For a number of years, I have been a huge fan of Steve Dotto and DottoTech. I really appreciate the clean, entertaining way he creates his YouTube videos. I wanted to learn more about his process, so I sat in on his Social Media Marketing World 2017 presentation.

Steve Dotto began his presentation by discussing the benefits of posting on YouTube. Video is a valuable asset because people tend to gravitate to what resembles real life. It is a fast track to engagement. Also, video works extremely well for mobile devices.

Must Dos

• Know your audience
• Publish frequently
• Engage with your audience
• Crosspost and share
• Brand in your videos and on thumbnails
• Partner with other creators
• Optimize your video for search
• Create a channel trailer
• Ask for subscriptions

It has been interesting that many of the presentations have emphasized the need for a call to action in whatever they do. Do you include a call to action? You should.

YouTube Tools

Dotto briefly discussed YouTube tools such as YouTube cards, end screens, and annotations. I personally do not use these as much as I should. During the conference, it was reported that annotations will be going away because they do not work well on mobile devices.

Your Channel Is a Community

Your channel should be more than the hard sell. It should be about long-term relationship building. Your YouTube channel should be a vehicle for establishing a level of trust with your audience.

It is important to engage in conversation with your audience. This can be done in the comments section and in the video itself.

YouTube the Search Engine

YouTube is a search engine supported by Google’s search engine. People come to YouTube to learn how to do things. You can support your audience by creating great content. Create content that is specific to their needs.

One great way to develop content specific to your audience needs is to work out loud. You can answer their questions in a public format. It seems many attendees at Social Media Marketing World are following this practice.

“They ask, you answer.” ~ Marcus Sheridan

Dotto stressed that people come to YouTube with intent. They are searching for your content or they want to see you if they are following you.

Action-Results

Dotto shared that your video should do four things:

• Convey value
• Ask questions
• Deliver expectations
• Answer questions and solve problems.

Finally, Dotto recommended creating a format for your video production. This would help speed up the process. A format will also help define the start and tail sections of the video the hardest part to create. Once you have a format in place, you can then make improvements to it.

I plan to start producing videos in the near future. Keep an eye out for them. If you are interested in learning more about how you could use video to promote your Rhode Island business, please contact me.