networks such Facebook, Instagram, orÌýTikTok.

The best option isÌýtoÌýuse aÌýdedicated page forÌýeach video. For example, ifÌýyou sell travel accessories andÌýpost aÌývideo onÌý“how toÌýpack your bags like aÌýpro”, itÌýshould link toÌýproduct pages ofÌýtheÌýitems mentioned inÌýtheÌývideo.

Learn more: How toÌýBuild anÌýEcommerce Website: The Easiest Way That Requires NoÌýExperience

´¡ÌýWillingness toÌýHelp

ItÌýmight sound counter-intuitive, but toÌýtruly sell onÌýYouTube, you must abandon all expectations ofÌýactually selling products toÌýtheÌýpeople who watch your videos. Instead, you must strive toÌýhelp your viewers byÌýoffering them valuable advice. Hard sales tactics almost never work onÌýYouTube; generous advice andÌýentertainment does.

Learn more: YouTube forÌýEcommerce: How toÌýSell Without Selling

Once you have these three requirements, you can jump right inÌýandÌýstart making your own videos.

´¡ÌýThree-Step Guide toÌýSelling onÌýYouTube

The process ofÌýselling onÌýYouTube can beÌýbroken down into three steps: creating videos, getting traffic, andÌýpromoting your channel.

Let’s look atÌýthese three steps inÌýfurther detail.

Step 1:ÌýCreate Videos

You can’t really market yourself onÌýYouTube without making your own videos. This can sound like aÌýdaunting task, especially ifÌýyou’re not really comfortable being inÌýfront ofÌýtheÌýcamera. However, once you have aÌýdecent recording setup (see above) andÌýsome ideas, you’ll find that making videos isÌýeasier than you thought itÌýwould be.

What kind ofÌývideos you should make will depend entirely onÌýyour product. Here are some video ideas you can try:

Answer common questions
Your customers will likely have aÌýnumber ofÌýquestions about your product (or general product niche), both before andÌýafter theÌýsale. Make aÌýlist ofÌýthese questions andÌýanswer them inÌýaÌývideo toÌýmake your YouTube ecommerce strategy more effective. You can also monitor customers’ questions onÌýsocial media andÌýinclude aÌývideo inÌýyour replies toÌýthem. Think ofÌýthese asÌýaÌývideo version ofÌýyour FAQs.

Show theÌýmanufacturing process
“Behind theÌýscenes” videos tend toÌýdoÌýreally well onÌýYouTube, especially when itÌýcomes toÌýbranding. IfÌýyou make your own product, it’s aÌýgood idea toÌýshow off theÌýmanufacturing process inÌýdetail. This will reassure customers ofÌýyour product’s quality andÌýgive viewers aÌýglimpse into your behind theÌýscenes business culture.

Create topical content forÌýyour industry
“Behind theÌýscenes” andÌýQ&A videos have limited audience potential. Industry-focused content, however, can reach aÌýmuch larger viewership. These videos should aim toÌýhelp viewers understand problems that are common inÌýyour niche andÌýfind solutions. ItÌýcan also focus onÌýentertaining them with trivia, facts, andÌýother tidbits ofÌýknowledge that you might have asÌýanÌýexpert inÌýtheÌýfield.

For example: ifÌýyou sell travel accessories, you can make videos onÌýhow toÌýpack your bags more efficiently, orÌýshare aÌýlist ofÌýtop things toÌýpack forÌýspecific destinations.

Feature user stories
How doÌýactual customers use your products? Interviewing users andÌýsharing their stories can beÌýaÌýgreat source ofÌývideo content.

Get inÌýtouch with frequent customers andÌýask ifÌýyou can feature them onÌýyour channel. Many will beÌýexcited byÌýtheÌýopportunity (especially ifÌýyou offer toÌýpromote their business/blog inÌýtheÌývideo). Either ask them toÌýcome into your studio, orÌýinterview them inÌýtheir home/office. This isÌýaÌýgreat branding tool andÌýalso works well asÌýaÌýcustomer testimonial. This type ofÌýcontent isÌýtheÌýbackbone ofÌýYouTube ecommerce-based content.

