Question: We started doing a Video of the Week to answer questions for our customers and we have been posting them on our YouTube page, is this the best way to use video on our site or should we be doing something else?
Just like you, I use YouTube to post videos on my page. For the most part because I find it to be an easy platform to use for creation and sharing. However, I do not directly send my viewers to YouTube to watch the video, rather I embed the videos on my page.
Now, there are good and bad to both ways of doing this. The good thing about posting and linking viewers directly to YouTube is that they will increase stats for your total views. For some reason this is how YouTube is set up, they do not show embedded views as views on your YouTube page. On the other hand, when you send them to YouTube you are kindly sending them off of your site (Last Click Attribution), and you are all but guaranteeing they won’t be coming right back. Make Sense?
While I know stats are very important, I recommend embedding video on your site and giving your viewers the option to see the video without leaving your site. As content creators we work very hard to get viewers to our site and we should really focus on not sending them away (easily).
With so many sites, like YouTube now enabling brands to deliver them content, I cannot emphasize how important it is not to send viewers on your owned sites away when you can easily let them view the video on your site. All while still using YouTube. It really is a win-win.
We work so hard to build an audience on our site, don’t chase them away. Make sure to keep the viewers there if at all possible as this is how we build trust and earn conversions. (The entire reason most brands create content.)
Do you use YouTube to add video content? Are you embedding or sending your viewers away? What is your reason for doing it the way you do?
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