Because short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram have such huge global audiences, it's easy to make the mistake of thinking long-form content is dead. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly users, second in popularity only to Facebook.
Longer content allows creators to tell richer stories and share more complex information. This, in turn, is better for their SEO because creators can answer questions comprehensively without the need for viewers to click on multiple pieces of content. Google's algorithm also interprets long watch times as a good indicator of both expertise and enjoyability, which it rewards with higher rankings.
Whatever your niche, the first key to effective YouTube marketing is always your strategy.
Make your minutes matter—use Later to plan, optimize, and grow a YouTube strategy that drives real results. Start your 14-day free trial today.
Table of Contents
- Why YouTube still matters in a short-form world
- Building the foundation: your YouTube channel strategy
- What types of YouTube content work best for brands?
- YouTube SEO 101: How to optimize your videos for search
- How to promote your YouTube channel (without paying for ads)
- Tools to help you scale your YouTube marketing
- 5 smart strategies for long-term YouTube growth
- YouTube marketing FAQs
- Want to simplify your YouTube marketing workflow?
Why YouTube still matters in a short-form world
On top of providing long-form content, another key benefit of YouTube as a platform is its built-in search engine. Their ranking system considers relevance, engagement, and quality to pair viewers with the best possible videos. This means that prioritizing high-quality long-form content in your YouTube marketing will maximize your discoverability.
But don't forget—variety is the spice of life! Hybrid video strategies use both long-form and short-form content to paint the full picture. Clever YouTube marketing teams don't overlook the power of YouTube Shorts. These vertical videos can be up to three minutes long and can easily be cross-posted from other short-form platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Shorts can highlight portions of longer videos or be complementary pieces of more "casual" content.
Building the foundation: your YouTube channel strategy
Start by defining your "content pillars," which are the core themes of your content. For example, your channel could be educational, entertaining, product-led, or built from user-generated content (UGC). Don't overthink this step too much—what are the first things a potential user should associate with your brand? How do you want your brand or product to be perceived? Let's say, for example, you're creating content for a high-end ice cream company. Some potential content pillars could include luxury lifestyle content, indulgence or "treating" yourself, and craft and artisanal education.
Once you have an idea of what your content pillars are, the next step toward a strong YouTube marketing strategy is determining your audience's interests and pain points. This allows you to align your content to their needs, increasing "stickiness" or engagement. For a high-end ice cream company, the audience may struggle to find an ice cream brand that satisfies their desire for organic, ethically sourced ingredients. Or perhaps they love to watch content about fun summer activities.
Next, consider your channel itself. Is your company a fit for a branded channel or a creator-forward channel? A branded channel conveys a professional tone, with all content generally produced in-house by a team. However, they can be perceived as more corporate or "salesy," which can reduce engagement. Creator-forward channels, on the other hand, are a little less polished. A rough-around-the-edges take can convey authenticity and a genuine desire to inform, rather than a desire to sell. For the high-end ice cream brand, perhaps a creator-forward channel would stand out from more predictable luxury goods content.
So, you've got your content pillars, you know your audience's needs, and you've chosen a style of channel. This YouTube marketing thing is a breeze! Well, not so fast; the last step can be the trickiest. Lastly, you'll need to actually create the content and build a publishing cadence that is both manageable and consistent. It can be tough to stay on top of uploading, scheduling, and launching without a large team. To remove some of that friction, try Later's Content Calendar to map out your publishing schedule and keep your focus on the fun part—the content!
What types of YouTube content work best for brands?
There is a huge variety of content available on YouTube, and most healthy channels should use a combination of multiple types. Consider the demographics of your audience as well as their interests and pain points when choosing videos your brand will share. Later's social media analytics tool can help you pinpoint their taste.
Some popular content types include:
Product tutorials and demos:
The data is definitive: People love watching product demonstration videos.
, 84% of people reported they've been "convinced to buy a product or service" by watching brand demos or tutorials.
Customer testimonials and case studies:
Video testimonials are powerful proof, showing a real-life example of someone happy with their experience using a product. These can be simple, talking-head style shoots with low overhead costs.
Behind-the-scenes brand content:
Show viewers how the sausage gets made. If your audience can connect with the backstory of the brand, or even better, the team behind the brand, they're more likely to form a personal connection.
Live streams and Q&As:
Skip the guesswork. The audience will tell you exactly what kind of information and content they are looking for. Some people are anxious about appearing live on camera, but live streams are an incredible boost to engagement and authenticity.
YouTube Shorts for trend-based content:
YouTube Shorts, as discussed earlier, are a great complement to long-form content. These bite-sized videos let brands hop on to trends, whether that be a dance, a visual gag, or a trending piece of audio.
Creator/influencer collabs (especially for e-commerce):
is a potent tool for growing brand recognition. A 2022 study showed that
69% of consumers are more likely to trust an influencer
recommendation than information directly from a brand or company.