Share reviews made byÌýothers
Your YouTube channel shouldn’t beÌýlimited toÌýyour own video content. ItÌýcan also share andÌýpromote content made byÌýothers, particularly video reviews made byÌýinfluencers. You can usually find such reviews byÌýsearching forÌýyour product’s name onÌýYouTube.

Asking influencers ifÌýyou can feature their review onÌýyour channel isÌýanother way ofÌýselling onÌýYouTube. Most will beÌýhappy toÌýsee their content promoted across theÌýinternet, asÌýsome ofÌýthem are likely trying toÌýpromote their own brands andÌýsell onÌýYouTube themselves.

Engage your audience with YouTube Shorts
IfÌýyou are interested inÌýinternet culture, andÌýhoping toÌýmake your product goÌýviral, you can make short, catchy videos forÌý. These are short-form (up toÌý60Ìýsecond) vertical videos you can record with your phone right inÌýtheÌýYouTube app.

There are several in-app tools forÌýcreating Shorts. For example: you can add music from aÌýlibrary ofÌýtracks, change video speed, add filters andÌýcaptions.

Shorts are great for:

• Sharing simple tips andÌýlifehacks
• Shooting comedic videos
• Any content that can beÌýdistilled into aÌýfew quick steps orÌýdata points.

Say you have aÌýcooking blog where you sell your recipe books. Use Shorts toÌýshare simple recipes andÌýlet viewers know where they can find similar recipes.

Share updates inÌýYouTube Stories
YouTube Shorts isn’t theÌýonly short-form content onÌý³Û´Ç³Ü°Õ³Ü²ú±ð–t³ó±ð°ù±ð are also YouTube Stories. These are aÌýcollection ofÌýshort videos that users can watch onÌýtheÌýmobile app.

Unlike Shorts (that remain onÌýyour channel), Stories will disappear after seven days. They are ephemeral andÌýare best used forÌýsharing updates andÌýconnecting with your audience inÌýaÌýcasual way. Use Stories toÌýannounce aÌýnew product launch orÌýgive aÌýquick overview ofÌýsome hot industry news.

Step 2:ÌýGet Traffic toÌýYour Site

The next step after making aÌývideo isÌýtoÌýdirect video traffic toÌýyour site orÌýlanding page.

Fortunately, YouTube offers multiple ways toÌýlet users interact with your video content. Let’s take aÌýlook atÌýsome ofÌýthese.

Add links toÌývideo descriptions
IfÌýyou want toÌýlearn how toÌýsell things onÌýYouTube, you need toÌýget theÌýhang ofÌýwriting effective video descriptions.

YouTube isÌýone ofÌýtheÌýlargest search engines inÌýtheÌýworld: people search aÌývast majority ofÌýtopics there when they are looking toÌýlearn something, choosing aÌýproduct, orÌýscoping out entertainment. Writing unique andÌýdetailed descriptions with relevant keywords isÌývital because itÌýhelps viewers find your videos more easily through YouTube search.

Each video description can beÌýupÌýtoÌý5,000Ìýcharacters long. Descriptions should include multiple links toÌýyour landing page, along with anÌýactual description ofÌýtheÌývideo. Make sure toÌýuse keywords here (don’t overuse them) toÌýget SEO benefits asÌýwell.

ToÌýfind relevant keywords, use tools like Google Ads . Include theÌýmost important keywords inÌýtheÌýbeginning ofÌýyour description. Also, feature one orÌýtwo main keywords that describe your video’s content inÌýboth your description andÌýtitle.

Use interactive cards
Cards are interactive elements that can beÌýinserted into aÌývideo toÌýdoÌýdifferent ³Ù³ó¾±²Ô²µ²õ—s³ó´Ç·É off your products orÌýwebsite, orÌýlink toÌýanother video.

