YouTube Marketing for Libraries

It’s no secret that the way the world communicates and operates vastly changed in the past few years as a result of the pandemic. Through the challenging times, libraries adapted their techniques to stay connected with patrons and offer the same beneficial services. That’s why YouTube has been such a growing platform in the library field. Sharing virtual events, tutorials, informational videos or interviews can serve your patrons when they aren’t physically able to come to the library and keep everyone connected in a more engaging way. If your library already has a YouTube page but isn’t sure how to best use it, or would like to create one, we’ll cover the basics of YouTube marketing and how it could benefit your community.

Why YouTube?

YouTube was launched in 2005 and currently is home to more than 2 billion users worldwide with more than 30 million visits daily. It is the best one stop shop for video content on the Internet—so much so that it has become associated with video in our lexicon, much like “Googling” has become linked to web browsing. This makes sense as YouTube is the 2^nd largest search engine in the world. Percentages of users are consistent between the ages of 15 and 56+ years of age. This tells us that audiences of all ages turn to YouTube for music, entertainment, beauty tutorials and informational videos on every topic you can imagine. So, it’s clear that this is a great platform for small businesses looking to market with video content. Creating a YouTube channel for your library offers a centralized location for patrons to view and engage with your videos.

YouTube Users by Age Group, 2020

Credit: https://www.statista.com/statistics/296227/us-youtube-reach-age-gender/

Create A Brand Page

The process for setting up a YouTube page, if you haven’t already, is very straight forward. Since YouTube is powered by Google, you’ll need a google account to create the page. Once you’ve logged in, creating a brand account for your library will help multiple staff members have access to upload to your YouTube page once it’s up and running. Plus, once you hit a certain number of followers, the account will be verified. The first step of having a YouTube channel is to keep it in line with your library’s branding so that it looks official and part of your marketing plan. Add your logo or library photos to the profile picture and header, and be sure to add in a quick blurb about your library. It’s always good to link to your website and other social media pages as well to keep everything connected. When the channel is set up, you’re ready to start uploading videos!

Like & Subscribe

Youtubers have created their own lingo through frequent vlogging or sharing videos on the platform. You’ll often hear “Like and Subscribe” at the end of most content creator videos. As silly as it may sound, having your audience like a video or subscribe to your channel does make sure your videos are being seen and viewers can interact with your content. Another great way to optimize your channel is to take a look at what other libraries are doing for video content and use that as a jumping point for brainstorming your own ideas. Performing a competitor analysis on what main topics libraries are posting about, watching their most popular videos, reading the comments and seeing what the audience enjoys are all ways to improve your video marketing strategy on YouTube. Also add keywords that you think your audience would be searching to your video title and description to reach more patrons. And as always, if you ever need any tips for making great engaging videos, feel free to reference our blog posts: The Secret Sauce to Making Great Videos for Social Media & How to Create Five-Star Library Video Content.