Maximize your content by repurposing long-form content into short-form content with Later.
YouTube SEO 101: How to optimize your videos for search
So, you've loaded up your social media calendar with videos targeted at your niche. Now you've got to help people find them. This is where an understanding of SEO is crucial. To maximize your reach, take each video through this quick workflow:
Write keyword-rich titles and descriptions: Keyword research is the number one tool for getting your videos to rank on the YouTube search results page. Experiment with searching for terms or queries relevant to your niche, and note which videos surface. Once you've selected a few winners, include your target keywords in your title and description. Make sure their inclusion feels organic and directly relates to the content, or the algorithm will punish you in the rankings.
Add tags and closed captions: Tags are an often-overlooked opportunity to enrich your SEO directly in your videos' metadata. When you add these tags, you're telling YouTube what the video is about, which in turn helps it place your video in the correct context. YouTube is secretive about the exact algorithm, but tags appear to function primarily to suggest similar pieces of content. Additionally, closed captions offer two benefits for the price of one: increasing accessibility to viewers and improving SEO by making your video content indexable. Hard-of-hearing, non-native speakers, and people with auditory processing disorders will all be able to appreciate your content, increasing your total engagement and watch time.
Create custom thumbnails to boost CTR: Never allow the YouTube uploader to automatically select a still frame as a thumbnail. According to YouTube, "90% of the best performing videos have custom thumbnails." An attractive or intriguing thumbnail can dramatically increase your click-through rate (CTR) compared to a blurry or unexciting screen grab.
Add end screens, cards, and playlists for watch time: End screens appear at the conclusion of a video, with a call to action to subscribe, watch another video, or click through to a website. Cards are the small pop-ups that appear in the corner of a YouTube video, encouraging actions such as donating, subscribing, or watching a playlist. Both of these spaces are excellent opportunities to get eyes on further content and to drive sales. Lastly, playlists are a great secret weapon, as the auto-play feature acts as an invisible nudge to continue interacting with your content.
Bonus Tip: Pair YouTube SEO with blog embeds and email for a potent cross-channel lift. Check out more ideas like this with Later's free resources
How to promote your YouTube channel (without paying for ads)
While ads are an excellent tool for getting more eyes on your videos, not every team has the budget for a big ad push, and not every product is appropriate for traditional advertising. Luckily, there are lots of ways to promote your YouTube channel without ads, especially when using other platforms.
There's no need to restrict your distribution to YouTube when the same content could bring in new audiences on TikTok or Instagram. Maximize the reach of your short-term video by scheduling Shorts across platforms using Later's Scheduler. For longer-form content, embed videos in blog posts or on landing pages that tie in to the same themes or CTAs (Calls To Action). For example, with the high-end ice cream brand, a blog interview with the head chef could be the perfect place to embed a video highlighting new flavor combinations the chef has developed.
Do you have a mailing list? Visual content is a great way to liven up your email newsletter, and sharing your YouTube videos here is an easy lift. The people on the list have already confirmed they want to know more about your brand or product, so give them something to engage with!
Influencer collaborations are an ace in the hole for YouTube marketing, with familiar faces acting as a strong hook. In addition to featuring influencers in your own content, you can also spotlight your team members or products on their channels. The key to this is to be upfront about the arrangement without the video feeling like an infomercial. Give viewers real value, and be mindful of the influencer's niche and style.
We all know the bio on Instagram and TikTok is prime real estate—every character counts. Ideally, this space serves to bring visitors deeper into your world, whether that's to your YouTube channel, website, or sales funnel. Make discovery seamless by linking your videos using the Link in Bio tool.
Cross-platform promotion is compelling, but so is knowing when to foster exclusivity. Be sure to create YouTube-exclusive content for your community to bring them over from other sites. High-value bonus content can be teased on other platforms, but should act as a magnet to pull people to your YouTube channel. For the high-end ice cream brand, this could be exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of new locations or new product testing.
Tools to help you scale your YouTube marketing
Whether you're working alone or as part of a team, optimized tools streamline the process of rolling out a YouTube marketing strategy. They also make it possible to scale your operation, bringing it to more and more people over time. Here are some of the most helpful tools:
Later Social: This comprehensive social media management tool helps you plan, schedule, and analyze content across platforms. By automating day-to-day tasks, Later frees up time to focus on the creative. For bonus points, their content creation tools make editing, adding images and text, and finding UGC a breeze.
YouTube Analytics: Freely available to creators, YouTube Analytics is a goldmine of information about your audience and content. Monitor watch time, optimize your click-through rate (CTR), and achieve maximum audience retention with easily understandable and shareable data. If your channel is part of the
YouTube Partner Program, you can also track revenue.
Link in Bio: Ultimately, you're here to generate leads for your brand or business, right? So why not make your YouTube content shoppable? A Link in Bio tool turns followers into customers by placing all your information within easy reach. Drive traffic, track sales, and control aesthetics all in one little link.
