We’re often never far away from constant news blasts notifying us of the benefits of Facebook updates or features, but when it comes to YouTube, The Practice team often have to delve a little deeper when thinking about how the video platform can benefit brands. But a company can always bode well from keeping one eye on the YouTube pulse, because there are a multitude of ways that video can heighten a brand’s marketing efforts, whether they realize it or not.

Often, a brand might think that it can’t benefit from having a video channel- it might believe that its corporate image or serious content might not adhere to social sharing. But YouTube offers the chance for any brand to reach its audience in a creative and compelling way. And now, the time has never been better for companies to familiarize themselves with the platform following on from announcements of YouTube’s new design layout, entitled One Channel. One Channel offers users a new look, offering easier customization and navigation. One of our favourite features of the updated layout is the addition of a pitch video for non-subscribers that will automatically play at the top of the channel’s landing page. Along with this, channels will be fully optimized for multiple devices, including mobile, tablets, TV, and even fridges!

With these updates in mind, it’s crucial for a company to fully utilize the changes for higher engagement. The Practice team recommend devoting a good amount of time to playing around with YouTube’s improved customization features, as a strongly branded and eye catching design will be one of the main differences between drawing a loyal audience, and receiving unique views. Channel art and a captivating icon for your page are great starting points, followed by ensuring your name and description are optimized for search. We also love the fact that YouTube’s new pitch video feature will be perfect for brands wishing to showcase a convincing trailer. This, we’re sure, will do wonders for representing a brand’s mission statement, and it will leave potential fans and subscribers clued up about products, aims and company identity.

With this in place, brands can easily use YouTube to leverage their marketing strategy, particularly if they have certain targets in mind. For example, YouTube is often the secondary platform brands will turn to if they wish to diversify their message. Just this week for instance, CNN announced its partnership with BuzzFeed to launch a joint YouTube video venture with a younger audience in mind. The news channel wishes to attract the 18-34 age demographic by using BuzzFeed to push social media clicks over to CNN. Reaching a new target audience is one way video can help, but brands can also use it to spin content in a new way. If you look at an immediately less intriguing brand such as DIY company, The Home Depot, for instance, it can be difficult imagining how such a brand could use YouTube inventingly. But The Home Depot have proved that creating tutorial-based content has helped draw a highly engaged crowd for years; it’s clear that any company, however mundane its brand image, has the ability to benefit from the platform to achieve unique marketing goals.

Which brands do you think use YouTube effectively? And have you been surprised by any who have managed to use the platform to present their corporate image in a different light? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and join in the conversation on our Facebook page.