There are different types ofÌýcards that you can use inÌýyour YouTube video:

• Video cards toÌýlink toÌýaÌýYouTube video (you can add cards only toÌýpublic videos). You can promote your other videos with this card orÌýfeature videos ofÌýother creators.
• Playlist cards toÌýaÌýYouTube playlist (only public playlists can beÌýadded).
• Channel cards toÌýlink toÌýaÌýYouTube channel. Those are helpful ifÌýyou partner with some other channel orÌýwant toÌýrecommend related content toÌýyour viewers.
• Link cards toÌýlink toÌýanÌýexternal website. Those are aÌýgo-to option forÌýonline store owners, asÌýyou can link toÌýyour store homepage orÌýproduct pages. IfÌýyou have aÌýblog, you can link toÌýthat too.

Check out Google’s toÌýlearn how toÌýuse cards.

Add end screens
End screens are overlays that sit atÌýtheÌýend ofÌýyour YouTube video andÌýencourage your viewers toÌýtake action after they watch your video.

End screens can beÌýadded toÌýtheÌýlast 5–20Ìýseconds ofÌýaÌývideo. They are often used toÌýpromote other videos onÌýyour channel orÌýencourage viewers toÌýsubscribe. AsÌýanÌýonline seller, you can use end screens toÌýdirect people toÌýyour online store orÌýproduct pages.

Here’s how toÌý toÌýyour YouTube videos.

Pro Tip: End screens are aÌýperfect way toÌýspotlight your merchandise andÌýlink toÌýit. Learn how toÌýmake your branded products andÌýhow toÌýsell merch onÌýYouTube andÌýother platforms.

Step 3:ÌýMarketing Your YouTube Videos

Once you’ve made your videos andÌýuploaded them toÌýYouTube, it’s time toÌýpromote your channel.

Depending onÌýyour existing marketing skills, this might beÌýtheÌýeasiest, orÌýtheÌýtoughest part ofÌýselling onÌýYouTube. Let’s look atÌýsome tactics you can employ anytime, regardless ofÌýyour baseline skill set:

Engage with theÌýcommunity
YouTube comments can often beÌýaÌýgreat source ofÌýviewers. Engaging with your community andÌýanswering their questions will goÌýaÌýlong way inÌýpromoting your brand.

Try toÌýanswer comments made onÌýnot just your own videos, but also videos onÌýsimilar topics made byÌýother creators.

For example, ifÌýyou sell fitness accessories, find videos onÌýfitness andÌýdiet related topics andÌýrespond toÌýcomments onÌýthem.

Don’t push your products aggressively. Instead, drop hints that theÌýcommenter can learn more about theÌýtopic onÌýyour channel. Remember: your first task isÌýtoÌýbeÌýhelpful. Sales come through enthusiastic organic engagement!

Invest inÌýYouTube SEO
AsÌýwe’ve already mentioned before, YouTube isÌýone ofÌýtheÌýlargest search engines inÌýtheÌýworld. YouTube videos also show upÌýinÌýGoogle searches.

YouTube SEO isÌýaÌýdifferent topic altogether, but forÌýaÌýquick crash course, here are some tips:

• Make videos onÌý“video keywords”. These are keywords that have aÌýlarge number ofÌývideo results inÌýGoogle (at least 2+), which lead toÌýmore sales.
  Use these keywords inÌýyour video title. Also make sure toÌýname your video file using keywords. For example, ifÌýyour video isÌýonÌý“how toÌýsell onÌýYouTube”, theÌýfile name andÌýtitle could beÌýÁª³ó´Ç·É-²õ±ð±ô±ô-²â´Ç³Ü³Ù³Ü²ú±ð.³¾±è4´Ï andÌý“How toÌýSell onÌýYouTubeÌý— ´¡ÌýStep byÌýStep Guide” respectively.
• Use SEO-optimized descriptions. The short andÌýlong description below your video have aÌýbig impact onÌýSEO. Google uses these descriptions toÌýunderstand what your video isÌýall about. Make sure toÌýadd atÌýleast 200+ words ofÌýkeyword-rich content describing theÌývideo inÌýthis section.
• Take aÌýlook atÌýtheÌý toÌýbetter understand what affects your video rankings. For theÌýmost part, itÌýisÌýaÌýcombination ofÌýtheÌýquality ofÌýyour content (higher engagement =Ìýbetter rankings), your channel authority, andÌývideo SEO.