Downloadable resources: Knowledge is power. Read up on the theory behind the best practices of YouTube marketing. Then put it into action with checklists and templates from Later's resource library.
5 smart strategies for long-term YouTube growth
To grow your brand or business, here are some strategies to set you up for success:
Focus on value-first content, not just promotion
Give the audience something that enriches their lives, makes them laugh, or makes them think. Your videos should serve to answer a question that your audience has or to provide them with a solution. In the ice cream example, you could seek to answer the question, "How can I take my dinner party to the next level?" or "What are the effects of climate change on Madagascan Vanilla?"
Repurpose top-performing content into Shorts
If you have a long-form video performing at a very high level, find bite-sized takeaways that can stand alone, and craft them into brief, quippy YouTube Shorts. These Shorts are displayed on your channel and throughout YouTube in different ways from regular videos, and they're a great way to grab eyes that would otherwise not have come across your content. For these videos, favor quick tips, rapid-fire answers, one-shot explainers, and humorous content.
Batch film videos to save time and improve consistency
You may be thinking, "How on earth am I going to fit filming one long-form video and multiple short-form videos every single week?" The short answer is: You're not! Top-performing creators batch film content over a condensed period and then edit and roll it out over several days or weeks.
Shooting like this is not only more time and resource-efficient but it also allows for a greater degree of consistency in the content. If you're filming 10 videos over the course of a few days, you can easily ensure the lighting, set, and sound quality remain stable—something much more challenging to achieve when you're breaking down and setting up every time.
Use consistent branding across all thumbnails and intros
In an ideal world, we want someone to know that a piece of content has come from your brand simply by glancing at the video thumbnail. It is imperative to nail down your color scheme, fonts, and overall aesthetic as early in the YouTube marketing process as possible. If you end up making a change later on, it's highly encouraged to go back and update your old thumbnails to match the new aesthetic. And if you're collaborating with an influencer or another brand on their channel, see if they're open to incorporating aspects of your branding, like your logo, in the thumbnail.
Use analytics to identify and double down on high performers
Crunching the numbers should be a regular part of your routine. Take stock of your library of content, and seek to emulate the highest-performing videos in terms of views, click-throughs, or comments. What do they have in common? Are there particular days of the week or times of day that align with boosted engagement? Do certain styles of video—like testimonials or Q&As—average longer watch times?
All of this information and more can be found using a tool like Later's Social Media Analytics. To make things even easier, this tool also tracks analytics across all of your social media platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, and more. This big-picture visualization means you can easily visualize how traffic flows between your channels, and which social platforms are driving engagement.
YouTube marketing FAQs
Is YouTube marketing effective in 2025?
In a word, yes! YouTube is the second most-visited social platform in the world, and its built-in search engine is incredibly valuable for brands and organizations. Being so recognizable has given YouTube strong credibility, and users trust the platform to share relevant, high-value video content. Additionally, YouTube is famously a great space for building community, and Harvard Business School states, "The most effective marketing strategies include communicating with and listening to customers."
What's the best content strategy for e-commerce on YouTube?
Brands and companies should adopt a content strategy that provides high-value, relevant content to their viewers across a variety of styles and topics. You should incorporate the interests and pain points of the intended audience and track analytics carefully to determine what performs best. Product or service placement should feel natural, informative, and personal as much as possible. Avoid infomercial-style content, and instead favor tutorials, testimonials, behind-the-scenes content, and trend-based content.
How often should I post on YouTube?
Aim to post at least one long-form video weekly, and supplement that content with between two and four YouTube Shorts, which can be repurposed from other short-form content. Consistency is key, so don't commit to a schedule that you can't maintain. The algorithm highly favors channels that upload content on a predictable schedule, so consider setting a release day for your long-term content that you stick to.
Can I monetize my YouTube content as a brand?
Yes, branded channels are still eligible for the YouTube Partner Program and other forms of monetization. In addition to AdSense revenue, some creators also explore the Commerce product section, which includes some fan-funding options. These options are primarily targeted at live streams and include Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks. Whether or not these are appropriate or valuable to you will depend on the brand identity and strategy.
How do I measure the ROI of YouTube marketing?
Return on investment refers to measuring how profitable your YouTube marketing strategy is. Use the formula (Total Revenue - Total Costs) / Total Costs x 100% to determine your ROI. For the high-end ice cream brand, let's estimate that the revenue generated by the YouTube marketing efforts is $2,000,000. Let's also suppose the cost to create and manage the YouTube content comes to $250,000. If we plug those values into our formula, we can see that our ROI is 700%!
The challenge comes in determining what revenue is generated directly from the YouTube channel. Different teams will have different priorities, but some popular key performance indicators (KPIs) are your CTR, landing page visits, form fills, subscriber growth, and sales.
Want to simplify your YouTube marketing workflow?
Start your free trial of Later Social to plan, schedule, and analyze your YouTube content—as well as every other channel you manage.