Promote outside YouTube
Embedding your content onÌýother platforms (aÌýblog, other social platforms, etc.) isÌýanother great way toÌýdevelop YouTube asÌýanÌýecommerce tool.

Some strategies you can use toÌýdoÌýthis:

• IfÌýyour content isÌýnewsworthy, contact industry blogs andÌýnews outlets andÌýask them toÌýshare your video.
• Share your video onÌýniche community forums andÌýwebsites such asÌýReddit, asÌýwell asÌýrelevant Facebook groups.
• Share your YouTube channel link onÌýproduct invoices andÌýpackaging.

Promote within YouTube
While you’re busy promoting your videos onÌýother platforms, don’t forget toÌýmarket yourself onÌýYouTube asÌýwell.

Here are some strategies you can use:

• Create SEO-optimized playlists. These often show upÌýinÌýtheÌý“Related Videos” pane andÌýcan get your additional views.
• Make aÌýshort clip where you encourage people toÌýsubscribe toÌýyour channel. Insert this clip atÌýtheÌýend ofÌýevery video with anÌýannotation pointing toÌýtheÌýsubscribe button.
• Brand your channel. Use aÌýbrand image inÌýyour channel header andÌýfill upÌýtheÌý“About” section with information about your brand. Use consistent colors, logos andÌýmessaging inÌýeach video.

IfÌýyou doÌýall ofÌýtheÌýabove, you’ll find that getting traffic toÌýyour YouTube videos isÌýnot only easy, but also fun.

Run YouTube Ads
Now you know that theÌýanswer toÌý“Can you sell stuff onÌýYouTube?” isÌýyes!

However, theÌýsteps listed above are great forÌýlong-term results. IfÌýyou’d like toÌýgrow your channel faster, consider running paid ads.

InÌýGoogle Ads, you can create video campaigns toÌýengage customers onÌýYouTube:

• Skippable in-stream ads: they appear before, during, orÌýafter other videos onÌýYouTube. Viewers can skip these ads after 5Ìýseconds.
• Non-skippable in-stream ads: upÌýtoÌý15Ìýseconds videos that appear before, during, orÌýafter other videos onÌýYouTube. Viewers can’t skip those ads.
• Video discovery ads: these ads are displayed where viewers can discover ³Ù³ó±ð³¾â€“n±ð³æ³Ù toÌýrelated YouTube videos, asÌýpart ofÌýaÌýYouTube search result, orÌýonÌýtheÌýYouTube mobile homepage.
• Bumper ads: upÌýtoÌý6Ìýseconds clips that play before, during, orÌýafter another video. Viewers can’t skip these ads.

Learn More about Selling onÌýYouTube

Successfully selling onÌýYouTube isÌýaÌýlong-term process. Instead ofÌýlooking forÌýovernight success, focus your efforts onÌýbuilding anÌýaudience through consistent work andÌýusing YouTube asÌýone ofÌýmany channels forÌýpromoting your business.

Your main goal should beÌýhelping people (or entertaining them) with your content. ByÌýbuilding upÌýbrand authority andÌýauthenticity with your audience, you’ll beÌýable toÌýgenerate organic sales inÌýtheÌýfuture.

IfÌýyou want toÌýcontinue learning all about how toÌýsell onÌýYouTube, check out theÌý51ÊÓƵ Ecommerce Show:

Now over toÌýyou: doÌýyou use YouTube forÌýpromoting your business?

Ìý

• How toÌýSell Using YouTube: ´¡ÌýBeginner-FriendlyÌýGuide
• YouTube forÌýE-Commerce:ÌýHow toÌýSell Without Selling
• How toÌýCreate YouTube Video Ads forÌýYour Business
• ´¡ÌýSimple Explanation ofÌýHow YouTube Counts Views